The 2009 HUMMER H2 will be the first HUMMER to utilize GM’s E85 FlexPower, with the H3 following later in 2009. The new H2 will be able to run on E85 ethanol, standard gasoline, or any combination of the two fuels. E85 is a cleaner-burning, higher-octane fuel that can help reduce dependency on oil, but may not necessarily achieve the same fuel economy as regular gas.
Chevrolets are rarely seen on the streets of Paris. But General Motors (GM) has chosen the Paris Motor Show, which opens to the public on Oct. 4, to launch one of the most important new Chevy models in years.
The Cruze, a compact sedan set to go on sale in Europe next March and in the U.S. in 2010, will be Chevrolet’s first global small car. With its sleek, arched roofline and high-tech interior, “it’s one of the global Chevrolet products that are the future of where this brand is going to be,” says Wayne Brannon, Chevy’s European chief.
Toyota, the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler each said Wednesday that their sales in the United States fell more than 30 percent in September, as volatility in the financial markets compounded what already had been a miserable year for the auto industry.
But sales were better than expected at General Motors, which reported a 16 percent decline and estimated that its market share rose to the highest level in more than three years.
The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid entered the market in 2008 as direct competition to the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Malibu Hybrid is a stylish five-door mid-size sedan—but as a mild hybrid, the fuel economy compared with the gas-powered Malibu was a very modest 2-mpg jump to 24 in the city and 32 on the highway.
For 2009, the Malibu Hybrid is rated at 26 city and 34 highway—meaning a much healthier 4-mpg boost over the base-level Malibu. The difference in the lowest end MSRP between the two vehicles remained the same. The conventional Malibu starts at $20,745, while the Chevy Malibu Hybrid starts at $24,695. In other words, the cost per mpg improvement was cut in half.
Around 2:50 p.m. Thursday, a Cadillac traveling north on Route 28 near Trinity Place collided with a pickup exiting Noisy Hole Road. The Cadillac’s driver swerved to his left, went into a gulley and up onto an embankment before crashing into a utility pole.
Mashpee Police directed traffic around the scene for over two hours while waiting for utility crews to arrive and stabilize the severely damaged pole so the car could be removed and the pole could be replaced. The car sustained heavy damage, including air bag deployment, and the driver was transported to Falmouth Hospital with apparent minor injuries.
The Liberals traded their last election’s dirty jet for an even older gas-guzzling carbon-belching Air Inuit 737 this time, but road-touring the election in a rented car seemed to dictate a green shift of a different kind.
My 2006 election protest at the outrageous gouge the party leaders inflict on tagalong journalists — $9,300 per week plus hotels and taxes — was a rented Hummer complete with beer, er, juice fridge, a fearlessly heavy-footed photographer named Steve and power hookups so we could file stories on the fly.
General Motors Corp.’s treasurer said Wednesday that the automaker is planning to sell its Hummer truck brand and a factory in Strasbourg, France, and may announce more asset sales later this year.
Walter Borst said in a slide presentation at a Deutsche Bank investor conference that the company expects to distribute marketing materials for both operations in October.
Fitch Ratings on Monday cut its issuer default rating on General Motors (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) further into ‘junk’ territory, citing concerns about the auto company’s liquidity position and ability to raise fresh funds.
“The Heartbeat of America” the ads for Chevrolet, General Motors’ flagship brand of cars, used to boast. For better or worst, as the US auto giant celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, the company’s health has never seemed more tied to the country’s economic health.
At a time when the US economy is spluttering, the country’s most venerable car brand seems to be running out of gas.
General Motors said that it intended to draw down the remaining 3.5 billion dollars of its 4.5-billion-dollar secured revolving credit facility to maintain what the auto giant described as “high level of financial flexibility” at a time when the financial markets are uncertain.
