OPEL International Inc. (CA:OPL: news, chart, profile) (”OPEL” or “the Company”), a leading global developer and supplier of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) and other solar products, today announced that testing of its Mk-I HCPV solar panel verified that it qualifies under the provisions of the IEC 62108 standard. With the achievement of this milestone, OPEL has positioned itself to be a leading supplier of HCPV panels in the important European market and beyond.

General Motors (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) expects to sell its Hummer brand by the end of this year or early in 2009, as it shores up capital to survive a deep industry slump amid record losses, its chief operating officer said.

GM, which has lost $51 billion over the past three years, plans to free up $15 billion in liquidity with cost-cutting, asset sales and new borrowing under a July plan intended to reassure investors that it can ride out of the down turn.

General Motors Corp. (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F) executives said sales of trucks and SUVs in August again made up a bigger share of total sales as gasoline prices continued to fall from record highs in July.

As gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon this summer, buyers switched to more fuel-efficient cars and shunned the trucks and SUVs that have traditionally driven Detroit’s profits. The industry also has been dragged down by declining retail sales for individual dealerships, tied to the weak economy and soft housing market.

Nearly a million cars, trucks and SUVs are being recalled by General Motors today because their heated windshield washer system poses a fire hazard. General Motors says it is aware of three fires caused by this problem, but no injuries have been reported so far.

The fluid heating system is a popular option on many of General Motor’s large cars and SUVs. It is used in cold weather to heat windshield washer fluid before spraying it onto the windshield, where it can melt ice and frost on the windshield.

Nearly a million cars, trucks and SUVs are being recalled by General Motors today because their heated windshield washer system poses a fire hazard. General Motors says it is aware of three fires caused by this problem, but no injuries have been reported so far.

The fluid heating system is a popular option on many of General Motor’s large cars and SUVs. It is used in cold weather to heat windshield washer fluid before spraying it onto the windshield, where it can melt ice and frost on the windshield.

General Motors Corp. (GM) Vice Chairman and product development chief Bob Lutz on Thursday said the company is well-positioned for the future even as it deals with the slowest auto industry in years.

Lutz, speaking to reporters at an event in suburban Chicago to promote GM’s 2009 model lineup, cited the company’s efforts to “reinvent” the automobile, with a focus on fuel-economy and quality, as a key reason for optimism.

General Motors Corp. (GM) will sign an initial agreement Thursday to build an engine and transmission plant for passenger vehicles in India, a senior executive at its local unit said Wednesday.

The plant will be set up at Talegaon, near Pune city, in the western state of Maharashtra, Ankush Arora, vice president in charge of marketing, sales and service at General Motors India Pvt. Ltd. said.

“We will be signing a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government tomorrow (Thursday),” Arora said.

Luxury. Design. Prestige. All three are hallmarks of Buick’s legacy that, in order to revive the brand in the U.S., must be present in every new vehicle. Although the division has had some success in doing so with the popular Enclave crossover, it’s looking to its operations in China - a market where the brand all but dominates the middle-and upper-luxury segments - to resuscitate its ailing U.S. wing.

The military credits its new crop of hulking armored vehicles with saving hundreds of soldiers’ skins. But these Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) behemoths come with all kinds of problems, as well. They’re too bulky to drive through Iraqi alleyways and Afghan trails. And they’re prone to roll-overs. So the Army and Marines are looking for a next-gen MRAP, that combines the “agility, maneuverability and mobility” of a Humvee, with the protection of the brawny new vehicles.

General Motors plans to invest $500 million on its all-new global compact car, the Chevrolet Cruze, being built at its Lordstown, Ohio plant. Later it will also be built in Europe and in the Asia Pacific for sales in the region.

Banking on the demand for small niche cars, the auto maker has increased production of compact cars after a drop in sales of its profitable pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles due to high fuel prices.