truth about domestics

Earlier this year we posted a story about General Motors adding a third shift at the Ingersoll, Ontario plant that builds the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.  However, demand has proved to be so strong that more production capacity was needed.  Therefore, GM will expand the body shop at Ingersoll and then ship the body shells to the Oshawa, Ontario plant that builds the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and Impala, where a third shift will build the Equinox.  All of the workers laid off at Ingersoll will be brought back, plus an additional 70 workers to help build the bodies.  Over at Oshawa, 600 employees will be reinstated, making this another victory for GM’s comeback.  For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox features a 2.4L Ecotec four-cylinder that allows it to achieve a 32 mpg highway EPA rating.  While that might be best in class now, that figure probably won’t hold up in the future.  So for that reason, General Motors has decided to invest $494 million into three separate plants; one in Tonawanda, New York, another in Defiance, Ohio and the final plant in Bay City, Michigan.  This move will also add 470 jobs to the U.S. economy and produce an as yet unnamed size of the new Ecotec.  For more details and GM’s official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

The video above shows some of the testing that went into making the new Chevrolet Equinox as great as it is.  The smoke testing was done to check for air leaks, because those can be pathways for water, wind and road noise.  The second test…well you’ll see.

The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and its GMC sibling, the Terrain, have been selling like hotcakes (whatever that means!)  General Motors has moved over 59,000 units this year alone, making this recall all the more painful.  The issue facing the cute-utes is a faulty defroster control module.  Customers will be notified by GM about the issue.  For more details, head on over to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

(Image source: GM)

Out of all the new cars and trucks released in the past year, only 3 each are chosen as the finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards that will be presented at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.  The interesting news here is that both GM and Ford managed to get a nominee in the car and the truck categories!  For GM, the car is the Buick LaCrosse and the truck is the Chevrolet Equinox.  The Ford nominees are the Fusion hybrid and the Transit Connect.  For more, head on over to Autoblog or the North American Car and Truck of the Year site.

The 2011 Buick Regal is finally here (set to make its U.S. debut at the L.A. Auto Show in December) and it has retained all of the styling of the Opel Insignia on which its based and gained some new power train combinations.  The Regal will only be offered with 2 different 4-cylinder engines.  The base engine with be GM’s new 2.4L EcoTec that features direct injection and manages 32 mpg in the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox crossover.  The optional engine will be GM’s 2.0L turbocharged direct injected EcoTec good for 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.  For more on the story, as well as the official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM China of the Chinese market Buick Regal)

The new Chevrolet Equinox is miles better than the vehicle it replaces, but how does it really stand up to competition?  If you read the review over at Autoblog, you will see that the American manufacturers know how to compete!  From its class leading 32 mpg on the highway, to DVD screens, navigation and more at a price below that of its competitors, the 2010 Chevy Equinox means business.

(Image source: GM)

As of 9:00AM this morning, the New GM has been born.  Owned mostly by the U.S. government, and also by the UAW retiree health-care trust, the governments of Canada and Ontario, and old GM bondholders, the New GM will be different, says CEO Fritz Henderson.  “Business as usual is over,” he said to a group gathered in the offices of a bankruptcy lawyer in New York.

Among the details this morning it was revealed that Bob Lutz, current vice chairman, would not be retiring but instead overseeing most creative work at the company.  Hopefully the future gets brighter for GM, as new products like the 32 mpg Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain hit the market, the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt move closer to reality, and the new line of Cadillacs comes out.  For more, head on over to the Detroit Free Press.

The 2010 GMC Terrain is built on the same platform as the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.  Now before everyone starts crying “badge engineering” take a look at the two vehicles side by side.  The GMC features it’s own distinct sheet metal and interior layout.  However, these two vehicles do share when it comes to powertrains and that is a very good thing.  The reason?  The Equinox and Terrain both come standard with a 2.4L Ecotec 4-cylinder that achieves an EPA estimated 32 mpg on the highway.  That’s a class leading figure, even beating the Ford Escape hybrid by 1 mpg.

For all of the details plus tons of pictures, head on over to Autoblog.

General Motors knows that fuel efficiency is important to customers.  To prove their point, they developed a new four-cylinder engine, a 2.4L Ecotec that features direct injection.  This engine has already shown that it can produce impressive numbers in the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, where it gets an EPA estimated 32 mpg highway.  For the Buick GM is predicting highway fuel economy around 30 mpg while city should be around 20 mpg.

For more head on over to Autoblog.