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Detroit 2009: Post-Bailout Booth Tour - GM

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Etc., Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn

Click above to start the GM booth tour

Seeing as this is the first post-bailout Detroit Auto Show, we figured it might be interesting to take a look at the display areas for the two automakers that are now taxpayer-subsidized. Would we find extravagant layouts, visible signs of austerity, or pretty much business as usual? First up is General Motors. For now, it's still eight brands. But who knows what that number will be a year from now. Jump into the gallery below for photos and accompanying observations. And note that some of the cars shown here (like the Cruze and Beat concept above) are likely to be relocated when the show opens to the public.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: GM Post-Bailout Booth Tour

Detroit 2009: Post-Bailout Booth Tour - GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: 2010 Buick LaCrosse Hits the Track

Yesterday GM officially took the wraps off the all-new 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Here are two videos of the new LaCrosse. One is of the designers and engineers discussing the new LaCrosse and the other shows the LaCrosse in action.

The 2010 LaCrosse is powered by either a 255 horsepower 3.0L V6 or a 280 horsepower 3.6L V6. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive is available.

The LaCrosse will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in a few days.

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Sneak Peak: The Saab 9-X Air Hybrid Speedster

Anticipated as the 2-door companion to the Saab 9-X Biohybrid sedan that debuted at the Geneva Auto Show in 2007, the Saab 9-X Air is two-door, four-passenger, convertible speedster. With a 200-hp, 1.4L Saab BioPower engine under the hood, the Saab 9-X air is engineered to run efficiently on E85 biofuel [85% ethanol, 15% gasoline] and is expected to average an estimated 107g/km in CO2 emissions. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the green machine is the Saab 9-X Air’s Targa-designed Canopy Top, which isn’t under the hood at all, yet makes a great contribution to the 9-X Air’s efficiency as a hybrid. Made out of lightweight fabric to reduce overall vehicle weight, and according to the press release, “folds neatly in three small sections under a rear tonneau cover in the trunk deck.” While not in itself a particularly noteworthy feature, a soft-top Saab is definitely a new design direction for the Scandinavian auto manufacturer, and I’d be very interested to see what a production model would look like.

Although this specific model isn’t guaranteed to ever see production, AutoBlogGreen reports that a variant of the 9-X Air might debut on GM’s Delta platform later, simultaneously lending its powertrain to the 2011 Chevy Cruze.

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LA Preview: Saab Celebrates 25 Years with a Special Edition 9-3 Convertible

Yesterday it was reported that GM has canceled all of its press events and major intros at the LA Auto Show, which leaves the automaker with very little to show off. Since there isn't much to show, Saab is going to quietly debut its 25th anniversary edition of the 9-3 convertible.

The 2nd limited edition 9-3 convertible is available in three colors, Jet Black, Carbon Grey, and Bright Champagne. It's powered by a 210 horsepower 2.0L engine that can be mated to either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

The anniversary 9-3 convertible will be in showrooms in January 2009 with a starting price of $46,725.

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Shanghai GM stumbles in '08

Filed under: China, Buick, GM

One of the refrains we've all heard in recent years is how strong Buick is for General Motors in China, where it's not cursed with the stigma of being a grandparent's brand in the States. While most of yesterday's attention was rightly focused on the industry-wide year-end U.S. sales bloodbath, Shanghai Daily reports that 2008 was a bummer for GM's joint venture with SAIC in China.

Shanghai GM ended up down 7% versus 2007, with analysts saying that its new cars, like the freshly-updated Buick Excelle, didn't deliver the goods in terms of styling, price, or fuel economy. Hence, buyers reportedly turned to the VW Jetta and Toyota Corolla instead. Shanghai Daily points out that Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Saab all showed growth in China last year, so the overall Shanghai GM decline essentially gets laid at the feet of Buick. Now, it'll be interesting to see how 2009 plays out. GM is hoping that the Chevy Cruze can help get things back on track in the People's Republic (and everyplace else, for that matter) when it arrives sometime in Q2, joining other key Shanghai GM newcomers like the Buick Regal.

Shanghai GM's disappointing 2008 performance was part of a broader growth slowdown for the General in China. When factoring in the rest of its joint ventures, GM's China sales were actually up 6% overall. But that's a significant dropoff from the double-digit sales gains exhibited in preceding years -- 19% in '07, and at least 27% in the each of the four years prior to that, according to Bloomberg. With so many consecutive years of explosive sales growth, things were probably bound to level off as car shoppers transformed into car owners. Whether GM's influx of new models planned for this year and beyond stokes the sales fires in China again is a story that we'll follow throughout '09.

Gallery: 2009 Buick Excelle

Gallery: 2009 China Buick Regal

[Sources: Shanghai Daily, Bloomberg]

Shanghai GM stumbles in '08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today In History: Cadillac Is Born [Insert Rap Lyric Of Your Choice Here]

On August 22, 1902, the luxury automobile company Cadillac was founded by mechanist Henry M. Leland. An engine builder for Oldsmobile, Leland took it upon himself to redesign the Oldsmobile engine, modifying its valve ports and compression ratio to produce a smaller, more powerful engine. When Leland presented his finished product to Oldsmobile, they were apparently uninterested. Undeterred by their rebuff, Leland then took his engine to the brain trust at Ford Motor Company. FoMoCo, which was on the brink of collapse, was so impressed with Leland’s design they agreed to assemble an automobile around it. The company that formed around that automobile was Leland’s Cadillac Company, named for the French founder of Detroit, explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

The Cadillac Company was the first American manufacturer to offer the luxury of the closed-bodied auto as standard equipment. In 1904, Cadillac became the first auto company to receive the Dewar Trophy - an award established by Sir Thomas Dewey to encourage technical progress in the automotive industry. Four years later, Cadillac was acquired by GM to become a part of its “diversified product line” where it continued to flourish as the industry standard for American luxury and innovation.

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GM considering cutting jobs and selling brands

Update: GM spokesman denied the automaker is reviewing any more brands besides Hummer for sale.GM sales are down 16.3 percent so far this year and it announced last month that it will be closing...

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2009 HUMMER H2 Black Chrome Edition Unveiled...Why?

HUMMER is seriously on the brink of extinction now that the SUV market has died and GM is looking to unload the brand...but HUMMER is still here for now. HUMMER has unveiled the 2009 HUMMER H2 Black Chrome Edition.

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GM may cut next-generation GMC Acadia and SUT program

It’s too early to say whether or not GMC, a brand based on SUVs and trucks, will soon see future like HUMMER, but according to the insiders of GM news, GM is cutting two product programs. On...

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VIDEO: Very First Production 2009 Corvette ZR1 Goes for $1 Million

The very first 2009 Corvette ZR1 went for $1 million at the recent Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction.

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Fireball Asks… What If?

I like old cars. But not just ANY old cars. Concept Cars. Cars with vision. Visions of futures that never happened. It was the reason I like Tomorrowland at Disney and then became their Chief Designer in the late 80’s. But these cars were created with an intense vision that was unlike anything anyone had ever seem. And it influenced millions.

So, I set it upon myself to ask WHAT IF? What if we were to re-design the visions of tomorrow, but with a mind for today? And then, I got a little squirrly with it. Oops. The result? MOTORAMA MAYHEM!!!!

The bodies of the old ones are cool for sure. But nowadays, design is more than just form. It’s texture, color, light, purpose. We’re pretty advanced now, so movies like THE CRAWLING EYE don’t really cut it. Get my drift? I even took keys on these new versions from my Uncle Mike’s Hawker Sea Fury Racing Plane. He was a big cheese racer in the 60’s and won every race. (That’s ’cause the flames intimidated everyone…)

Motorama Shows of the 50’s inspired generations. Proposing what was next. But unfortunately, cars still don’t fly. They should… and will if I get a hold of ‘em.

Check it. MOTORAMA MAYHEM….

Firebird 1 from the 50's