Filed under: Marketing/Advertising , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GM , GMC , Earnings/Financials According to the number-crunchers over at Edmunds.com, things are looking up for General Motors in the month of October. If preliminary figures hold up, The General's market share should come in at 22.4 percent, a notable gain from the 19.1 percent share the automaker averaged throughout the third quarter of 2009. Driving this newfound marketplace success is thought to be GM's recent abundance of new product launches, which include important models like the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac SRX along with the Equinox and Camaro from Chevrolet. GM has received mostly favorable reviews on each of these vehicles and has invested money into advertising and media campaigns. Still, maintaining the measure of success seen over the last month and continuing to grow that momentum in the long term won't be easy, and GM isn't likely to recapture its position as the dominant player in America that it once was any time soon. Of course, we'll be watching. [Source: Auto Observer | Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images] Edmunds: GM market share will grow in October originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Filed under: Aftermarket , Coupe , Performance , Lamborghini Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 JB-R by JB Car Design - Click above for high-res image gallery The Lamborghini Murcielago may be getting old, but the raging bull still has some fight left in it. Some figure it just needs a little encouragement. Like JB Design. The German tuning house has released a comprehensive tuning package for the LP-640 that leaves no stone unturned. The engine can be upgraded to 714- or 750-horsepower specifications. The shift paddles have been replaced with an F1-style rocker lever. An extensive carbon fiber aerodynamic package includes front and rear spoilers, rear diffuser, front air intake side skirts, and front and rear hoods. The wheels have been swapped out for 20-inch Schmidt Revolution alloys with steamroller Michelin rubber. The interior has been refinished in custom leather, Alcantara and carbon fiber trim. The stock exhaust has been replaced by an adjustable system.

Filed under: Car Buying , Europe , Ford , Earnings/Financials 2010 Ford Fiesta (Euro-Spec) - Click above for high-res gallery New products, improved quality and a surge in public perception have helped Ford buttress its sales numbers here in the U.S. , but the Dearborn-based automaker also has a good story to tell across the Pond. According to The Detroit News , Ford managed to grab 10.1% of Europe's overall market share in September - the first time since September of 2001 that the Blue Oval has touched double digits. Ford sold 155,000 vehicles in September in Europe's 19 biggest markets, up 12.3% versus September 2008. Ford has now beaten year-over-year sales totals for four straight months. One vehicle that has gone a long way towards getting the Blue Oval over the 10% milestone is the new Fiesta , as the popular B-Segment vehicle achieved its highest September sales in 15 years. While Ford's overall market share benefited from the quality of its product lineup, the increased volume during the month of September also came in part courtesy of Cash for Clunkers-like scrap programs in several European nations. Many of those programs have recently ended or are being phased out, though, which worries Ford for the short term. Ford of Europe VP Ingvar Sviggum told th e DetNews that the health of the market still pretty shaky, adding "It is clear that there is still a need for government intervention in Europe to help bolster the market until demand reaches a more sustainable level." [Source: The Detroit News ] REPORT: Ford's Euro sales crest 10% for the first time in 8 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrid , Wagon , Tokyo Motor Show , Crossover , Subaru Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept - click above for high-res image gallery Subaru has just released a bunch of new images of its Hybrid Tourer concept that is slated to debut next week at the Tokyo Motor Show . The gullwing wagon/hatch/thingy is Subaru's first major cut at a hybrid and the first from anyone using a boxer four-cylinder engine. A pair of electric motors provide regenerative braking, pure electric drive and blended electric boost, with a lithium ion battery pack as the energy storage medium. Subaru has been working with their partners at Toyota to produce this new hybrid architecture, and it will likely appear in production vehicles in the next few years. Besides the hybrid system, the concept also includes a new direct injected version of its 2.0-liter turbo boxer engine that will also probably appear in production vehicles before long. Gallery: Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept [Source: Subaru] Subaru releases more pics of Hybrid Tourer Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , GM General Motors has announced its planned production for next year: 2.8 million vehicles. That's a 45% increase over its production this year - 1.9 million cars and trucks - and according to some analysts, it's completely unwarranted. GM says it arrived at that number based on "real simple math." Analysts quoted in the Detroit Free Press today appear believe that GM was guided more by hope and a quest for market share. Just about everyone agrees that next year's new car market will grow compared to this year, with estimates generally ranging from a 10% to 15% increase in sales. GM slashed its production this year so much that by September, its inventory hit unprecedented lows. To be ready for what it believes will be a 15% bounceback in overall North American car sales, a boost in its own sales (which were down almost 40% this yea)r, and to have enough inventory on hand, it figures it needs to bump production by 45%. Every analyst appears to agree that GM will need to make more cars. But 2.8 million? Even as one analyst said, "There is no question that their production is going to be up next year and it's going to be significant - it really is," they were all in agreement that 2.8 million vehicles will leave a lot of cars either sitting on lots or being ridiculously discounted. The announcement has brought out sentiments that we are seeing shades of the old GM with a 'make them and move them by any means necessary' mentality.

Filed under: Chevrolet , GM Forget about more cowbell, for GM it's all about more Chevy -- at least, that's the situation for Chevrolet's new VP Brent Dewar. So far this year the Bowtie has posted more than 60% of GM's North American volume, but Dewar wants that to get to 70%. "As Pontiac goes away, Saturn goes away," Dewar said, "Chevrolet has to step up. The 70 percent target is the right kind of number we need to work on." The real perspective on that challenge is in the numbers: GM's market share was 22.4 percent a year ago and is now 19.7 percent. However, while GM is out to increase overall market share it has half as many brands as it did last year: Pontiac and Saturn are dead, Saab and Hummer have found other homes. For Dewar, the general (if slight) upward trend in sales, as well as the coming Cruze and the Volt, will help Chevy achieve that number. But beyond that we have no idea what he plans to use to breach the 70 percent figure, and we find it interesting that Chevy is trying to make up for more even with Cadillac's and Buick's imminent models. Nor is it clear how GM will maintain its overall numbers globally without Opel, but we look forward to finding out. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] REPORT: Chevrolet to take larger role at GM, account for 70% of total volume originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:29:00 EST.

Filed under: Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Saturn , Earnings/Financials , Humor Click above to view the video after the jump When the deal to sell Saturn to Penske Automotive fell through , there were likely a lot of surprised people at General Motors' Detroit, MI headquarters. Penske released a statement saying that the reason the deal fell through after months of good faith negotiations was that a suitable post-GM supply of vehicles could not be found. However, after reacquainting ourselves with over eight minutes of outtakes from Jim Gaffigan's old Saturn commercial, we're thinking the comedic pitchman is to blame. Hit the jump to join in on the laughs. Gaffigan is a flat-out goofball, and we're pretty sure he's addicted to calling animals and inanimate objects his family members. We're not sure how the old guy with the lease term paper didn't flip the hell out, though. Sure, the video is old, but considering the quickening demise of the Saturn brand, we feel it's apropos to revisit it now. Besides, we recon that both Saturn fans and employees could use a bit of humor at a time like this. *WARNING : Explicit language may be NSFW.

Filed under: Motorcycle 2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster - Click above for high-res image gallery Just in case the original Triumph Rocket III and its 2.3-liter inline triple engine wasn't quite bonkers enough for you, the British motorcycle manufacturer has just announced it's upping the power of its awe-inspiring mill for the 2010 model year. The 165 lb-ft of torque represents a 15% improvement over the 2009 model, and that plateau is reached at just 2,750 rpm. Couple that foundation-wrenching pulling power with 146 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and a reported 807-pound wet weight and you've got yourself a laudable power-to-weight ratio. Fortunately, Triumph has also seen fit to update the Rocket's suspension and brake components to match the newfound grunt. A new set of 43-millimeter upside-down forks join twin Kayaba shocks to keep the big bike under control and updated Brembo brakes are paired up with Triumph's proven ABS system. On the styling side of the coin, Triumph will paint the new 2010 Rocket in any color you'd like... just so long as it's black. Hey, don't complain - you do get the choice of either glossy or matte finish, and don't forget about that engine! Rounding out the updates are twin chrome silencers and a reconfigured riding position with a shorter reach to the handlebars and slightly more rearset footpegs. We'll take ours in, um, black. Gallery: 2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster [Source: Triumph] Continue reading Triumph updates 2010 Rocket III, now makes 165 lb-ft of torque Triumph updates 2010 Rocket III, now makes 165 lb-ft of torque originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST.

Filed under: Crossover , GM , GMC 2010 GMC Terrain - Click above for high-res image gallery The GMC Terrain is just coming to market, but some have speculated that a diesel variant could be on the way to trump the crossover's already impressive 32 mpg highway figure. Well that's just not going to happen, according to Buick GMC boss Susan Docherty. Last month, GMC Communications Group Manager Dayna Hart Tweeted that the Acadia would receive a Denali variant , but the Terrain won't be so lucky. Docherty made no bones about the fact that Denali badging wasn't being planned during a web chat on the GM FastLane blog. That doesn't mean that the Terrain will never be Denali-fied, but at the very least, it won't happen any time soon. We've heard the Terrain referred to as "awkward," "odd," "homely," and even "brutally wretched," but we've also heard some say that it has "genuine presence for such a small vehicle," and that it is "seriously butch." Either way, Docherty insists that the newest GMC could also be called an early sales success. Inventory for the CUV is low and demand is reportedly high, but Docherty says that the situation should improve in October as production is ramped up at the General's Ramos, Mexico Ingersoll, Ontario plant. Gallery: 2010 GMC Terrain Live [Source: Inside Line ] REPORT: GMC planning diesel Terrain? How about a Denali? Umm...

Filed under: SUV , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Hummer 2008 Hummer HX concept - click above image for hi-res gallery With General Motors selling its Hummer operations to China's Tengzhong, there had been some concern that the embattled state of Michigan would lose even more jobs if the SUV brand's home base would move either overseas or out of state. But according to Reuters , that doesn't look like it's going to happen. According to company officials, Hummer LLC has secured some $20.6 million worth of state tax credits over ten years, and in turn, it expects to invest $9.4 million over five years into its new headquarters. Reuters indicates that Hummer operations will be relocated to a location in southeast Michigan, with plans to start at 100 employees and eventually ramp upwards to 300 in a few years. A site for the headquarters has not been announced yet, but it will likely come after the deal between GM and Tengzhong is finalized. Gallery: Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept [Source: Reuters ] REPORT: Chinese-owned Hummer to keep headquarters in southeast Michigan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink