2014 Chevrolet Impala wants to be more than America's Favorite Fleet Car, will Share Platform with Cadillac XTS

With more than a decade on its back, the current Chevrolet Impala is well overdue for a replacement. Introduced in 1999, the eighth generation of the Chevy's full-size sedan switched to a front-wheel drive layout with GM redesigning the large sedan in 2005.

According to the Automotive News Data Center, Chevy has sold more than 2.8 million units of current model since 1999, with 2007 proving to be the vehicle's best year with a little over 311,000 deliveries. This year, through the end of November, GM has sold close to 161,000 Impalas.

But as we said, it's time for the current Impala to give its place to a new model. Last week, GM confirmed plans for the development of the 10th generation Impala, which will be produced at both its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Canada and the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant.

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The Company Formerly Known as “Old GM” is Dead at Age 103

It was long overdue, but it was bound to happen: the company lawyers named Motors Liquidation Co. but which we came to know as "old GM" during the 2009 government bailout period, died on Thursday, December 15.

Though it had a very long lifespan of 103 years, no one really noticed its demise. After all, this was just U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerbert signing the death certificate. Giving birth to the “new GM” two years ago was a very painful process – and one that most of those involved would like to forget.

It meant the sacrifice of three of its brands (Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn) and getting rid of another (Saab, which ironically is now in a similar position), closing 13 plants along with 900 dealerships. GM also had to reduce its U.S. workforce from 91,000 to 68,500 employees, which either way, is a far cry from the 525,000 workers it had in the States and another 100,000 outside the country in 1955.

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New 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS is All Show, Little Go, will Debut in Detroit

When General Motors previewed the Chevrolet Sonic series with the Aveo RS Concept at last year's North American Auto Show, the company also hinted at a spicier version inspired by the study.

Following the launch of the regular Sonic models, Chevrolet has now revealed the production Sonic RS that will go on sale late next year after making its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

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GM Boss Mark Reuss Builds a Fantasy Supercar Out of the Company’s Parts Bin

Almost every car fan has, at one point or another, considered building his ideal car: for example, one with a Ferrari or Lamborghini bodywork, a Pagani interior, a Veyron engine, Porsche everyday usability and all this at the price of a used 300,000-mile Ford Escort…

Well, the automotive term for this is a parts bin special; that is, a model built by borrowing only (or mostly) existing parts from other models. Mark Reuss, GM’s North American president, was asked by Car & Driver to assemble his dream car by using components that already exist on the company’s shelves.

We have to admit that, even though General Motors is not the first carmaker that comes to mind when picking components to assemble our dream car, Reuss has managed to conjure a pretty interesting vehicle.

The bodywork would come from the 2002 Cadillac Cien concept, which Reuss believes “defined Cadillac”.

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GM Confirms Next Generation Impala, will Invest $68 Million to Prep Oshawa Plant

The Impala is a historic nameplate for Chevrolet with roots that go back to the golden era of American automobiles, the 1950s, and it's one that General Motors isn't about to let go despite the fact that the series has faded away into mediocrity these past years.

Today, the Detroit-based company confirmed plans for the development of a brand new Chevy Impala and announced an investment of $68 million to prepare its Oshawa Assembly Plant in Canada for the production of the next generation sedan.

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Supplier Issue Forces GM to Halt Chevy Cruze Production in Ohio

While models like the Corvette or the Camaro usually make the headlines with their performance numbers, looks or Nürburgring lap times, “bread and butter” models that sell in high volumes are those that matter the most to companies like General Motors.

The Cruze, which has sold more than a million units less than two years after its global launch and is currently the second-best-selling small car in the U.S. trailing the Toyota Corolla by 4,000 units, is a prime example.

That’s why halting production on Monday at GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant where the Cruze is manufactured, must have been quite a blow for the Detroit company.

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GM Confirms Turbo Engine for the New Malibu, Could be for the RS or SS Model

At a press event for the introduction of the new 2013 Malibu on Monday, General Motors confirmed the presentation of a turbocharged model to Motor Trend magazine.

Chevrolet officials said that the force-fed variant of the Malibu would be introduced in about a year's time from now, without elaborating further on the specifications of engine or the model trim.

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Shocker: Crash Tests Reveal that Most Cars Sold in Latin America are Deathtraps on Wheels

The FIA Foundation announced the results of the first ever crash tests carried out by the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), and the news isn’t good for consumers and automakers alike.

Actually, the crash test results reveal a terrifying reality: most of the best selling cars in Latin America’s emerging markets offer minimal or no protection at all to their adult occupants let alone children...

Max Mosley, president of Global NCAP, said: “The latest results of the Latin NCAP reveal that South America’s most popular cars are still about 20 years behind the levels of safety enjoyed in Europe and North America. This cannot be acceptable.”

"We want to see the UN’s global crash test standards applied to all new cars across the world. And we want consumers to be aware of the life and death choices they make when buying a new car," Mosley added.

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Golden Razzie: Teen Girl Supposedly Does Burnout in Dad's Manual Corvette C6

When you hunt for car-related videos on a daily basis, you are bound to stumble on a clip or two that will force you to place your hand flat across your face – a physical gesture commonly known as 'face palm'.

And this video of a supposedly teenage girl - who actually looks like she's well into her 20s- allegedly doing a burnout in her father's manual gearbox Corvette C6 is definitely worth a good face palm, or two.

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GM to Donate Proceeds from Military Tribute Camaro to Veterans Program

A one-off Military Tribute Camaro designed by award-winning artist Mickey Harris is heading to the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Arizona auction that takes place from January 15 to 22, 2012, and all for good reason as General Motors announced today that it plans to give all proceeds from the sale will benefit the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans. Read more »

Media Headlines Reduce Demand for Volt, Coolant May be the Cause of Battery Fires

Despite handling the Chevrolet Volt fire-risk issue brightly going to great lengths to dispel current owners’ fears and satisfy them, media headlines seem to have taken their toll on the extended range EV's sales after all.

According to CNW Marketing president Art Spinella, a new survey conducted by his research company reveals “a decline in the consideration of the GM vehicle”.

The study shows that the number of early adopters “Likely” or “Very Likely” to buy a Volt between July and December decreased by 20.5% after the fire reports, a percentage that was double among the general public. Electric vehicle enthusiasts are the only ones not affected by the reports, yet analysts expect the Volt to will miss its 2011 sales target by around 20%.

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GM Completes 1 Million Test Miles with 2013 Chevrolet Malibu [Video]

It's no secret that all major carmakers put their new vehicles through a series of tests that include driving prototypes hundreds of thousands of miles all over the world and under all kinds of conditions before they enter regular production.

The upcoming 2013 Malibu, which will be Chevy's first-ever global midsize sedan, is no exception. On Thursday, General Motors announced that the Malibu's engineers surpassed the 1 million mile mark of on-road testing, which were accumulated since the first quarter of 2010 on a fleet of about 170 hand-built prototypes on six different continents.

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Report: GM to Unveil New Buick Encore Crossover and Two Chevy Concepts at the Detroit Show

As we're nearing closer to the 2012 edition of the North American International Auto Show [NAIAS], more details are coming out on the new models that will make their debut in the city of Detroit.

Last week, General Motors told us that it is preparing four-world premieres for Detroit including the 2013 Cadillac ATS premium sports sedan, but declined to elaborate on the other vehicles.

However, the Detroit Free Press is reporting today that GM spokeswoman Stephanie Rice said that the other three world premieres will be a "global production Buick crossover" and two never before-seen Chevrolet concepts.

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Chevrolet Volt Deemed as 2011's Top Collectible Car of the Future by NAHC

For a second year in a row, the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection (NAHC), which is billed as the world's largest public archive of automotive literature, have selected a Chevrolet model as the most collectible car of the future among 23 all-new cars and trucks launched in the States in 2011.

Last year, the winner was the Camaro sports coupe while for 2011, the award goes to the Volt extended range electric vehicle. NAHC did not name the other competitors for this year's award.

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Revenge of the Nerds: Chevy Gives “Socially Influential” People Free 3-Day Sonic Test Drives

Providing a free ride to influential people is a tried and tested method that carmakers employ to generate publicity about a model. Sports players and socialites, however, now have to take a back seat to people with a great influence on social media.

What exactly does this mean? Well, General Motors has enlisted the services of a company named Klout. This company ranks a person’s “social influence” and then runs a sampling program providing said person with certain “perks” – in GM’s case, a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic.

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Woman Speeds out of Ferrari Dealership in a Corvette and Flips Over [Video]

A very strange accident involving a yellow Corvette C6 and two more cars just took place in Norwood, Massachusetts. A witness told Boston's NewsCenter5 that the person responsible for the accident is an unnamed woman who "races cars for a living".

And what did this female racing(?) driver do, we hear you ask? Well, according to an eyewitness account, the woman in the Corvette stopped at a Chevrolet dealership in Norwood on Route 1 looking for a faster set of wheels. The dealer didn't have anything to offer her so she went over to a nearby dealership to test drive a Ferrari.

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Report: U.S. Car Buyers Take a Second Look at Diesel-Engined Cars

If you tried to find a diesel-powered car in the U.S. of A. you’d certainly have a hard time, as their total sales account for less than 3% of the total market. But the future may be different.

With gas prices constantly fluctuating and the government pushing manufacturers to improve efficiency, analysts predict that hybrids are not the only kind of vehicles that many buyers will turn to: diesel is another option.

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GM May Redesign Volt's Battery, Puts Opel Ampera Sales on Hold

Providing a free loaner to Volt owners concerned about their car’s safety is all good and well – even better for some if the loaner is a Camaro or a Corvette.

However, General Motors, which is currently cooperating with the NHTSA to address the fire issues that ensued after the agency’s crash tests, may even go as far as redesigning its extended-range hybrid’s battery which is manufactured by South Korea's LG Chem.

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General Motors will have Four World Premieres in Detroit Including the 2013 Cadillac ATS

With the press days over at the Tokyo Motor Show, automakers are now turning their focus on the next big automotive event, which is the 2012 North International Auto Show that takes place in Detroit from January 10 to 23.

Today, we learned that General Motors is planning four world premieres but for now, the company will only tell us about one of the vehicles it will bring to Detroit, the 2013 Cadillac ATS, which is aimed squarely at the entry-level premium sedan segment rivaling the likes of the new BMW 3-Series and the Lexus IS.

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GM Says Anxious Volt Owners May get Any Loaner they Wish - Even a Corvette!

You’ve got to hand it to General Motors: even though the Chevrolet Volt is currently in the middle of a formal fire investigation by the NHTSA, it looks like it can still generate good publicity out of it.

Cooperating with the safety agency to look into the lithium-ion battery issue was to be expected, but providing free loaners to Volt owners who have “fire anxiety” (even though all incidents involved crashed test cars), isn't something you take for granted.

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