Pulse2 Technology and Social Media News » General Motors

General Motors Working On $50 Smartphone App

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:24:56 +0000

General Motors has started working on a $50 smartphone application that could replace your dashboard navigation system. The app is called GoGo Link and it would project smartphone navigation systems into a dashboard touch screen. Drivers would be able to control the system with the touch screen and listen to voice directions through the speakers of the car. The app would work on the iPhone and Android.

GoGo Link will be available later this year in Chevrolet’s 2013 subcompact cars the Spark and Sonic. Maps would also be projected through the smartphone app on to the touch screen dashboard. The app is being developed by EnGIS Technologies in South Korea.

In order for the app to work, the car would have to have a Chevrolet MyLink touch screen system, but GM has not said how much this would cost yet. GM global infotainment manager Sara LeBlanc said that they decided to developed the app after doing research on potential Spark and Sonic buyers. About 90% of these buyers have smartphones and they told GM that they wanted to use navigation systems from their phones because they don’t have the money to pay for a car system.

If you are going to the New York International Auto Show next week, you will be able to see a demo of the GoGo Link in action.

[BusinessWeek]

General Motors Replacing 120-Volt Charging Cords For Chevy Volt Plug-In Hybrids

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:27:23 +0000

General Motors said on Thursday that they will be replacing 120-volt charging cords on most Chevy Volt 2011 and some 2012 plug-in hybrid car models. The number of affected cars are around 11,000 Volts sold so far. The Volt sells for under $40,000 before federal subsidies of $7,500.

GM spokesman Randal Fox said that the exchange for the Volt was not to address the overheating cords that are being talked about in the news right now. “It’s just an effort to offer a more consistent charging experience,” stated Fox. “It’s not a safety recall. It’s more of a customer-satisfaction program.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation on November 25th to review the safety of the Volt’s battery pack after repeated tests uncovered fire risks. The fires happened after NHTSA crash tests purposely damaged the lithium ion batteries. The NHTSA closed their probe in January without finding any defects. Chevrolet Volt owners will be notified of an exchange in the next few weeks as they bring in their cars for battery enhancement.

[AutoNews]

President Barack Obama Plans On Buying A Chevy Volt

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:41:31 +0000

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he would buy a Chevy Volt when he leaves office. During a conference in Washington, President Obama told representatives of the UAW that he would buy a Chevy Volt in five years after fulfilling a potential second term. Obama visited the GM factory in Hamtramck, Michigan where the hybrid is built. He had sat in a Volt “fresh off the line,” but the Secret Service prevented him from driving it.

“But I liked sitting in it,” said Obama to the conference attendees. “It was nice. I’ll bet it drives real good. And five years from now when I’m not president anymore, I’ll buy one and drive it myself.” At the conference, Obama defended the administration’s bail-out of GM and Chrysler in 2009.

General Motors Reports $7.6 Billion In Profit

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:59:30 +0000

General Motors has just reported their largest profit ever at $7.6 billion. This is two years after the company received a financial bail-out from the federal government and emerged from bankruptcy. At 103 years old, General Motors became leaner under new management and has been cutting costs.

However GM will unlikely see these kind of profits in 2012 because they are losing money in Europe and South America. The profits were so good that 47,500 blue collar workers will receive $7,000 profit-sharing checks, which is the maximum allowable under their new union contract.

The government received 500 million shares of GM in exchange for $49.5 billion in the bail-out. Through earlier stock sales and loan repayments, the government has made back about $22.3 billion of that money.

[Daily Tribune]

GM, Ford, and Chrysler Post Solid Gains This Year

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:38:09 +0000

The three Detroit automaker companies have announced strong sales in the past year, especially due to increased consumption in December. GM posted a 4.5% gain in December, which gave them a 13% rise in sales for the year. Ford posted the best December sales in five years, which led to an 11% sales gain for the year. Chrysler posted the largest gain as December sales rose 37% and full year sales rose 26%. If these increases in market share hold up against Toyota, then it would be the first time since 1988 that all three Detroit companies posted market share gains at the same time. [CNN]

GM Recalling 4,873 Sonic Cars In U.S. and Canada

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:44:43 +0000

General Motors Company is recalling 4,783 of the current year Chevrolet Sonic subcompact cars in the U.S. and Canada over possible missing front brake pads. GM said that they do not know of any crashes or injuries due to the issue. Between 20 and 30 of the recalled cars were sold without one of their brake pads. Of the total recalled cars, 4,296 were sold to U.S. customers and 577 to Canadians. The issue was discovered during a warranty service on a rental Sonic. Customers that are eligible for the recall will be informed by mid-January. [MSNBC]

GM Saves Car From Thieves And It Was A Chrysler!

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:50:07 +0000

General Motors subsidiary OnStar has helped find about 58,000 stolen GM vehicles so far, but this past week they helped save a Chrysler 300. The standalone OnStar FMV system went for sale for non-GM cars this past year. Jean Franklin of Gresham, Oregon bought a 2006 Chrysler 300 on December 16th. Her car was stolen two days after. She reported the theft to the police and the OnStar device was activated shortly after. About an hour later, the thief was caught. [Jalopnik]

General Motors To Build 60,000 Volt Cars In 2012

Amit Chowdhry — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:07:23 +0000

General Motors is planning on building at least 60,000 Volt cars in 2012. GM CEO and Chairman Dan Akerson said that the manufacturing cost will be coming down as their full-scale production will start to ramp up. GM is currently playing catch-up to the Nissan LEAF vehicle, which has about 20,000 buyers already and is planning to build 250,000 electric-vehicles by 2016. GM believes that 10% of their sales will be from alternative fuel technologies in 2020. When GM starts to sell the Holden Volt next year, it will cost $50,000-$60,000. In related news, GM is currently in the midst of having the Volt battery redesigned as the result of a recall.

General Motors Recalls 20,000 Cadillac SRX Models Over Transmission Cables

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:36:55 +0000

General Motors is recalling about 20,000 Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles in China and the U.S. because of transmission defects. General Motors’ Chinese joint venture Shanghai GM is recalling 9,862 of the SRX in China. GM is recalling 8,789 of the SRX in the U.S. The vehicles that were recalled are from between 2010 and 2011. The vehicles were built at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.

In a letter to the U.S. NHTSA, GM said that they received a customer letter in June that alleged unintended vehicle motion in the 2011 SRX as that customer tried to shift between park and drive. In some cases, the transmission shift cable was not routed properly in the vehicle engine compartment.

[AutoNews]

General Motors Does Not Support Sale Of Saab To Chinese Consortium

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:38:36 +0000

“We have reviewed Saab’s proposed changes regarding the sale of the company. Nothing in the proposal changes GM’s position. We are unable to support the transaction,” stated General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) spokesman Jim Cain. Earlier today GM said that they do not support a proposed deal of its former Swedish unit Saab to be sold to a Chinese consortium of companies. What this might mean is that the Saab brand may be faded out completely.

GM licenses technology to Saab that they use for several key models. Two Chinese automaker companies have an interest in buying out Saab whole. Saab said that they are in talks for a revised deal with Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. Ltd. and an unnamed Chinese bank.

“The discussions include a short-term solution to enable Saab Automobile to pay the November wages and continue reorganization. The outcome of the discussions is still uncertain. Any possible transaction would be subject to the approval of the relevant stakeholders,” said Saab in a statement.

Saab is currently reorganizing in Sweden under court protection from creditors and several funding sources have not gone through. The company has only built a few vehicles since last March and their employees have had days where they weren’t given a check on paydays. Saab is struggling to pay their own operational bills as of right now.

Saab’s restructuring administrator Guy Lofalk may end his efforts to save Saab. GM lawyers met with Lofalk and the Swedish ambassador to the U.S., Jonas Hafstrom, last week to discuss ways to save Saab but the meeting did not result in any useful proposals.

Saab agreed to sell themselves for $140 million in exchange for $600 million in funding. GM is Saab’s former parent company but they ended up shedding it during their 2009 bankruptcy restructuring. GM is concerned about the intellectual property that they license to Saab. GM built the 0-4X for Saab in Mexico this year, but did not build any 2012 versions.

[Detroit News]