General Motors
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According to a report in Bloomberg today, Toyota may give General Motors a version of their iconic Prius hybrid. This news broke even as General Motors announced that their joint venture with the Japanese automaker at the Fremont, California based NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated) facility is over. Two sources close to the plan, who asked to remain anonymous, say that Toyota's President, Akio Toyoda will meet with GM's CEO, Fritz Henderson, this August in Michigan, in part to discuss a GM model based on the Prius. Both car companies have emphatically denied these stories...
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GM Mild Hybrid System To Return In 2011, On SteroidsAs Mark Twain is supposed to have said, "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." (Although, sadly, he actually didn't say it.) In this case, the "my" is the General Motors mild-hybrid powertrain, sometimes known as the Belt-Alternator-Starter or BAS system. And it will return for 2011...
John Voelcker -
GM Pulls The Plug On Malibu, Vue Hybrids
Chevy's midsize Malibu sedan has enjoyed widespread praise among automotive media, but one version of the vehicle is conspicuously absent from GM's plans for 2010. The Malibu Hybrid will no longer be available next year, as GM continues to whittle away at its product lineup. The Hybrid achieved an...
Robert Scardino -
VIDEO: GM Plugs Electric Cars in New Reinvention Commercial
After months of avoiding bankruptcy like the plague, a new advertisement from General Motors tells us it's not so bad after all. The "Reinvention" commercial (see the video below) pairs nationalistic imagery with a message of a company determined to sell better, more relevant cars. "There was a...
Robert Scardino -
GM Expands Battery Lab, US Gears Up To Make Lithium Cells
General Motors has enlarged and expanded the battery laboratory at its Warren, Michigan, technical center. The new lab, the company said today, is the largest and most advanced such site in North America. The lab was first shown to the public last summer as the site where packs for the 2011...
John Voelcker -
Lutz To Appear On The Late Show This Wednesday
General Motors has confirmed that former vice chairman, Bob Lutz, will bring the Chevy Volt to the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday. This comes after Letterman ripped the Volt during an April 29 episode which featured Tesla Motors CEO, Elon Musk, and his all-electric Model S Sedan. The...
Robert Scardino -
The Green Car Journal has announced the five nominees for their 2009 Green Car Vision Award: the Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, Honda FCX Clarity, Mitsubishi iMiEV, and the MINI E. It's worth noting that despite the fact that so many critics have declared the electric car revolution won't be launched from traditional auto manufacturers, only one of the five entries is from a new company (Fisker). Futher, it's exciting that none of these are just wild one-off concepts: all five are happening RIGHT NOW. The 2008 winner was the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle. This year's winner will be...
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Fisker Karma Caught on Video
Fisker Karma The Fisker Karma isn't vaporware after all. Car and Driver caught the seductive plug-in hybrid sport sedan creeping around some cones in what might be the car's Stealth Drive mode for relaxed cruising. Notice the absence of any throaty internal combustion noise as the Karma drives...
Robert Scardino -
Celgard Wins Battery Development Contract
The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) and the U.S. Department of Energy have awarded Celgard, LLC. with a contract to improve lithium-ion battery separator technology. Battery separators are electronic insulating layers that prevent batteries from overheating, which improves their...
Robert Scardino -
Even Automakers Think Hybrids Are Too Expensive
According to yesterday's Washington Post, all those Priuses Toyota has been selling aren't making them much money. Rumor has it that those touted hybrid SUVs General Motors has been parading aren't turning profits either. What about the Chevy Volt? In June, GM Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, said that the...
Robert Scardino -
Fisker Karma Gets GM's Ecotec
Fisker announced Friday that they've chosen GM's turbocharged 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder Ecotec engine to extend the range of their plug-in hybrid performance sedan. The Fisker Karma has an electric-only range of 50 miles. After that, the Ecotec will kick in to generate more electricity. This is the...
Robert Scardino
