Cash for Clunkers may be dead and gone but that doesn’t mean automakers are stopping the incentives. One such company that shall go unnamed (GM) is really looking to recoup from the recession having recently announced their Satisfaction Guaranteed campaign.

This campaign is simple, buy any Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicle, try it out and if before 60-days is up you find you don’t like the car, return it to your GM dealership for a full refund. Sure, you may not be getting cash back but this campaign, which runs from September 14th to November 30th, is sure to spur sales in GM’s favor.

We’ve known about the GM/eBay partnership since early last month but haven’t heard much about its progress since. Today, however, we have some concrete details on when exactly the program will go live.

It seems that GM is gearing up to launch a trial of the program tomorrow through September 8th in California thanks to 225 of their dealerships whom will be participating. Included in this new car auction campaign are Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC and Buick models which you can bid on by going to gm.ebay.com or chevy.ebay.com. Of course, those two websites won’t go live until tomorrow when the program is officially set to.

If this program proves to be in GM’s best interest I see no reason why the automaker wouldn’t launch it nationwide.

Read (Ebay)

Last Thursday rumors began circulating that GM was gearing up to begin leasing select models again thanks to their new restructuing plan.

Well, today the official announcement has been that GM will in fact start leasing Buick, GMC, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles thanks to a new financing deal with US Bank. The leasing program is currently only in a testing phase and will run through August 31st in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Ohio.

The models that will be made available for lease are the Chevrolet’s Malibu, Traverse and Equinox, Cadillac’s CTS and SRX, Buick’s Enclave and GMC’s Acadia.

GM is just starting to get their footing in the industrey back but that doesn’t mean they are prone to production problems. Their latest recall deals with 185,903 2004-2009 trucks including the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Isuzu I-280, Isuzu I-290, Isuzi I-350, and the Isuzu I-370.

This particular recall concerns the vehicle’s brake-lamp switch that, due to a production error, could possibly malfunction which means they either won’t work, or will stay lit while the car is on. This is a safety hazard because drivers behind a vehicle with a malfunctioning brake-lamp don’t know when the car is slowing down increasing the probability of a crash.

Like always, GM and the NHSTA say that you can bring your car to a local dealership to get the problem diagnosed and fixed if needed.

GM today has updated the highway ratings of its upcoming Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models to 22 mpg, bringing these full-size pickups to a best-in-class fuel efficiency.

“We’ve enhanced the trucks’ fuel-saver mode, which optimizes shift patterns in the six-speed transmission for the best fuel economy,” Chevrolet spokesman Brian Goebel said. “Also, Active Fuel Managment is now able to hold four-cylinder mode longer. Plus, we’ve added variable valve timing to the engine.”

The Silverado and Sierra will be out soon.

via Leftlane

2010 GMC Terrain SLT

The 2010 GMC Terrain SUV will arrive in GM’s showrooms in September and is priced from $24,995 for the front-wheel drive model and $26,745 for the all-wheel drive version. The base SLE1 model is powered by a 182HP 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine linked to a 6-speed automatic with an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon.

The better equipped SLT2 features sunroof, leather seating, a premium Pioneer sound system, and a special chrome package, starts at $29,995. In addition to the the 2.4L engine, the Terrain is also offered with a 3.0-liter direct injection V6 engine producing 265HP that returns an estimated 25 mpg highway, 18 mpg city. The V6 model comes with added standard equipment such as integrated navigation system and a rear-seat DVD infotainment system.

With the much anticipated bankruptcy filing of General Motors, a lot of people are expecting all the marquee brands under its wing to likewise suffer the same fate. This of course excludes the ones held up for sale but if there is one brand that is staying put, it is that of the Holden brand.

Holden is a familiar brand in Australia. And despite the hoopla surrounding the GM brand, Holden is not folding nor being tagged for new ownership. In fact, it looks like the Holden brand is looking forward to the new GM which will be launched in the U.S.

The managing director of GM Holden even stressed that there would be other plans for the company. He stressed that they would concentrate on manufacturing a four-cylinder car in Adelaide from 2010, improving technology across the popular Commodore range and launching its Cruze model.

Holden employs more than 6000 people in Australia, including 3100 in South Australia with the balance spread across other states, particularly Victoria.

So if there is one GM brand to stay, it will be Holden at least for now.

(Source) Stuff

GMAC, the former division from GM, is getting another shot in the arm with the injection of $7.5 billion in exchange for shares from the company. The move is expected to be good news for all Chrysler and dealers, an issue that has been plaguing the headlines due to the car manufacturer’s restructuring intent.

The Treasury has already allocated 5 billion dollars to Gmac to increase its capital and 884 million dollars to GM to acquire Gmac shares. The American Treasury announced that it will ‘’soon” convert the 884 million dollars in privileged shares in ordinary shares, making it shareholder with a 35pct stake in Gmac. The 7.5 billion dollars loaned to Gmac include 4 billion which Gmac has to loan to Chrysler clients and dealers.

It looks like this development will address issues surrounding loans and the car industry. GMAC has been in sitting in pins and needles lately and with this new stimulus-plan like assistance from the US government, keep your fingers crossed that something should come out of it unlike the previous one which seemed to produce nothing beneficial for anyone.

(Source) AGI

In a marketing move, General Motors has reportedly combine three of its most recognized brands; Buick, Pontiac and GMC into one sales and marketing channel – which means many dealers, who had one or two of the brands previously, will now sell all three under one roof. GM says each brand will play to its strengths – Buick larger, premium cars; Pontiac sportier cars; and GMC pickups, SUV’s and Crossovers. This will create a middle sales channel, between GM’s global value brand Chevrolet and its high-end luxury brand, Cadillac.

At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, GMC debuted two new models. The all-new 2010 Terrain is a five-passenger crossover SUV that blends bold styling with fuel efficiency and premium features. The all-new 2009 Yukon Denali Hybrid was also unveiled. A luxurious, full-size SUV that seats eight, it tows up to 5,800 pounds and achieves and estimated 21 miles per gallon in city driving, thanks to the patented 2-mode hybrid system.

The Yukon Denali Hybrid arrives in May in dealer showrooms. It joins the Yukon Hybrid and the Sierra Hybrid pickup truck in the hybrid lineup, making GMC the first manufacturer to offer three full-size hybrid models.

(Source) Press

GMC has done a pretty good job keeping the details of their forthcoming 2010 Terrain SUV underwraps, until now.

Recently spotted on a GMC exec’s Twitter was some juicy details regarding the car.

For once, it’s said to get 30 miles to the gallon on the highway. Yes, 30 mpg for a midsize SUV, a damn good number. Hell, that get’s more than my car and I drive a sedan!

More information will be released about the GMC Terrain on April 5th, we’ll keep you posted.

Read (Jalopnik)

Poor old General Motors has recently issued a recall that will effect 277,000 cars and trucks. Apparantely, the problem is that a clip that locks the transmission in place isn’t functioning properly and could potentially cause parked cars to roll away.

GM says that if you have a 2009 model listed below you should take it to your local deal for inspection.

2009 Models affected include:

• Buick Enclave
• Chevy Cobalt
• Chevy HHR
• Chevy Malibu
• Chevy Traverse
• GMC Acadia
• Pontiac G5
• Saturn Aura
• Saturn Outlook

If I were ever to drive an SUV, I’d probably want it to be a GM Typhoon. I mean it just screams badass with it’s turbocharged V6 and 0-6 in 5.3 seconds, the Typhoon was a force to be reckoned with.

Well, unfortunately, GM decided to discontinue the Typhoon with 1993 being it’s last year in production. Lucky for us, an eBay user by the name of ptpurplepenny has put the last ever Typhoon to be produced up for auction with a starting price of just $10,000. This is the real deal, the car only has 130 miles on it.

Don’t get too excited though, $10,000 is definitly well below the reserve for this car as it was apparently bought for over $50,000 when it was originally auctioned off.

Read (eBay) via (AutoBlog)

A GMC truck in UPS service since 1987 has just turned 1 million miles. The odometer of one Bret Boyd has turned up to zero. That’s quite a performance for a service truck which has been around working full time for about 22 years.

The UPS truck is currently being used in Texas. During its lifetime it has gone through at least three engines and at least three paint jobs. Bret Boyd, its driver, has never been involved in any accidents with the GMC and he refused to replace it when he could have chosen a newer model.

Congratulations to Mr. Boyd and to GMC. I have a suggestion for him, if he still wants to keep the car, he should consider getting an engine that won’t eat as much gas.

The US economy is hurtin’, and it’s no secret, so GM has decided to do something in an attempt to stir up some sales.

Celebrating their 100th Anniversary, GM has lowered the prices of it’s entire lineup of 2008 models along with a select few 2008 models, this includes Chrysler, Saab, HUMMER, Saturn, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, and GMC, to match employee pricing.

This offer won’t last forever though, as GM has announced it will only run from August 20th – September 2nd so if you’ve been waiting to buy a car from and of the brands listed above now may be your time.