General Motors (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Saturn, Saab,
Opel, Holden, Vauxhall)
General GM information
- The truck-roadster Chevrolet SSR - review, photos, interview with an engineer, and more
- Current and future platforms, and where they are made
- GM technology and gadgets: OnStar, Stabilitrak, oil life, and navigation systems
- The amazing XV8 concept V-8 engine
- The 5.3 liter Vortec engine
- Details on the 2003-2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks
Background information
General Motors was the world's largest automaker from 1931 to 2005. Founded in 1908, GM employs about 317,000 people with manufacturing operations in 32 countries and sales in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks. GM is not likely to go bankrupt in the near term despite some pundits’ love for the idea.
Thrown together by William Durant and held in place by Pierre DuPont, General Motors was the world's largest company for many years. GM's master plan was to have an automaker for each niche, ideally taking customers from their entry level Chevrolet up to their luxury Cadillac. The divisions were originally semi-autonomous, with different bodies and engines, but that was slowly eliminated through a series of expensive cost-cutting moves. By the 1990s, the structure had become unwieldy, with excessive duplication across the various brands. In 2005, GM announced that it would slowly reduce the number of vehicles in the Pontiac and Buick lines. GM's many parts divisions, acquired by purchase and built from within, were spun off at the turn of the century into Delphi.
Buick is now being positioned to take over from the old Cadillac/Oldsmobile position: traditional American luxury. Cadillac is going up against BMW. We’re still not sure about Pontiac but we think they’ll slowly try to make it the performance brand again.
(After being kicked out of the company he created through a series of buyouts and mergers, Durant teamed up with French racer Louis Chevrolet to start another new car company. Using Chevrolet as his key, Durant came back to power at GM, only to be thrown out again. He then built Durant Motors which very nearly repeated his success with Chevrolet. When Durant died, he was running a bowling alley - with plans for a chain of bowling alleys that would dominate the nation. DuPont's balance of engineers and financial people was designed to prevent the riches-to-ruins swinging caused by Durant's mix of genius and over-reaching.)
John DeLorean wrote a great deal about the follies of GM's moves in the late 1950s and 1960s, explaining how GM started to lose ground, to the point where the company found itself no longer in command of the American marketplace.
GM has been taking advantage of its worldwide leadership, bringing in Opel (GM-Europe) models to form the basis of cars like the Cadillac CTS and Saturn LS.
While GM cars vary in quality, they have been getting better each year, and today have few common weak points. The 3.8 engine, common across brands, is still strong, as is a new 4.2 liter truck inline six and the Vortec V-8 engines, and the Cadillac Northstar series. A concept engine showed off a wide variety of advanced technologies. Enthusiasts can also look forward to a new V-12, a new V-6, and a new six-speed automatic transmission.
Cadillac is to be moving from silent, well-cushioned, large cars to more sporty models, leaving the Lincoln and Lexus crowd behind in favor of the BMW buyers, while preening Buick to take Cadillac's prior place. (The move to three-letter-names almost across the board may be another indicator of where they're trying to go; or they might just be confused.)
General Motors owns parts of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Subaru (with Fuji), Suzuki, Maruti, and Daewoo / Ssangyong, as well as Chevrolet, Buick, Opel (Vauxhall in the UK), Holden (Australia/NZ), Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC (trucks), Saturn, and Saab. GMC and Saturn are the only divisions actually created by GM; the rest were purchased or merged in.
Hybrid pickups
General Motors has expanded the availability of its full-size hybrid pickup trucks nationwide beginning with the 2006 model year. The Silverado and Sierra hybrid pickups are the world's first full-size hybrid pickup trucks, provide the highest city fuel economy of any full-size truck, and feature a 2400-watt built-in generator.
The hybrid option is priced at $1,500 and comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on all hybrid-related components. Power comes from the 5.3 liter engine with 295 horsepower (220 kW) and 335 lb.-ft. (454 Nm) of torque, a four-speed automatic, and GM's hybrid system, which is being shared with Chrysler. These pickups deliver a 10-percent fuel economy improvement over regular models (which is less than switching to diesel but more than no change at all). The hybrids can tow up to 7,700 lbs. and are available with a heavy-duty suspension package.
According to the EPA, the 2006 Silverado and Sierra pickups achieve 18 mpg city and 21 mpg highway in the 2WD configuration; and 17 mpg city and 19 mpg highway in the 4WD model. Combined fuel economy is 19 mpg and 18 mpg, respectively. The pickups achieve fuel savings because they automatically stop and restart the engine, relying on the electric motor to give initial acceleration and engine starting.
Car reviews (current) |
Truck & Minivan Reviews |
Past cars
|
Past trucks
|