GM Wins* October Sales Race; Decides to Keep Opel Citing Improved Financial Health

Monthly Sales:
Alright, who lost the script? GM is supposed to finish last in these things aren’t they? (I mean after Chrysler of course) Yet, the numbers are in, and GM stands as the only manufacturer of the ‘top 5′ to record a gain:
GM +.4% (177,603 vehicles sold)
Toyota -3.5% (152,165 [...]

GM CEO Says Help Needed to Achieve Mass Adoption of Electric Cars

Op-Ed: GM Reviews its ‘First 90 Days of Progress,’ and Mark LaNeve has Left the Building!

CEO Fritz Henderson took to the airwaves this week to give us a first 90 days update on the happenings at ‘new’ GM.
Mr. Henderson confirmed that the majority of the restructuring plan that was put in place in July was still on track, and that the four remaining core brands were performing to expectations, and [...]

Compact Power CEO on the Cost of Lithium-ion Batteries

Prabakhar Patil is the CEO of Compact Power Inc, the subsidiary of LG Chem that has been working with GM to produce the Volt’s battery packs.

I recently had the chance to ask him about the cost of lithium-ion batteries.  As some sources suggest cost could be as high as $1000 kwh, I asked him what [...]

Guest Post: September Sales Collapse at GM

With the demise of the Cash for Clunkers program last month, it was expected that auto sales industry wide would suffer, however the car buying public continues to be reluctant to embrace the two government supported automakers, shunning both GM and Chrysler in September.
For the month, General Motors reported that sales nose-dived 45% on 156,673 [...]

Nissan to Lease LEAF EV Battery for Under $150 per Month

When Nissan debuted its all electric Leaf on August 2nd, the indication was that they intended to sell the car and then lease the battery separately for most parts of the world.
At the time, Carlos Ghosn (Nissan’s CEO) told the media that the price of the car would be competitive with its peers, and that [...]

Lutz: Gas Must Rise to $5 or $6 per Gallon to Allow Generalization of Volt Technology

For some of us interested in electrification of the automobile, it can’t happen soon enough.
The Volt is a great first step, though as GM says it is a car for most people, not a car for everyone.  Even considering the wide swath of those for whom it will be ideal, production volumes are expected [...]

Op-Ed: Cash for Clunkers Ends in August and GM’s Monthly Woes Continue Unabated

On August 24th, the CARS program (more affectionately known as ‘Cash for Clunkers’) ended. The program was rolled out to generate sales to the distressed North American car industry (and the economy in general), while putting more efficient cars on the road.
Was it well received? Very much so. Who doesn’t like free money* after all? [...]

CEO: GM Would Consider Selling Voltec Technology

GM has invested over $1 billion and significant human capital developing the Voltec propulsion system that will power the Chevy Volt.
When the company first announced it had changed the name from E-Flex to Voltec, and that it would be doing its own pack assembly in house, it came to me that selling Voltec to other [...]

GM Leaning Towards Selling Volt Without Leasing Battery Separately

Lets face it, new technology first generation automotive lithium-ion batteries are very expensive. It is this cost that will make the initial adoption of electric cars slower and less widespread than we would like. GM has positioned the Volt to have the least batteries, and thus the least expense possible, yet will still tip the [...]

Why the Volt Will Cost $40,000

The Chevy Volt concept was first unveiled in January 2007 to much fanfare and great national enthusiasm. Soon after, the typically outspoken GM vice chairman Bob Lutz told the world he expected the Volt to be sold for under $30,000. This further stoked the enthusiasm.
Later, he had to take those words back. [...]

GM Exits Bankruptcy Today: the New GM Starts Now

After a lightning fast 40 days, GM exits bankruptcy protection today by successfully selling the best assets of the old company to the new GM. And so on this day the new GM begins.
The new GM has only four brands; Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, and Buick. Its footprint is drastically reduced with less dealerships, [...]