In response to rapidly declining full-size SUV sales and the ongoing economic crisis, GM announced on Monday that it will not wait until late 2010 to close its Janesville, Wisconsin assembly plant as it had originally announced. Instead, the troubled American automaker has decided to shut down the factory bythe end of the year. The Wisconsin plant employs around 1,200 workers and it assembles the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL large SUVs. Continued

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General Motors announced that it will use the Indy 2008 Back at the Brickyard’ event that takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21, to show off its new Camaro to the public. According to GM, three 2010 Camaro production show cars, including the SS , will be on display at the event that will be attended by thousands of Camaro and Firebird enthusiasts. The highlight of the event will be on Saturday, September 20 when the General’s fans will get the chance to talk to the development team behind the Camaro.

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After decades of decay, Cadillac began a transformation in the waning years of the last century that would allow the brand to compete against modern luxury brands. Decrepit beasts like the late Eldorado and Seville were euthanized and, while the decision to switch mostly to alpha-numeric naming was dubious, Cadillac finally started creating cars that could compete directly with the best from Europe and Japan, and the first generation CTS was one of them.

 In spite of this progress, the Germans still had something Cadillac lacked, namely AMG, M and RS models. So Cadillac devised the V-Series, the first of which was the 2004 CTS-V. Just as BMW does with the M3 and M5, Audi with the RS4 and RS6 and Mercedes with innumerable AMGs, the CTS-V had a bigger, more powerful engine; beefier brakes and tires; a suspension to match and an upgraded interior. This, however, is an arms race that has yet to subsie in spite of ever higher fuel prices. With BMW, Mercedes and Audi now offering even more powerful engines, Cadillac has stepped up to the plate with an all-new CTS-V and we had a chance to drive it at the even newer Monticello Motor Club in New York. With a new supercharged LSA engine closely related to the LS9 in the Corvette ZR1, the CTS-V makes some big promises. Read on after the jump to see if it delivers. Continued

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General Motors will be sending letters to more than 944,000 owners worldwide, 857,735 of which are located in the U.S., due to voluntary recall that affects 16 cars and SUVs from 2006 to 2008. The huge recall involves vehicles fitted with a heated washer fluid system that could short circuit causing other electrical features to malfunction and lead to smoke or even fire. According to GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson, up until now, there have been three reported fires related to the problem. GM said that its dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. See the affected models after the jump. Continued

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The Sport Wagon takes the largely acclaimed styling of the CTS and adds a rear hatch allowing much more stuff to be carried. The design team led by Clay Dean has done more than just graft a longer roof onto the sedan. They extended the roof-line back and the tail-lights up to the roof, as well as adding hidden rails in the roof line. The V shape of the grille is also replicated in the contours of the tailgate. The wagon ends up with 25 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the seats. Cadillac expects about 60 percent of CTS sales in Europe will be the wagon while only 20 percent of Americans will opt for the new body style when it goes on sale in the spring of 2009.

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Promising a 50% improvement in fuel economy in city driving over its non-hybrid sibling, the 2009 Escalade Hybrid arrives at Cadillac dealerships this month with an MSRP of $71,685. According to GM, the price represents a premium of $3,600 over a comparably-equipped gasoline-only Escalade. Featuring GM’s Two-Mode Hybrid technology that allows it to operate entirely on battery-electric power during low-speed driving situations, the Escalade Hybrid has EPA fuel economy ratings of 20mpg city and 21mpg highway versus the standard Escalade’s 12 and 19 mpg (2WD) respectively.

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Like the high-performance Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H before it, the Corvette ZHZ is a Hertz-only special edition. Built for the rental company’s fleet, 500 of the cars will find their way onto lots across the U.S. in 24 big cities starting next Monday, June 16th.
Set to allow U.S. renters to cruise the summer roads in style, the Corvette ZHZ features a 436hp 6.2L engine, paddle-shifted six-speed automatic gearbox and a custom yellow and black paint scheme featuring a strip down the hood and the center of the car’s roof.

Other custom features include a custom Ebony interior with the ZHZ logo embroidered on the arm rest and floor mats, dual mode exhaust, magnetic ride control and cross-drilled brake rotors. Wheels for the unique car are seven-spoke forged chrome units.

The car is part of what Hertz calls its ‘Fun Fleet’, a collection of 12,000 high-performance and stylish cars in eye-catching colors. Fourteen U.S. states including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas, among others, will get the cars. They will be available exclusively at Hertz airport locations.

Hertz already offers standard Corvettes through its rental service. Car rental compnay Avis began offering the Corvette earlier this year. The ZHZ program is expected to run for approximately two years, with new 2009 C6 Corvettes receiving the package when they are released.

Though the Shelby GT-H Mustang eventually spawned a retail derivative, the Shelby GT, the ZHZ is unlikely to receive similar treatment, since it is essentially a unique appearance and equipment package for the standard C6 Corvette. Once the rental plan is complete, the cars are sure to become collectibles, despite the torturous life most are likely to face at the hands of weekend renters.

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