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

Popularity: 1% [?]

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

Popularity: 2% [?]

In an attempt to staunch plummeting sales of large pick-up trucks and SUVs, GM has announced the release of the XFE versions of the 2009 Chevy Silverado, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Sierra and GMC Yukon. XFE stands for “Xtra Fuel Economy” and what it means is that GM has fine tweaked these vehicles to deliver a 5% increase in EPA-estimated highway fuel economy and more than 7% improved mileage in city driving.

All four XFE models are 2WD and powered by a 5.3L FlexFuel V8 engine rated at 320 HP and 340 lb.-ft. in the Tahoe and Yukon and 315 HP and 338 lb-ft in the Silverado and Sierra. The engine is matted to a 6-speed automatic transmission with a fuel-saving 3.08 ratio rear axle. To make them more fuel efficient, all models get a lower suspension that improves aerodynamics, standard alloy wheels and spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and low rolling resistance tires. Additionally, the Silverado / Sierra are equipped with a soft tonneau cover and an eextended front lower air dam to improve aerodynamics. -Continued

GM says that while the XFE models achieve 15 city and 21 highway mileage ratings versus comparable non-XFE models’ 14/20 ratings, the increased efficiency does not come at the expense of capability as towing ratings for the Tahoe and Yukon are unchanged, while the Silverado and Sierra increase from 6,600 pounds (2,994 kg) to 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) due to the new, 6-speed transmission and high-capacity cooling package.

We say that GM should follow the example of BMW with its “Efficient Dynamics” technologies, meaning that it’s senseless to create a separate line-up within a vehicle’s range. Incorporate all these fuel-saving measures into the entire range and convince customers that every-single product you make is designed and engineered to the highest standards in terms of fuel efficiency.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

GMC Envoy

Popularity: 3% [?]

GMC Canyon

Popularity: 1% [?]

GMC Acadia

Popularity: 1% [?]