Tag: general

Jalen Rose offers up his 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee for charity

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge, Celebrities, Specialty

jalen rose and his 1969 dodge charger general lee

Jalen Rose to auction of ’69 Dodge Charger General Lee – Click above for image gallery

Jalen Rose, former NBA player and member of Michigan’s Fab Five, is looking to help out a charitable organization founded in his name. It’s called the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, and it’s a preparatory school for students in grades 9-12, located in Detroit. The JRLA is slated to open in September of 2011, and 120 students will enter the halls as ninth graders. Rose has chosen to offer up his 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee at auction, and all of the proceeds will be put towards the new school.

Rose took the liberty of making a few changes to this particular car. The Confederate flag has been removed from the roof and the numbers on the doors have been changed to show “05” in honor of Rose’s playing number.

This is not simply a Dukes of Hazzard replica, however, as this Charger is one of the few surviving cars used during filming of the television show. Jalen Rose’s signature can be found under the hood, along with the John Hancock of Bo Duke himself, John Schneider.

The auction will get underway on May 23rd, and the car will be listed with an opening bid of $45,000. This is a no-reserve auction with the proceeds going to a good cause, so pegging the final hammer price is rather tricky. Head over to the eBay Motors listing for more information on both the car and Jalen Rose Leadership Academy.

Jalen Rose offers up his 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee for charity originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet General Motors’ new crash test dummies

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology, Videos, GM

general motors crash test dummies

Crash test dummies enjoying their employee lounge – Click above to watch video after the jump

Once there was this kid, who, got into an accident and couldn’t come to school… he said it was from when the cars had smashed so hard (Mmm mmm mmm mmm). Thankfully, that “kid” is actually a full-scale anthropomorphic test device, better known as a crash test dummy. General Motors, along with all major automobile manufacturers, use them extensively to gain precious insight into the physics of a crash, and the toll it takes on the human body. Like when it turns people’s hair from black to bright white.

Data is constantly being collected from these unsung heroes of the automotive industry. As Moore’s Law continues to hold true, the data collecting devices become smaller and more powerful. This allows engineers to stuff the ATDs with more gear, thus collecting even more information. Click past the jump to get an inside look at General Motors’ Anthropomorphic Test Device Laboratory.

[Source: YouTube]

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Meet General Motors’ new crash test dummies originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deja-Vu: Saab’s chances of survival depend on… General Motors?

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Saab, Earnings/Financials

Saab logo

The Saab Shutdown of 2011 grinds on, with uncertain finances threatening to silence the operation for good. Even though Spyker took on the ailing brand, former owner General Motors is still the key to Saab surviving, The New York Times reports. Saab’s Trollhättan plant ground to a halt in early April, and part of owner Spyker’s plan to infuse working capital includes selling the plant and other real estate holdings to Vladimir A. Antonov and then leasing the property back from him. Antonov is a controversial figure in this triangle, and the Swedish government and the European Investment Bank need to sign off on his becoming a shareholder of Saab.

The European Investment Bank told the Times that it has provided an answer on the matter, so it now all hinges on General Motors. For its part, GM is keeping mum about whether or not it will sign off on the deal, with spokesman Klaus-Peter Martin offering up a “no comment.” That statement has been directly echoed to Autoblog by GM spokesman Jim Cain, so it looks like we’re all playing the same waiting game to see if Saab makes it.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: Chris Paukert/AOL]

Deja-Vu: Saab’s chances of survival depend on… General Motors? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors updates official statement about Chevrolet Volt in CT fire

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt involved in Connecticut fire

While some have been quick to point fingers at the 2011 Chevrolet Volt involved in two separate incidents at the Barkhamsted, CT home of Storm and Dee Connors, General Motors has updated its earlier statement to improve the clarity of the situation. “While the Volt’s battery pack sustained damage,” says General Motors Global Electric Vehicle Executive Doug Parks, “it was not extensive enough or of the type that would suggest that it caused the fire.”

GM experts are working with fire officials in the small town in the Northwest corner of Connecticut to help determine the cause of the blaze that also destroyed a home-built Suzuki Samurai EV that Storm Connors had been chronicling on a blog. General Motors is confident that the engineering and systems in the Chevrolet Volt provide exceptional safety, and the vehicle’s involvement in this situation is one of circumstance, merely a damaged vehicle due to its parking spot, and not the root cause of the fire. Full statement posted after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

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General Motors updates official statement about Chevrolet Volt in CT fire originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Inside Line pits 2011 Charger R/T against the General Lee, classic still cooler

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Videos, Chrysler, Dodge

1969 Dodge Charger General Lee versus 2011 Dodge Charger R/T

Charger versus Charger – Click above to watch video after the jump

When the folks at Inside Line got their hands on a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T, they decided to run a comparison test against an older Charger. No, not a last generation model – a 1969 General Lee that was actually used on the Dukes of Hazzard TV show.

The bright orange Charger was supplied by Bob Hartwig of Cinema Vehicle Services. It’s one of only 17 Chargers to survive filming, and it’s the only 440-equipped example to make it out unscathed. It’s slower, less agile and quite outdated compared to the modern Charger, but that doesn’t stop Inside Line from giving in the gold medal in this comparison.

Click past the jump to watch the two vehicles in action and listen to some insight from the General Lee’s owner. Then be sure to head over to Inside Line to read about the head-to-head test.

[Source: Inside Line]

Continue reading Video: Inside Line pits 2011 Charger R/T against the General Lee, classic still cooler

Video: Inside Line pits 2011 Charger R/T against the General Lee, classic still cooler originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors investing $40 million to offset 2011 carbon footprint [w/video]

Filed under: Technology, Videos, GM

General Motors Carbon Footprint

General Motors invests in green solutions – Click above to watch video after the jump

General Motors is planning to invest $40 million in a host of clean energy efforts in an attempt to offset around 8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. The company says the investments will come over the next three to five years and will involve everything from solar panels for schools to encouraging wind farms and forestry projects all over the country. GM is hoping that these efforts will offset the amount of carbon dioxide put out by the 1.9 million vehicles that the manufacturer is expected to sell in 2011

GM says that it has reduced its manufacturing emissions by 60 percent since 1990, and that a separate effort has seen water use during production drop by 35 percent between 2005 and 2009 worldwide. Additionally, The General operates 75 landfill-free facilities worldwide with a total of 90 percent of the company’s waste being recycled.

These eco investments will be made via third-party organizations that include the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Hit the jump for a video and the full press release.

[Source: GM]

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General Motors investing $40 million to offset 2011 carbon footprint [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poll: Did General Motors lie about the Chevrolet Volt?

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Technology, Chevrolet, GM, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery

For the past three years, General Motors has consistently described the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as a pure electric vehicle with a range-extending on-board gas engine/generator. Today we learned that, in fact, there are instances where the gas engine will contribute motive force to move the car along, which technically makes the Volt a plug-in hybrid, not a pure EV. The question we’d like to ask is, how big a deal will this range-extended EV versus plug-in hybrid debate be for The General?

Already, several media outlets such as Inside Line have expressed frustration and disbelief over feelings that they’ve been “lied to” for the past three years in regards to whether or not the Volt’s engine can power its drive wheels. The boys from Jalopnik have gone so far as to Photoshop Chevy’s Volt as the devil. GM, meanwhile, claims this news didn’t come to light earlier because the company was protecting its patents on the Volt drivetrain, which have since been approved.

You can bet you’ll be hearing plenty more on the topic from those of us who Obsessively Cover the Auto Industry, but for now, we’re more curious about what you think.

Has General Motors knowingly lied about how the Volt operates or is the explanation less sinister? Or do you simply not care as long as the final design is as efficient as possible? Take our poll below and then weigh-in with your more detailed thoughts in the Comments.

View Poll

Poll: Did General Motors lie about the Chevrolet Volt? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors invests $483 million in Spring Hill facility, rehires 483 workers

Filed under: Technology, GM, Earnings/Financials

GM Ecotec engineGeneral Motors has announced that it will invest a total of $483 million in its Spring Hill, Tennessee powertrain facility by 2012. The news comes as GM continues to move toward building more fuel-efficient engines. The automaker says that the next-generation Ecotec four-cylinder engine, complete with direct-injection, will be built in the Spring Hill plant. Those funds will also go toward bringing back a total of 483 workers that have been idle since last year.

In 2009, the company laid off 2,000 workers at the Spring Hill facility as part of its restructuring efforts, though 800 of those individuals relocated to other GM plants around the country. Even so, that didn’t do much for the economy in Maury County, Tennessee. According to the Associated Press, the locality has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state – 14.5 percent in July.

Until now, the future of the Spring Hill plant had been more than a little uncertain. The facility was originally designed to produce Saturn vehicles, but was reworked to produce the Chevrolet Traverse to the tune of $600 million. GM then pulled Traverse from the plant last year.

[Sources: Associated Press via Google, General Motors]

General Motors invests $483 million in Spring Hill facility, rehires 483 workers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: General Motors mid-size sedans going all four-cylinder

Filed under: Sedan, Buick, Chevrolet, GM

Straight from the “No Surprise” department comes word from GMInsideNews that all of General Motors mid-size offerings will come equipped with four-cylinder engines as the only available powerplant.

GM has made it clear for the last few years that a large part of its future product strategy is to downsize its engine line-up in preparation for the new 2015 CAFE standards. The shift has already begun with the introduction of the 2011 Buick Regal, available with either a 182-horsepower direct injected 2.4-liter or a turbocharged 2.0-liter putting out 220 hp and 258 pound-feet of torque.

The next model to go all-four-banger will be the next generation Chevrolet Malibu, slated to arrive late next year and likely packing – to begin with – the same 2.4-liter four. A range of direct injected engines, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged, are in the works, so the General won’t be hurting for options, but expect the V6 to stick around for GM’s larger offerings, including the next Impala.

[Source: GMInsideNews]

Rumormill: General Motors mid-size sedans going all four-cylinder originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors 2011 VIN decoder reveals new 1.0L, 1.2L, 1.6L four cylinder engines

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM

2010 Chevrolet Spark – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors’ Service and Parts Operations website has published a pair of new documents for decoding 2011 model year Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) which reveal several new engines. The passenger car list includes a pair of small inline-fours of 1.0 and 1.2-liters displacement. Both engines are listed as port-injected, dual-overhead-cam units from the automaker’s South Korean operations, GM Daewoo Automotive Technologies (GMDAT). We’re assuming that these are the engines for the Spark mini-car that is due to arrive on our shores sometime during the coming year.

Also on the car list are a pair of 1.6-liter fours listed at 80 and 82 kilowatts. The 80 kW unit matches the 108 horsepower output of the current Aveo engine, so presumably it’s a carryover until the new model arrives early in next year. That car is expected to use 110 hp (82 kW) version.

Finally, in the light-duty truck list, there is a 177 horsepower 2.2-liter diesel inline-four. GM has made clear that it has no plans to offer any light-duty diesel engines in the States, so we assume that this is for an export market vehicle, likely the Chevrolet Colorado pickup. The decoder guides are after the jump. A tip of the hat to xeong5!

Gallery: 2010 Chevy Spark

[Source: General Motors Service and Parts Operations]

Continue reading General Motors 2011 VIN decoder reveals new 1.0L, 1.2L, 1.6L four cylinder engines

General Motors 2011 VIN decoder reveals new 1.0L, 1.2L, 1.6L four cylinder engines originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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