According to the General Motors top global engineer there wont be a mid-engine Corvette but there is a possibility of Hybrid powertrain.
Karl-Friedrich Stracke, GM's vice president of global vehicle engineering, met with Automotive News and AutoWeek editors on Tuesday to discuss a wide range of topics, including the next-generation Corvette.
Over the past two years or so, numerous stories in print and on the Internet have been written about the upcoming redesigned Corvette, and nearly all have speculated that GM was developing a mid-engine model. Speculation for the timing for the mid-engine car was anywhere from the 2014 model year to several years later.
Stracke said he was familiar with those stories: “I don't know who made this public. I think it is wrong.”
The Detroit Free Press has reported that General Motors has added a total of 6,900 jobs since the automaker emerged from bankruptcy in 2009. GM vice president Steve Girsky told to local radio news in an interview. Girsky said that a portion of that figure is made up of workers who were originally laid off as part of the restructuring process and then later recalled as manufacturing picked back up. Of the nearly 7,000 jobs, 1,100 are situated in Michigan. GM has recently increased its workforce at its Delta Township and Brownstown Township facilities, amongst others.
The company has also hired around 2,800 workers at its Canadian operations as well. GM is set to release its financial statement for the most recent business quarter later this month, and Girsky says that the numbers continue to demonstrate a company on the mend. Last quarter, the company posted a $865 million profit.
GM is planning to keep drivers and passengers of 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac cars cool with a sustainable air-conditioning refrigerant that lingers in the atmosphere for only days instead of years.
Honeywell has designed a new refrigerant, (HFO-1234yf), that lingers in the atmosphere for just 11 days and has a global warming potential (GWP) of only 4, a 99.7 percent improvement over current emissions.
On average, the refrigerant used in current GM models, R-134a, has an atmospheric life of more than 13 years and a GWP of more than 1,400.
Yu Chin and his wife Sanshan Du of Troy, Mich., have been charged with, among other things, unauthorized possession of trade secrets and wire fraud.
According to the charges, from December 2003 to May 2006 Du conspired to obtain trade secrets about the automaker's hybrid vehicle technologies and passed that information to her husband who used it for the couple's own company, Millennium Technology International (MTI).
MTI later entered into a business venture to provide hybrid technology to the Chinese automaker Chery Automobile, a company that is a competitor of GM's in China.
General Motors with the help of OnStar had developed an application which let the drivers of most 2011 General Motors vehicles will be able to use a smartphone to carry out functions usually found on a key fob such as remote starting, activating the horn and lights, and remote locking and unlocking of doors.
This application is also available to Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC that can be controlled on Apple's iPhone and phones using Google's Android operating system.
General Motors Co. has agreed to sell its Nexteer Automotive steering-parts business to China's Pacific Century Motors, part-owned by Beijing's municipal government.
The sale includes Nexteer's 22 plants, along with its engineering centers and customer support centers worldwide. The companies did not release terms of the sale, but said today they expected the deal would close by the end of the year. The sale still needs regulatory approval from both the U.S. and Chinese governments, and other countries where Nexteer operates, GM spokeswoman Renee Rashid-Merem said.
Pacific Century Motors is owned by Beijing's financing and investing division, called Beijing E-Town International Investment & Development Co., and Tempo International Group, a Chinese supplier of chassis and powertrain components.
GM acquired Nexteer last year from its former parts arm, Delphi Corp. The automaker viewed the steering business as a non-core asset and put it up for sale.
The sale of Nexteer will allow GM to focus on engineering core parts of the car, like engines and transmissions, while outsourcing smaller systems to parts suppliers, said Mike Wall, an analyst with IHS Automotive, a research firm based in Lexington, Mass.
“GM doesn't need to be the expert in steering,” Wall said. “They can buy that from someone else. For some of these Asian parts companies, it makes sense to get into other parts businesses.”
The 2010 Edge is a 4-door, 5-passenger sport-utility, available in 7 trims, ranging from the SE FWD to the... Sport AWD.
Upon introduction, the SE FWD is equipped with a standard 3.5-liter, V6, 265-horsepower engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 24-mpg on the highway. The Sport AWD is equipped with a standard 3.5-liter, V6, 265-horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.
The 2010 Ford Edge ranks 15 out of 30 Affordable Midsize SUVs. This ranking is based on our analysis of 54 published reviews and test drives of the Ford Edge, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
Reviewers praise the Ford Edge for its sharp styling, comfortable cabin and solid performance - but they still say the aging SUV is in dire need of an update. However, they'll have to wait a bit longer, since the 2010 model is mostly unchanged from 2009.
Edmunds notes that the Edge "has been standing idly by for the past couple years as many of its Ford siblings have received a slew of much-needed updates and upgrades. The Edge's name can't be called soon enough, because a few tweaks here and there could dramatically improve this midsize crossover SUV's standing in an increasingly competitive segment." Among the Edge's downsides are somewhat poor interior quality and a base price that can quickly skyrocket with options. The Edge also lacks a third-row seat. For more seating space, consider the GMC Acadia. For high interior quality, check out the Nissan Murano or Toyota Venza.
Despite the fact that it hasn't been redesigned since its 2006 introduction, the Edge is one of Ford's top-selling vehicles. It's also a proven award winner. The 2007 model was named as one of AAA and Parents magazine's "Best Cars for Families" and received the "Urban Truck of the Year" award from On Wheels, Inc. It was also a top-ten finisher in Motor Trend's "Sport/Utility of the Year" testing.
The 2010 Edge is available in three trims: the base SE, SEL, Limited, and all-new Sport. It's available in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Be sure to check for current Ford deals that may be available on a new Edge. Since the 2010 model is nearly identical to the 2009 Edge, this review uses data from both model years.- usnews.rankingsandreviews
