GM

It seemed that the progression of automotive engineering would eliminate the rear-wheel-drive car by 2020, but GM believes the architecture still has life enough for a limited production run. Next year the company will make a Chevrolet SS with rear-wheel drive and a V-8. We can only hope a manual transmission might be part of the mix.

In the Chevrolet SS announcement, GM noted there has not been a rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet sedan for 17 years. Has it really been that long?

The new car will be based on the same platform as the Camaro, and it seems likely it would … Read more

Rather than sending Volt battery covers to the landfill, General Motors is sending them into the wild. The company is repurposing the scrapped parts as habitat for Michigan wildlife.

The old Volt battery covers came from prototype vehicles, were damaged in assembly, or were used during training exercises. The company's quality requirements mandate that they can't be used in cars, and due to the type of plastic used to mold the cover, can't be recycled.

However, John Bradburn, manager of waste-reduction efforts for GM, is an avid outdoorsman and found a second life for these parts as … Read more

General Motors debuted another rendering of the second-generation EN-V at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, announcing at the same time that China will be its first testing grounds for these electric pods.

The EN-V, which stands for Electric Networked Vehicle, is a two-seater electric vehicle that will be capable of communicating with other vehicles and can be driven autonomously or manually. GM designed this concept for congested megacities of the future, and hopes it will help ease parking, traffic, and pollution in dense urban environments. For that reason, it makes sense that Beijing or another city in China will host … Read more

A self-driving car doesn't necessarily mean handing the keys over to a robot.

General Motors' on Friday said it is testing semi-autonomous technology on its Cadillac cars called Super Cruise that takes over freeway driving. It could be available by mid decade, the company said.

It's a sign how the technology for autonomous vehicles is advancing rapidly and how what's called a "self-driving car" can take different forms.

GM said that two of its 2013 Cadillac luxury sedans, the XTS and the ATS, have a Driver Assist package that already incorporates a number of sensors … Read more

The Chevy Volt will restart production "earlier than previously planned" due to an uptick in demand, General Motors announced earlier this week, but will this help to quiet critics?

The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle had been slated for a five-week production suspension, but that will be cut to four weeks, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

This is "due to increased Volt sales since January and the need to meet demand in our strong markets, including California," GM said in a statement, according to the Free Press.

The Volt came under withering criticism from some in the media … Read more

Pandora has become the app most widely integrated with cars, but while customized streaming-music channels are nice, navigation is much more useful. Chevy obliges by adding the GogoLink navigation app to its MyLink connectivity system.

GogoLink will be available late this year in Chevy Sonic and Spark models equipped with the MyLink option. Including it in these cars lets Chevy offer navigation at the bottom of its model lineup.… Read more

If you're nervous about giving your teen driver the keys to the family car, you may be able to buy peace of mind from OnStar. The telematics company now offers the ability to tell you where your vehicles, and possibly the drivers, are at any time.

Family Link is an optional add-on service to the operator-assisted emergency response and navigation services offered by OnStar. Subscribers can log on to OnStar's Family Link Web site to view a map with the vehicle's location at any time. They can also schedule e-mail or text alerts to update them periodically … Read more

The Washington State Senate last month passed a bill that would charge electric car owners $100 per year to compensate for not paying gas taxes.

In response, GM Director of Government Affairs Hal Lenox sent a letter to Washington Gov. Chris Gregorie asking the surtax be removed, calling the bill "unfair."

If signed into law, the tax would only apply to owners of the all-electric vehicles. The bill excludes vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, which can run part of the time on gas. Still, GM spoke out against it.

GM officials say that because of the high cost … Read more

Luxury car makers usually insist that you need massive amounts of V-8 horsepower to motivate your leather and wood trimmed executive sedan. Some drivers may crave that kind of power, but many are content to cruise at the speed limit while considering whether pork bellies would be a good investment.

Buick built its new LaCrosse for that second class of driver. Its four-cylinder engine may seem meager, but at 2.4 liters and using direct injection, it gives the full-size sedan reasonable power. Buick enhances that power with a small electric motor, not powerful enough to drive the wheels on … Read more