Exactly how does this collision alarm system work? A part of the whole collision alarm system is the haptic vibrating seats. Whenever the vehicle is about to crash into another object or vehicle, the driver’s seat vibrates. This way, the driver is given time to think and to make sure that the collision won’t happen. While it hasn’t been strictly tested, the car manufacturer is positive this idea would be well accepted by their clients.

Models carrying this collision alert system will be released very soon. The 2013 XTS is slated to be out in the market by May, the 2013 ATS will be out by August, and the 2013 XRS by the first part of next year. The alarm collision system is actually just a part of the bigger Driver’s Assist Package.  Aside from the collision alert system, there is also an alert system for blind zones, rear cross-traffic, lane-departure, and so much more.

The car manufacturer also showed off an attractive feature of its automated test SRX. This is the SuperCruise allows the cruise to be “adapted” according to the steering habits of the driver, and the feedback coming from the cameras and sensors.

The pricing of these vehicles has not yet been released to the public.

Although the GMC Sierra is being marketed as a more high-end alternative to the Silverado, there is only a mere difference of $500 between some models. The incentives too during the purchase are similar for the Sierra and the Silverado.

So the market may distinguish the two trucks, GM will inject into the next gen Sierra more standard features compared to its sibling Silverado. The pricing will also be higher. According to a GM insider, the different models and equipment will have different approaches and the company is determined to widen the distance between the two brands.

GM will also implement styling changes that will contribute to the needed gap between the Silverado and the Sierra. .

The Chevrolet Silvarado and the GMC Sierra will be rolling out in 2013.

The EN-V is still true to its original purpose of meeting the bigger demand and stronger clamor for greener and safer personal transportation. It was first unveiled in 2010 with GM describing it as an ideal urban mobility device for the future which may help address problems in air pollution, lack of parking spaces, and heavy traffic.

EN-V by the way stands for Electric Networked Vehicle. The EN-V is considered an ultra compact mode of transportation weighing only 1,100 pounds and measuring not more than 5 feet long. Comparing it to the conventional car, the EN-V is just a third of its size in terms of length and weight. The small configuration of the EN—V makes it extra maneuverable with an ability to park in very tight spaces in the city.

The vehicle depends on electric motors which runs on lithium ion battery that can be charged using a normal household electric current. The driving range of this car is about 25 miles.

GM recently announced that the EN-V will be re-badged under the Chevrolet brand and will have new features like climate control, have a storage space, and be operable in all weather conditions. The Chevrolet EN-V will also be retaining the original capabilities of the concept like its connectivity, autonomous driving features, and electric propulsion technology.

The car manufacturer sees the EN-V to re-invent transportation in major cities by effectively merging connectivity and electrification. Aside from doing test runs in emerging markets, the EN-V will also have a test run in New York.

Chevrolet dealerships in Grand Blanc, MI and Modesto, CA are the first dealerships to get the Green Zone structure. According to the owner of the dealership in Grand Blanc, the solar canopy actually helps reduce their cost of operation and also decrease their carbon footprint.

An insider from General Motors explains that one solar canopy can charge a Chevrolet Volt 4,00 times in a year. The Green Zone project traces its roots from the initiative of GM Ventures and investment of around $7.5 million with Sunlogics, a company that manufactures and develops solar panels.

The solar canopy can actually generate electricity enough to power 2 to 3 homes annually. Looking at the numbers, that will be about 25% of energy consumption of a Chevrolet dealership.

General Motors is actually among the leaders of renewable energy users in the automotive sector. The company boasts of the biggest rooftop solar panel installations in the United States. It also has the biggest solar installations for a car factory in Spain. They also have started building a solar field in the Detroit Hamtramck facility and have completed a solar setup in their Baltimore facility.

An impressive 23% gain has been officially released by car company General Motors for its January figures. The company’s total sale of about 178,896 cars is an impressive boost when compared to last year’s figures.

General Motors said that their pick up and crossover sales are the strong points that led to the increased figures. According to the press release, the car company’s sales for its fleets have suffered a 7% decrease due to the 11% decline in rental fleet sales. Crossovers increased by 35%, trucks at 34%, and cars at 39%.

According to the vice president of the Sales Operations division in the U.S., Don Johnson, they are optimistic that the month of January has given then a good start for the year. Johnson added that the gains are widespread in all segments with the sales from their new models leading the hike to success.

The combined sales coming from models Silverado HD, Cruze, Chevrolet Equinox, Volt, Regal, Buick LaCrosse, Terrain, GMC Sierrra HD, CTS Coupe, CTS Wagon, and Cadillac SRX have given the car company an impressive 31% increase in gains. In January alone, the retail sales figures have increased by almost 61%.

Due to the high demand for GM models Buick regal, CTS Coupe, and Chevrolet Cruze, the total sales for these passenger car models rose to 15% for January. As for the company’s roster of eco-friendly crossovers, the Chevrolet Equinox has led the 31% increase in total sales. Johnson adds that the company’s average-sized crossovers like the GMC Acadia are also starting to rake in big sales figures because of its appeal to the customers in terms of style, functionality and fuel efficiency.

Slym explained that in the next three to four years, the popularity of light commercial vehicles will rise up to 24%, a rate wherein a foreseeable market growth is expected and wherein mini trucks in the sub-one ton and one ton categories, can be priced aggressively.

India manufactures a very small quantity of light trucks.  So far, Tata is the only brand who dominates the light truck market by almost 90%.   The others, namely Force Motors Trumpas, Bajaj Auto GC Max, Piaggio Ape, and Mahindra & Mahindra Gio, have small shares in the market.  Soon, General Motors will join in the light trucks markets of India too.

The three passenger vehicles from General Motors are as follows: the Chevrolet Spark, Chevrolet Tavera, and the Chevrolet Beat.

India’s demand of the light trucks coincides with its rapid growth in the economy, which directly gives rise to the demands of product transportation.  More and more automobile companies take interest in the light truck demands of India, such as the Mahindra & Mahindra which released their Gio mini trucks sometime last year.  Japanese automobile company Nissan, who partnered with India’s Ashok Leyland, will also join the rally as well as Dailer, a British automobile company.

The plan was disclosed during a meeting with financial analysts and bankers. The executives gave a briefing with regard to the company’s plans as it may offer public stocks before 2010 closes.

The carmaker ended their agreements with roughly 2,000 dealers when it went into bankruptcy in 2009. The logic is that a smaller network will allow GM to save some money and beef up their sales and earnings at their remaining locations.

Some 1,160 dealers argued though against the rationale of the move. The car manufacturer reinstated 666 of them with 600 of these dealers accepting the terms offered by GM while the rest are pushing for arbitration.

According to GM execs, the company is planning to go down to around 4,000 showrooms in future. This is way behind the earlier estimates of around 4,100 through 5,300 dealers.

Even if General Motors keep 5,300 dealers in their roster by the end of the year, it will still be a big drop from their status last year. The number of dealers of GM though still dwarfs the number of Japanese carmaker Toyota which is pegged at 1,500.

The company’s ability to pay back ahead of time is a sign that GM’s financial plan is working, says GM CEO Ed Whitacre. This is definitely good news for GM investors around the globe. Whitacre also stressed on the importance of letting their investors reduce their equity investments.

GM’s sales shot up to 36%, though, compared to the previous year. The popular crossover models including the 5th generation Camaro, the mid-sized Malibu and Lacross, and the range vehicles Equinox, Traverse, Acadia, and SRX all contributed to the increase in sales growth.

Based on the recent press release of GM, Fairfax will serve as the company’s primary source of the next generation of Malibu models. Detroit Hamtramck, which currently produces Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne, will also be provided with equipment to produce the Malibu. Also stated in the press release is the company’s assurance that the Chevrolet will be able to meet its market demand.

GM’s Malibu-related investments totaling $136 M in Fairfax and $121 in Detroit cover machinery, equipment, tools and facilities.

Forster’s departure triggers the hunt for the next CEO but the most likely replacement is no longer a stranger to GM, no one else but its czar Bob Lutz.

These decisions and movements come after General Motors decides to keep Opel that sell most of its shares to Sberbank and Magna. Bob Lutz will most likely be the Chairman of the supervisory board for Opel.

European operation is not new to Lutz who started his career with GM Europe from 1963 to 1971. He also played the role of executive VP for the BMW sales between 1971 and 1974. He also served as chairman of the European division of Ford in the early 1980’s.

The reaction of the industry is mixed knowing the expertise of Bob Lutz and knowing how he drove GM and the Detroit automobile industry of the edge of a cliff in the past few decades. European experts are worried about his takeover as chairman of Opel.

Lutz will not take the spot of Forster as lead of GM Europe. The job will be delegated to Nick Reilly. There is no clear direction yet how Lutz will affect the current marketing campaign of GM to revive its image among consumers. The redirection of Lutz might ease the import of the Opel Insignia to take the form of the Buick Regal in the United States.

The program is operated in collaboration with U.S. Bank. Pilot runs of the leasing program include vehicles of GM sold in Ohio, Michigan, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. The new gen Cadillac SRX is being offered for lease nationally by the bank. The initial run will go through August 31, 2009.

GM was forced to cut their leasing program last year due to the drop in profits. Consumers also showed low demand for vehicles because of the recession. The economy is starting to fix itself and the demand for cars has been up recently. According to statistics that monitors the demand in the leasing market, there was a 22% jump in the market demand for the Escalade of Cadillac. The Enclave from Buick has an 18% rise.

Although GM sales was doing okay without the leasing program, the car manufacturer believes that they have a sector which really needs it. The crossover Cadillac SRX really adds excitement to the luxury leasing program since it is offered nationwide.

The 2009 models that will be initially offered are the Traverse and Malibu from Chevrolet, and the CTS from Cadillac. Aside from the Cadillac SRX, other 2010 models like the LaCrosse and Enclave from Buick, GMC Acadia, and Equinox from Chevrolet will be offered

The monthly fees of the customers will depend on how much they put as down for the vehicle with the first month of payment due upon signing. The rates are expected to be very competitive. The company is also not asking for any security deposits.