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.

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 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.

Robert Gerber, the judge who ruled on the case, described it as a necessary step to prevent the death of a critically ill patient. The court has given a stay of four days which permits a close as early as July 10.

The sale will transfer in essence all of the properties of General Motors to the NGMCO Inc. which was established by the Department of Treasury. NGMCO will be known as General Motors Company once the sale is completed and will operate through the corporate GM and all of its sub brands.

Fritz Henderson will be the CEO of the newly established GM. The cost of operations will also be competitive in terms of its structure with standing agreements with the UAW and CAW, organizations of Auto Workers in United States and Canada, respectively.

The new status of GM will allow it to operate and gain profits at lower volume of productions. GM attributes this foresight to the cleaner debt sheet and better balance sheet post bankruptcy.

Daewoo, Holder, and other subsidiaries of GM outside the of U.S. will be acquired by the new GM but continue to operate without any interruption.

The Department of Treasury will be owning about 60.8% of the new company while 17.5% goes to UAW, and 11.7% to the Ontario government and CAW. Bond holders of the old GM will be getting 10% of the stake.

According to some reports, there will still be some impediments to overcome before GM can see its new beginning. Most of these processes will not have GM calling the shots— the bankruptcy judge still needs to rule on urgent matters by July 1. The court will hear a call for sale based on Section 363 which will involve putting on the market of the GM assets.

The General Motors is eyeing to form a new company by mid July and try to cut its time in the bankruptcy court. Among the major issues needed to be addressed is the reorganization.

The car manufacturer aims to chop of from its rank hundreds of dealerships across the United States before the end of 2010. The dealers who will remain in business can definitely smile but be ready for tougher demands for their businesses.

In the near future, GM representatives are set to meet with the dealerships to discuss their sales goals and the new setup that the dealerships must adapt to.

According to insiders, Gm will be focusing on their brands and there is a looming anxiety among dealerships that non-GM services and goods will be eventually discontinued.

Some dealerships may not agree to sign the new contract with GM and will have to raise some issues, there is a hint though that they will be terminated by the bankruptcy court if they will not sign.

The move is supported by as much as 74% of the union locals and is set to help make the American brands more competitive with the foreign brands of vehicles rolling into the US shores.

The deal with the UAW focuses on the essential elements like decreasing the production cost per unit and explore possibilities on retirement plans. These points will help GM handle its large population of retired workforce and its current wages and benefits for the employees. At present, the changes will affect about 54,000 employees across 46 plants and offices in the United States.

The element often overlooked on a competitive gap analysis is the long history of the company in terms of employment. Foreign car makers like Nissan, Honda, and Toyota may be building thousands of cars in the US on a yearly basis but does not have the big overhead of retired employees to manage like that of Chrysler, Ford, or GM.

The efforts of the negotiating panels from both the UAW and GM will give way to the closing in of the competitive gap and help the auto industry. Everything is also made possible with the cooperation of the employees and retirees of GM.

GM executives reveal that it might structure one of its plants that is scheduled to go on idle for the production of the vehicle. The plan will create 1200 jobs, which includes salaried and hourly labor. The car manufacturer has not selected a specific plant yet, but the investment is said to be between $600 million and $700 million.

In the US and around the globe the segment of small cars is the fastest growing market. The GM designers believe that the new generation of small cars will be ahead of the pack in terms of customer appreciation.

The specs of the new car have not been revealed. It will not be like Chevrolet Aveo which is built in South Korea or the Spark which is due for release in 2011. The Volt and the Cruze belong to the segment of larger cars. The company has also shown small, concept cars like the Groove and the Trax.

Cars in the B segment are considered entry-level, small cars. The Toyota has the Yaris in the B class while Honda has Fit, and Ford markets Fiesta. Aveo represents GM in this cluster.

According to company executives the chosen factory will be producing around 160,000 cars. Production of the small cars is in-line with the government proposal of raising the standards of fuel efficiency to 35.5 miles per gallon for 2016 car models. Right now fuel mileage standard is set at 25.30 mpg. This was prompted by skyrocketing fuel prices, which last month marked by $0.42 of increase in the price of gasoline.

The car industry believes that the demand in class b cars will continue to grow. GM has also made the plan to make production of the small car profitable for the company amid its financial problems.