GM Product Schedule Released

Details of the General Motors / United Auto Workers agreement have been released, including inside information about the future production schedule at the American auto maker. As part of the contract agreement, UAW sought assurances that GM would guarantee that certain products would continue to be built in American factories, as opposed to Canadian, Mexican, or overseas plants.

Included in a document released to the media by UAW were GM's plans to continue building current and future products at 16 of 18 U.S. assembly plants. Also included is apparently confidential information about GM product cycles. These plans include:

• The Corvette and the Cadillac XLR will continue through 2011, with new models to begin production in 2012 at the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant.
• After a couple of years of waiting, the new Camaro is expected to begin production in 2011 at Lansing, Michigan.
• Pontiac's Solstice and the Saturn Sky roadsters will continue assebly through 2012 in Wilmington, Delaware, but they have no announced replacement at this time. The car is rumored to begin production that year in Bowling Green, Kentucky, opening the door for a possible redesign of the two-seaters. Sadly, this could mean the end of the Wilmington plant.
• The Chevrolet Volt, a highly-anticipated electric car, will begin production in 2010 at a plant near Detroit. The MPV7 will also go into production here starting in 2009.
• The Pontiac G6 will continue being made in Orion, Michigan, until 2013. Orion is not yet assigned a new vehicle to manufacture.
• Cadillac models CTS, STS, and SRX will all continue to be built for two years, with a new CTS wagon and CTS coupe starting up in 2009. Two more cadillac styles are expected to be manufactured beginning in 2011. This will all take place in Lansing, Michigan.
• Current models of the Hummer H3 and H3T will end in 2011, with updated models heading into production that year in Shreveport, Louisiana.
• Also in Shreveport, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon will only exist up through 2011.
• Cadillac's DTS and the Buick Lucerne will stay in production through 2010 near Detroit, in Hamtramck.
• Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS continue in Hamtramck until 2010.
• The Lansing/Delta Michigan plant will also see several GMC, Saturn, and Buick products continue assebly through 2011, with replacements coming in 2012.
• A brand new, globally distributed subcompact is to be produced in Lordstown, Ohio, where the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars are already built. Those cars will be phases out in 2009. Two new cars will also be manufactured here starting in 2011.
• GM will be closing a plant in Doraville, Georgia. Workers there have already been notified.

The one assembly plant not mentioned in the deal builds midsize SUVs. The Moraine, Ohio, location is not mentioned because a separate union covers workers there.

``The whole thing looks fantastic,'' said Dave Green, UAW local president in Lordstown, Ohio, where new subcompacts will be built. However, the nearly 1,000 employees in Doraville, Georgia, might not feel the same. They have since discovered their plant will be shuttered.

Despite what others are reporting, this deal is certainly not final. With 16,000 employees becoming eligible for buyouts for carrying out non-essential duties, and new hires in noncore functions expected to get half the starting salary of an assembly line worker, there is the possibility that union employees will not ratify the agreement.

GM's 74,000 UAW members are to vote on the contract, with voting expected to be complete by October 10.

Pontiac G8 Wagon and Sport Truck Planned

Pontiac plans return of El Camino

The Pontiac G8 has been received in the US with much enthousiasm and seems to be carving its own niche market already, and its not even on sale yet. Rapper 50-Cent proudly showed off his G-stringed G8 at the SEMA show this year.

Automotive News brings some more good news for the United States car lovers. Turns out that three 'insider contacts' have let slip that GM is planning on expanding the G8 line-up with a wagon and sport ute. Both will be based on the same global RWD platform on which the G8 and Chevrolet Camaro sit.

The wagon will basicly be a remodelled Holden Sportwagon concept while the sport truck is based on the Holden VE Ute and is seen in some quarters as the return of the infamous El Camino.

There is still a catch to the plans, if the US dollar continues losing ground to the Australian dollar then exporting might become unfeasable (with US prices becoming too high), and will either delay or entirely cancel the family expansion plans.

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2009 Pontiac Vibe

General Motors has officially launched its 2009 Pontiac Vibe at an event held today in Detroit. Not surprisingly, the Vibe shares many of its mechanics with its sister car — the recently unveiled Toyota Matrix — although the exterior is unique to the Pontiac brand. Like the Matrix, the Vibe will also offer an all-wheel drive model for 2009.

The Vibe's engine choices mirror that of the Matrix; customers can choose from either a 1.8L four-cylinder rated at 132 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque or a 2.4L four rated at 158 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The 2.4L will be standard on all-wheel drive models and GT models and will be optional on the base model..

Depending on the model and powertrain options, customers will be able to choose from several transmissions. Base model cars with the 1.8L engine will come standard with a five-speed manual transmission, with a four-speed auto optional. AWD models will only be available with a four-speed automatic. GT models and cars equipped with the 2.4L engine will come with a five-speed manual, with a five-speed automatic optional.

Fuel economy for the 1.8L engines ranges between 25-26 city and 31-31 highway, depending on transmission is selected. The 2.4L ranges between 21 city and 28-29 highway. As expected, the AWD option decreases mileage to 20/26 city/highway.

All models will feature a MacPherson-strut front suspension design, with the base model using a solid beam rear axle and GT and AWD models using a fully independent rear suspension. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS will be standard throughout the model range, as well as electronic stability control and traction control.

The exterior of the Vibe is "clean and purposeful," and GM claims it exemplifies the future of Pontiac’s design. Like with the Matrix, each trim level will have its own unique styling cues, with AWD models receiving a roof rack and GT models wearing a new front fascia. The interior is also all-new and has a driver-focused cockpit design. The 2009 Vibe has 49.4 cubic feet of cargo space with its rear seats folded down.

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe is expect to hit dealer showrooms in early 2008.

Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Race Concept

PONTIAC SOLSTICE SD-290 RACE CONCEPT

Designed to evoke the emotions of classic sports cars, the Pontiac Solstice SD-290 race concept captures the purposeful design of vintage racecars. The design is dramatic, featuring a passenger cockpit tonneau cover and a driver windscreen, creating a pure racecar that looks ready to take the checkered flag even while sitting on the starting grid.

Aerodynamics have been improved and the SD-290's weight reduced with the removal of the windshield, side glass, window regulator, convertible top, climate system and windshield wiper system. Complementing the design are new side fender gill panels, a new hood with heat extracting grilles and a competition red paint scheme.

Backing up the race-ready appearance is the available Club Sport Z0K suspension package and an all-business cockpit filled with auxiliary gauges, a roll bar and racing seat.

Vehicle highlights:

• Pontiac Solstice SD-290 race concept

• 2.0L Ecotec direct-injected and turbocharged generating 290 horsepower

• Five-speed manual transmission

• Weight reduction through installation of driver-side only windscreen and elimination of door glass/hardware, convertible top/hardware, HVAC system and wiper system

• Solo Performance cat-back exhaust system with center-mounted outlet

• KW Automotive coil-over suspension package

• Three-piston aluminum calipers with 13-inch rotors from Stainless Steel Brake Company

• Forged 19-inch wheels with Hoosier R6 racing tires

• New front fascia, grille inserts, hood and front fenders, leading to better aerodynamics

• Passenger-side hard tonneau cover

• Competition red exterior color

• Rear spoiler

• Tinted headlamp lenses

• Removable racing-style steering wheel

• Racing seat with four-point safety harness

• Chrome fire extinguisher

• Pegasus center console gauge package

• Driver's roll bar

Pontiac G8 GT SEMA Edition

Designed for enthusiasts who are passionate about performance, the all-new Pontiac G8 performance sedan – arriving at dealerships in early 2008 – is the first North American application of GM’s new global rear-wheel-drive architecture. The V8-powered G8 GT SEMA Edition was displayed at the ’07 SEMA Show with a host of tuner-inspired custom touches, including a hot orange paint scheme with matching leather seat inserts, door panels and instrument panel pad.

Under the hood is the production 6.0L V-8, rated at 361 horsepower (268 kW) and 385 lb.-ft. of torque (520 Nm). A six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control backs the powerful small-block engine and complements a four-wheel independent suspension outfitted with unique 20-inch wheels and performance tires.

The G8 GT SEMA Edition car is equipped with production equipment that includes:

• Standard ABS and traction control augmented by high-performance HSV brakes

• Electronic stability control

• Seat-mounted thorax air bags and dual-stage frontal air bags for front passengers, with automatic passenger sensing system

• Roof rail side-impact air bags for both seating rows

• OnStar with available Turn-by-Turn navigation

• Power-adjustable front seats

• Fog lamps

• Quad polished stainless steel exhaust tips

• Rear lip spoiler

Augmenting the SEMA Edition is a series of modifications, including:

• Custom orange exterior paint

• Orange-accented interior components, including seat inserts, door panels and instrument panel pad

• Enhanced brake package with drilled and slotted rotors

• Lowered performance suspension package

• Twenty-inch wheels with performance tires

The G8 has a progressive styling package highlighted by strong Pontiac design cues, such as a dual-port grille, fog lamps, bold wheels and a confident, wheels-at-the-corners stance. The car’s design accents Pontiac’s performance lineage, with fenders that flare over the wheels, seemingly hugging the wide tires and enhancing its athletic stance.

Distinctive elements include hood scoops and front fender vents, as well as projector-beam headlamps housed in crystal-clear lenses. At the rear, taillamps feature bright detail work surrounding the red lighting elements.