General Motors is auctioning off a limited edition 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z6 in order to support the Haiti people after a terrible earthquake. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross relief fund.

The special edition Corvette is powered by a 7.0-liter V8 with 505HP, this ‘Vette also has a spider design chrome Z06 wheels, Z06 plates, a Stinger-style stripe on the front hood and fascia, chrome exterior badges and a painted Z06 spoiler and body color door handles.

GM said that all 427 units of the limited edition Corvettes were signed and numbered in the center console area by Will Cooksey, the Corvette plant manager who retired in 2006 after 15 years running the plant.

GM calls the XTS Platinum a concept model, but the 203.5 inches (5,170mm) long XTS is considered to strongly influence Cadillac’s future flagship sedan that will displace the DTS, and also the STS. The full-size sedan keeps all the usual styling cues of modern Cadillacs such as the sharp creases and vertical lights.

The concept’s interior consists of leather, wood and other high quality materials with modern technology like the Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays that replace the traditional gauges and screens. Under the Caddy’s bonnet is GM’s 3.6-liter V6 engine with direct-injection plus a plug-in hybrid system that deliver a combined output of 350HP and 295 lb-ft of torque.

General Motor presented the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali in Detroit. The Acadia Denali will be accessible in both front- and all-wheel drive models, as well as seven- and eight-passenger configurations, all powered by GM’s 288HP 3.6-liter direct injected V6 that delivers an EPA highway rating of 24 mpg on the FWD models.

“The GMC Denali models have come to stand for exclusivity and luxury, and that’s just what buyers will get in the new Acadia Denali,” said Lisa Hutchinson, GMC product marketing director. “Acadia Denali development decision  was made quickly within the new GM in response to customer and dealer demand for a Denali version ever since the launch and success of the Acadia.”

Special design cues on the exterior comprise a signature chrome honeycomb grille, unique lower front and rear fascias, high-intensity discharge headlamps, body-color lower cladding, rocker moldings, rear fascia and fender flares, unique body-side moldings with chrome accents and Denali badges.

The Acadia Denali is recognized by several qualities and standard options such as the perforated leather seats with matching leather door panel trim, the complementary wood grain finish on the instrument panel and center stack, leather-wrapped steering wheel with mahogany wood inserts, lighted sill plates, Dual SkyScape sunroof system, head-up display (HUD) system and enhanced accent lighting in the foot wells.

The price of the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali is expected to be released closer to its launch date.

General Motors has released new information and details about the 2011 Buick Regal, which is based on Opel Insignia.

With European styling, powerful engines, and a sport-tuned chassis, 2011 Buick Regal sedan will make its official debut at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicle comes with two four-cylinder engines – a 2.4-liter Ecotec with 182 hp (136 kW) and 172 lb-ft (233 Nm) of torque, and a twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-liter with 220 hp (164 kW) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm) of torque. Both engines have a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4L is said to return an average 20 mpg city / 30 mpg highway, while the 2.0T will return 18 mpg city / 29 mpg highway.

Some of the most significant features of the new model year Regal include a MacPherson strut front suspension, a four-link independent rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, StabiliTrak stability control, and an optional Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS) with three driver-selectable suspension modes.

Standard equipment for Buick Regal includes 18-inch wheels and tires, heated leather front seats, satellite radio, four-wheel disc brakes, all-independent suspension, stability and traction control, and Bluetooth capability. A navigation system and a Harmon Kardon sound system with an internal hard drive that can hold up to 10 gigabytes of music are also available as options.

QUICK FACTS

* A new midsize Buick sport sedan with a European-bred driving experience
* On sale in the second quarter of 2010
* Based on the award-winning Opel Insignia and available now as a Regal in China
* Modern, sleek design with great attention to detail and excellent build quality
* Efficient, four-cylinder/six-speed powertrain with 30 mpg (est.)
* Turbocharged model available in summer 2010
* Driver-selectable Interactive Drive Control System available in summer 2010
* Available rear-seat thorax air bags
* Standard 18-inch wheels, leather and heated front seats, XM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth and OnStar.

According to GM the 2011 Buick will go on sale in the second quarter of 2010. The manufacturer hasn’t priced the new Regal yet, but it will be slotted below the LaCrosse, which starts at $27,835.

GM announced its entrance into a definitive agreement to sell its Hummer unit to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., Ltd. Sichuan Tengzhong will purchase Hummer through an investment entity. “HUMMER is a strong universal niche brand and this agreement signifies another important milestone in writing the next chapter for both GM and HUMMER,” said Fritz Henderson, GM President and CEO. “For HUMMER, the mixture of its knowledgeable leadership team, vehicle design expertise and the capital financing of Tengzhong portend a successful future.”
Although GM did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement media reports claim that the sale price was around $150 million.
GM said that the Chinese company will acquire the ownership of the HUMMER brand, trademark and tradenames, as well as specific IP license rights necessary for the manufacture of HUMMER vehicles.
Sichuan Tengzhong will also get manufacturing, key components and business services from GM during a transitional time period, which was not defined by the Detroit automaker. As an example, GM said that its Shreveport assembly plant would continue to contract assemble the H3 and H3T models while AM General’s Mishawaka assembly plant will continue to assemble the H2, both until June 2011, with an optional one year extension until June 2012.

After a few sketches released a few weeks ago, General Motors revealed the first official image of the new 2010 Chevrolet Agile for the South American market. Designed for the Brazilian market, the actual production model of the Agile does not look like the attractive teaser images, the sketches that were previously revealed, or the concept.

The font end, with its corporate Chevrolet grille, looks decent enough but the overall design leaves something to be desired. General Director of GM Design Mercosur, Carlos Barba said; “The Agile goes beyond a traditional hatchback. Our task was to conduct a vehicle for a demanding client. Great design, interior space and a crossover, i.e. a car transpired versatility to attract customers from a different urban public or to a surfer who loves the countryside.”

The official press release of Chevrolet did not mention anything on the available power unit options, but it will most likely come with a 1.0L 4-cylinder engine under the hood.

The Agile will be built at General Motors‘ Rosario plant in Argentina. Sales in Brazil will begin in October later this year.

Today General Motors released a teaser photo of a new five-passenger crossover. The vehicle is an addition to its entry-luxury Buick line, which will be fully released in late 2010 and offer direct-injected gasoline plug-in hybrid version of engines in 2011, thus becoming the first mass produced SUV of its kind.

The teaser photo of the new Buick (the company hasn’t named the car yet) is in some way identical to Saturn Vue, which was first introduced in 2008.

With the production of the new Buick, GM intends to win over customers interested in the brand’s full-size Enclave crossover SUV who don’t need something that large. “Some customers who have been drawn to the Enclave were looking for something a little smaller, but they didn’t want to give up craftsmanship or a quiet ride to get there,” said Susan Docherty, general manager of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. “We believe this new Buick will excite those customers, and will continue to broaden the appeal of the brand.”

According to GM, the Buick crossover will be available standard with a 2.4-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder and offer an optional 3.0-liter direct-injected V6, which is expected – deliver 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway.

The company will announce more detailed information on the new Buick SUV closer to the vehicle’s launch date.

The Agile appears to be the road-going, five-door hatchback version of the Chevrolet GPiX crossover coupe concept study that was revealed at last year’s Sao Paulo International Auto Show in Brazil.

During the presentation of the GPiX, Jaime Ardila, President of General Motors Brazil and Mercosur, had revealed that the concept study could spawn a series of small cars for the South American markets.

Production of the Agile is scheduled to begin this fall at the company’s Rosario plant in Argentina with sales in South America pegged to start before the end of the year. GM said that the Agile is the first vehicle to make use of its new “Viva” platform that was originally developed for Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

While the American automaker did not release any technical specifications on the Agile, buyers should expect a wide range of 4-cylinder engines.

And yes, the thought that the Agile may form the base for Chevrolet’s U.S. market small hatchback that will be built in Michigan in 2011, did cross our mind (the smaller Spark is also a possible candidate). However, GM has not made any announcements on the matter.

Bob Lutz the Vice Chairman of General Motors has confirmed the coming of Cadillac CTS-V coupe. Lutz has made this announcement during a web-chat on the FastLane website held by GM.

According to Lutz the company is planning the V package only for the sedan and coupe. He also left the door open for additions to the product lineup. CTS-V Sport Wagon may also get a green light. When asked about Sport Wagon variant Lutz said “… should sufficient demand materialize, there is no reason why we couldn’t do a V-Series wagon, and I would be standing in line for one, just ahead of you.”

The Cadillac CTS equipped with the V package will have the same 6.2-liter V8 engine found on the Corvette ZR1. Output of the vehicle will be 556 horsepower with a maximum torque of 551 ft-lb.

It should be noted that the CTS Coupe was first presented to the public in concept form at last year’s Detroit Auto Show. It was later confirmed for production in GM’s viability presentation earlier this year, will be available for car buyers already in the middle of next year as a 2011 model.

Lutz was also talked about Pontiac and discussed the possibility of rebranding the Pontiac G8 as the new Chevy Caprice. According to Lutz the company is “studying the feasibility of bringing [the G8] in as a Caprice for both law enforcement and the public.”

Bob Lutz postponed his decision to retire from GM at the end of the year, deciding to extend his career as the firm’s vice chairman in charge of all “creative elements of products and customer relationships”, and the 77-year old is offering American car nuts a reason to celebrate. Lutz, in an interview with Automobile Magazine, revealed that the Pontiac G8 isn’t dead after all.

Despite the fact that only a month ago, in a live chat with online readers, GM CEO Fritz Henderson supported that the rear-wheel drive Pontiac sports sedan won’t live in another brand, Lutz told the magazine that the G8 will be reborn in the USA as the Chevrolet Caprice.

“We decided to continue to import it as a Chevrolet, the last time we looked at the G8,” Lutz said. “It is kind of too good to waste.” Can’t disagree with Lutz on that one….

He also added that other decision  factors were the export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet.

Lutz didn’t say in what form the G8 will survive in the USA – as a Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8 with a Chevy grille or will GM prefer to import the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman / Caprice? That’s probably a good point to start the conversation in the comment section below.

Lutz, in addition to the G8, told the magazine that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe could be closer to production than we think, noting that that members of the government taskforce were quite interested in the BMW M3-challenging sports coupe during the presentation of the firm’s product plan.