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<title><![CDATA[RSS for Mark Reuss]]></title>
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<link><![CDATA[http://search.autonews.com/]]></link>
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<title><![CDATA[NADA, automakers reach out with aid for tornado victims]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130521/RETAIL07/130529966/nada-automakers-reach-out-with-aid-for-tornado-victims]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130521/RETAIL07/130529966/nada-automakers-reach-out-with-aid-for-tornado-victims</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 21 May 2013 19:23:51 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The National Automobile Dealers Association and several automakers are reaching out with assistance to dealers and victims affected by Monday's tornado in Oklahoma. Auto dealers affected by the tornado near Oklahoma City can go to the National Automobile Dealers Charitable Foundation for help. ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM seeks clean launch, regular updates for pickups]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130520/OEM02/305209985/gm-seeks-clean-launch-regular-updates-for-pickups]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130520/OEM02/305209985/gm-seeks-clean-launch-regular-updates-for-pickups</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 20 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America, says GM is staying vigilant on the June launch of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-sized pickups, its most important rollout since the company's 2009 bankruptcy. He says GM is closely monitoring suppliers to avoid bottlenecks that ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM delayed SUV rollouts to focus on pickups]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130513/OEM04/305139954/gm-delayed-suv-rollouts-to-focus-on-pickups]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130513/OEM04/305139954/gm-delayed-suv-rollouts-to-focus-on-pickups</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 13 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- The early-2014 rollout of General Motors' next generation of full-sized SUVs will come about three months later than the company had planned. In an interview this month, GM North America President Mark Reuss confirmed that the timeline was pushed back to ensure a "flawless" launch of ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Reuss: Buick earns product pizazz]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM03/305069972/reuss-buick-earns-product-pizazz]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM03/305069972/reuss-buick-earns-product-pizazz</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- Buick dealers still salivating over the Riviera concept that General Motors unveiled at last month's Shanghai auto show should take a deep breath: There's little chance that the flashy coupe will ever grace a Buick showroom. But they should view the Riviera -- which GM says points to the ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM hires retirees to smooth launch of full-sized pickups]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM01/305069953/gm-hires-retirees-to-smooth-launch-of-full-sized-pickups]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM01/305069953/gm-hires-retirees-to-smooth-launch-of-full-sized-pickups</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- General Motors has enlisted about 100 retired GM engineers to help monitor the launch of its next-generation full-sized pickups, which are expected to reach showrooms next month. The retirees are working mainly at GM's Tier 1 suppliers to ensure quality on key subsystems, such as ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Reuss wants a volume rwd Chevy]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM04/305069974/reuss-wants-a-volume-rwd-chevy]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM04/305069974/reuss-wants-a-volume-rwd-chevy</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- Atop Mark Reuss' wish list for Chevrolet's lineup is a modestly priced, rear-wheel-drive sporty car to appeal to young drivers. "A really nice, light, rear-drive car that's inexpensive -- we know that rings a bell," the GM North America president told Automotive News last week. "That'd ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Coming soon: The spittoon that helped make GM]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM/305069963/coming-soon-the-spittoon-that-helped-make-gm]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM/305069963/coming-soon-the-spittoon-that-helped-make-gm</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[General Motors' roots can be traced to Durant-Dort Carriage Co., a long-shuttered 133-year-old factory in Flint, Mich., and the office building across the street. They were headquarters for GM founder Billy Durant's efforts to expand from the horse-drawn carriage business to automobile production. ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM to buy historic Durant-Dort buildings in Flint, Mich.]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130502/OEM01/130509955/gm-to-buy-historic-durant-dort-buildings-in-flint-mich]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130502/OEM01/130509955/gm-to-buy-historic-durant-dort-buildings-in-flint-mich</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 02 May 2013 15:35:41 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[General Motors has agreed to buy the original Durant-Dort Carriage Co. factory in Flint, Mich., a site GM North America President Mark Reuss calls "the birthplace of GM." GM plans to use the 133-year-old, 25,000-square-foot building as a showcase for its corporate history, Reuss told Automotive ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Big trucks, small cars lift GM's sales 11%]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130501/RETAIL01/130509982/big-trucks-small-cars-lift-gms-sales-11]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130501/RETAIL01/130509982/big-trucks-small-cars-lift-gms-sales-11</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 01 May 2013 14:34:38 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- General Motors' U.S. sales grew 11 percent in April on a surge in demand for vehicles at both ends of GM's lineup: big trucks and small cars. GM sold 237,646 light vehicles last month, its highest April sales in five years. The automaker outpaced the industry for the fourth straight ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dealers try to strengthen franchise laws]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/RETAIL07/304299968/dealers-try-to-strengthen-franchise-laws]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/RETAIL07/304299968/dealers-try-to-strengthen-franchise-laws</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Dealers and automakers are slugging it out in some state legislatures over state franchise laws. Several state dealer associations are trying to beef up existing laws. Dealers and association leaders say enforcement of franchise protections has long been a problem, and it's a growing source of ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[As retirement approaches, Publisher Peter Brown honors some of the best, and worst, automotive adventurers]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130422/OEM02/304229971/as-retirement-approaches-publisher-peter-brown-honors-some-of-the]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130422/OEM02/304229971/as-retirement-approaches-publisher-peter-brown-honors-some-of-the</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In five years, we will have fuel cell vehicles out of the lab and on the road, a big fleet of cars burning cheap compressed natural gas, and new cars with so many active-safety features that you can't crash them. Unless we don't. In this surprising and fluid industry, peopled by geniuses and ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Reuss: GM faces 'real threat' from yen's decline]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130422/OEM02/304229985/reuss-gm-faces-real-threat-from-yens-decline]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130422/OEM02/304229985/reuss-gm-faces-real-threat-from-yens-decline</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT -- General Motors isn't facing pricing pressure from Japanese rivals yet, but the Japanese yen's falling value poses a "real threat" that could undercut GM's campaign to boost market share, a top executive said last week. For the past two years, GM has enjoyed strong pricing power. Yet Mark ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Why GM might rename its new mid-sized pickups]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130418/BLOG06/130419890/why-gm-might-rename-its-new-mid-sized-pickups]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130418/BLOG06/130419890/why-gm-might-rename-its-new-mid-sized-pickups</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:08:41 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Mark Reuss says the next-generation Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-sized pickups will be so much better than the bland outgoing models, General Motors might come up with new names. "We're targeting a new generation of buyer with a new truck," the GM North America president told reporters ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM's Reuss: No price pressure yet, but falling yen is a 'threat']]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130416/OEM02/130419927/gms-reuss-no-price-pressure-yet-but-falling-yen-is-a-threat]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130416/OEM02/130419927/gms-reuss-no-price-pressure-yet-but-falling-yen-is-a-threat</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:04:11 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized Toyota Motor Sales' first-quarter U.S. market share. DETROIT -- The falling value of the Japanese yen poses "a real threat" to General Motors as it seeks to gain U.S. market share this year amid a slate of new-vehicle launches, a top ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM global sales rise 3.6% to retain lead over Volkswagen]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130416/RETAIL01/130419938/gm-global-sales-rise-3-6-to-retain-lead-over-volkswagen]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130416/RETAIL01/130419938/gm-global-sales-rise-3-6-to-retain-lead-over-volkswagen</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:57:31 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. said worldwide sales rose 3.6 percent during the first quarter compared with last year, keeping its lead over Volkswagen AG by about 90,000 vehicles. Increased Chevrolet sales in the U.S. and Buick demand in China helped GM deliver 2.36 million cars and trucks in the first three months of 2013, the company said today in an e-mailed statement . VW global sales during the period rose 5.1 percent to 2.27 million, according to an April 12 statement. Toyota Motor Corp. hasn't reported first-quarter sales yet. "Chevrolet is growing around the world by leveraging GM's global engineering and design expertise to deliver the right products in the right markets," Mark Reuss, president of GM's North American operations, said in the statement. GM faces increased pressure to maintain its standing as the world's second-best selling automaker ahead of VW. Toyota retook the lead position from GM last year as it recovered from natural disasters in Asia in 2011. Volkswagen reported a 5.9 percent sales decline in Europe that was offset by gains in the U.S. and China. The company, with brands including Audi and Porsche, said its U.S. sales rose 15 percent to 142,800 and China deliveries increased 21 percent to 633,900. Global brands GM CEO Dan Akerson is pushing to refocus the automaker's efforts around two global brands, Chevrolet and Cadillac, as the company competes with VW and Toyota for worldwide scale. Toyota, which introduced 19 new or refreshed vehicles in the U.S. last year, regained the sales lead from GM in 2012, selling 9.75 million vehicles. GM sold 9.29 million vehicles last year, more than half in its two largest markets: 2.6 million in the U.S. and 2.84 million in China. The U.S. automaker finished No. 2 last year, outselling VW by more than 200,000 vehicle sales. VW aims to become the world's biggest by 2018. GM's first-quarter sales in the U.S. rose 9.3 percent to 664,963 and GM in China gained 9.6 percent to 816,373, the company previously said. China sales include deliveries with its joint-venture partners. New models As head of GM's North American operations, Reuss is overseeing GM's effort to bring out about 20 new vehicles in the U.S. this year to help rebound from an 88-year-low share in its home market last year. The Impala full-sized sedan is arriving in showrooms this month and will be followed by a redesigned Silverado pickup. The company's revamped Corvette has also been garnering attention after its January reveal in Detroit. An early review by Motor Trend in its March 2013 issue said the new Corvette "has it where it counts," noting that "the radical new bodywork is jet-inspired and race-tested" while the interior has been improved with a cabin that's been "bathed in soft-touch materials."]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM global sales rise 3.6% to retain lead over Volkswagen]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130416/ANE/304169804/gm-global-sales-rise-3-6-to-retain-lead-over-volkswagen]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130416/ANE/304169804/gm-global-sales-rise-3-6-to-retain-lead-over-volkswagen</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:57:31 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. said worldwide sales rose 3.6 percent during the first quarter compared with last year, keeping its lead over Volkswagen Group by about 90,000 vehicles. Increased Chevrolet sales in the United States and Buick demand in China helped GM deliver 2.36 million ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Crunching numbers on the Z28: Zoom tops price]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130408/OEM03/304089983/crunching-numbers-on-the-z28-zoom-tops-price]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130408/OEM03/304089983/crunching-numbers-on-the-z28-zoom-tops-price</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Even though automakers are straining to reach ever-rising fuel-economy standards, speed still counts -- a lot. Witness the Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Mark Reuss, head of General Motors North America, said he and GM product chief Mary Barra were trying to decide which engine to put in the Z28. The ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Z28 revs Chevy's performance line]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM03/304019961/z28-revs-chevys-performance-line]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM03/304019961/z28-revs-chevys-performance-line</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK -- The sound system perched over the Chevrolet stand at the auto show here last week roared so loudly with music, mixed in with the sounds of revving engines and screeching tires, that earplugs were handed out to the hundreds of onlookers gathered for Chevy's press conference. It was General Motors' way of sending a message: Chevy's performance division is on a roll. And GM plans an advertising campaign to spread the word. Last year, Camaro sales topped Ford Mustang sales for the third straight year. GM says Chevy accounted for a quarter of all U.S. performance car sales last year. Now Chevy is adding to its performance lineup. Onlookers who gathered for a glimpse of a refreshed 2014 Camaro also were greeted with a surprise return of the Camaro Z28, reviving the badge of the storied pony car that debuted for the 1968 model year and was phased out in 2002. The new Z28 is expected to go on sale early next year. Also on stage sat the SS, which will be Chevy's first rear-wheel-drive sedan in 17 years when it's launched late this year. A convertible version of the 2014 Corvette Stingray, which likely will generate a surge of demand when it hits showrooms by late summer, shared the stage, too. "No other brand can match this performance lineup," Mark Reuss, president of GM North America and a racing enthusiast, said before unveiling the Z28. Chevrolet will try to take advantage of that through new advertising that will tout its racing and performance bona fides, Alan Batey, GM's interim chief marketing officer, told Automotive News . The campaign will run in coming months under Chevrolet's new "Find New Roads" theme. "In the past, we've looked at racing more as, 'Congratulations, Jimmy, on winning Sunday's race,' rather than talking about some of the engineers that we've put into the racing group who come back to work on our production cars," Batey said. "We think there's a great story to be told." Batey believes the advertising can "broaden the audience" beyond racing enthusiasts to burnish Chevy's performance image. Reuss described the campaign as "looking to the future. It's very progressive." Chevrolet sold 1.85 million vehicles last year in the United States, up 4 percent from 2011. But in a market that grew 13 percent, Chevy's market share slipped to 12.8 percent from 13.9 percent. Sales of its top-selling performance nameplate, the Camaro, fell 4 percent to 84,391. Reuss acknowledges that the Z28 will sell in low volumes. But he said there is ample motivation for Chevrolet to nurture its racing and performance identity, including the ability to transfer technology from the track to production cars. "I can't put a bunch of numbers to this and say this is absolutely a no-brainer," Reuss said. "What I can do is guarantee you that this will excite more people inside of our company to do what we know how to do and create a culture of excellence."]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM's new product cycle: Fix problems now]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM03/304019962/gms-new-product-cycle-fix-problems-now]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM03/304019962/gms-new-product-cycle-fix-problems-now</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK -- General Motors' speedy revision of the slow-selling Chevrolet Malibu reflects the company's new determination to fix problems quickly when they arise, rather than letting them linger until the next scheduled change. "When we see decay happening, or something that didn't work as well as we'd have liked it to, we'll go fix it," GM North America President Mark Reuss said last week at the New York auto show. That's what GM is doing with the Malibu in an effort to resuscitate sluggish sales of the mid-sized sedan. The 2014 Malibu should arrive by September -- just 18 months after the redesigned car's launch -- with a new front end and changes to make the cramped rear seat more comfortable, a GM spokesman said. The redo marks a rapid acceleration of GM's typical product cycle, which normally would dictate such changes in the car's third or fourth model year. For example, GM also showed a reskinned Buick LaCrosse that will hit showrooms this summer, four years after the current sedan's summer 2009 launch. Similarly, by the time the refreshed Camaro unveiled here hits showrooms this year it will have been about four years since the launch of the current-generation Camaro. Ken Parkinson, vice president of Chevrolet exterior design, said the market has gotten too competitive to delay refreshing models that that long. "We're looking at everything we can to make sure our product is fresh and that the cycles in between all-new and a refresh are as tight as they can be," Parkinson said. Honda Motor Co. also hurried a mid-cycle revision last year on the Civic, which had been panned in the automotive press. Historically, Japanese automakers have kept tighter schedules for refreshing models than the Detroit 3. "The competition is moving quickly. They're not letting off at all," Parkinson said. "We've got to be not only right up there with them, but beat them." Reuss acknowledged that the reskinned LaCrosse took "a little longer than we would have liked." The wait shows that GM still is suffering hangover effects from product delays triggered by its bankruptcy nearly four years ago. He said that enhancements will always vary from model to model. "We don't have one cadence," he said. "It's dictated by segment and by the marketplace. We're not rigid with that."]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chevy revives Camaro Z/28 for track duty]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130327/OEM04/130329879/chevy-revives-camaro-z-28-for-track-duty]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130327/OEM04/130329879/chevy-revives-camaro-z-28-for-track-duty</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:08:39 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[NEW YORK -- Chevrolet surprised onlookers at the New York auto show today by unveiling a new Camaro Z/28, a built-for-the-racetrack performance coupe. The car will have a small-block V-8 engine that produces 500 hp and 470 pounds-feet of torque. General Motors will begin production of the Z/28 late ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM's Girsky slashes at Opel's culture]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130326/ANE/303269964/gms-girsky-slashes-at-opels-culture]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130326/ANE/303269964/gms-girsky-slashes-at-opels-culture</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 26 Mar 2013 02:34:21 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- As General Motors Co. Vice Chairman Steve Girsky took a new assignment last year to stem more than a decade of losses in Europe, a colleague gave him a Latin phrase that translates as "I shall either find a way or make one." It's supposedly a quote from Hannibal in response to his men telling him it was impossible to cross the Alps with elephants, Girsky said last week in an interview, as he pulled up the Latin writing on his iPad. While GM is the leader in China and the United States, the world's two biggest markets, Europe remains spectacularly challenging. GM's goal of ending deficits there by mid-decade is just about as daunting as Hannibal's trip. Its European operations have lost $18 billion since 1999, including $1.8 billion last year, and the market continues to fall for a sixth consecutive year. More than just losses, Girsky, 50, said he is fighting a culture within Opel that sees itself as an entity totally separate from GM even after more than eight decades of control. From the start, Girsky said, he wanted to uncover what needed to be changed and made about 40 trips to Europe in the past year. "Every time you opened the door, more dead bodies fell out," Girsky said. "Everything was a series of surprises. You'd peel back a layer of the onion and you'd find more issues. That was frankly the goal early on: Let's find these issues. We sell a million units with this brand. We should be able to make money." Resurgent GM At least Girsky can take on Europe against a backdrop of a resurgent GM. The company has had three straight profitable years since its 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring, making money last year everywhere else in the world as well as with its financing business. It had a $6.95 billion pretax profit on its North American operations last year, once again became the top automaker by sales globally in 2011 before losing the title to Toyota Motor Corp. last year and is broadening its lineup with higher quality cars at more price points than ever. While the auto industry's struggles in Europe are a concern for every automaker selling vehicles in the region, GM has been dealing with turmoil there for more than a decade. GM's losses in Europe weighed down the company's profit last year as net income declined 33 percent to $6.19 billion from $9.19 billion. The automaker faces increased pressure from Toyota and Volkswagen. In last week's interview at GM's Detroit headquarters, Girsky shared his unique perspective on the political and business challenges he and the U.S. automaker face in Europe, where Girsky has heard that "Americans are the root of all evil." Long lunch break His frustrations were not just with unions. "My first experience on the Opel board, the meeting started at 10," he said. "They met for an hour, then broke for lunch." To stop the losses and change the culture, Girsky set about a management shakeup that has included hiring a former Volkswagen executive as Opel's new CEO, replacing Karl-Friedrich Stracke; pulling senior GM executives deeper into the brand's operations; forming a partnership with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, which GM has said targets $2 billion in cost savings; and pushing to close the first auto factory in Germany since World War II. His moves remain deeply controversial. "There are more than 30 years of disappointment at Opel," said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at Germany's University of Duisburg-Essen. "There was a chance for Girsky to change the situation. He had products like Opel Ampera and like Opel Adam. However, he came up with firing Stracke." Opel tensions The long-time tensions at Opel are as fundamental as differences between Germans and Americans, even including how to build a car, said Warren Browne, a retired GM executive who worked in Europe and Russia, among other locations. "The level of turmoil that's existed on the engineering side in terms of how to make a car is at the root of what many describe as cultural differences," said Browne, now a vice president for consultancy AutomotiveCompass. "Any program that the two have tried to do jointly historically has always run into difficulties," Germans focus on how a car handles and feels on the road, for instance, while Americans want comfort, he said. Those tensions have been heightened by how GM allocates profit and losses among its regions, he said. Chevrolet sales in Europe, for example, go to GM operations run out of Shanghai because GM records the profits of a vehicle in the region where it's built. While Chevrolet and Opel are both part of GM Europe, their cars compete in the same area. Profitability dispute "The profitability tension of Chevrolet growing in its market share in Europe without Opel sharing in the profitability or the rewards further threw fuel on that fire," Browne said. It only made things worse when, in 2009, the automaker prepared to sell off the unit following its U.S. bankruptcy reorganization. Then-CEO Fritz Henderson was in the final stages of a deal when the automaker's new, post-bankruptcy board voted to keep Opel. Girsky, also a GM director, was part of the group advocating to keep Opel and has said GM needs to be in Europe if it's going to be competitive globally. "Whatever tensions existed were exasperated by that," said Browne. Girsky, who joined GM in 2009 as a director after working as an industry analyst and adviser, including for the United Auto Workers, arrived into that contentious world in November 2011 when CEO Dan Akerson made him head of Opel's supervisory board. In July 2012, Akerson named him interim head of GM's Europe operations after Stracke was pushed aside. Girsky's challenge "One of the biggest challenges is this culture issue of they're an island unto themselves," Girsky said. A first key step in changing the culture was placing senior GM executives, including Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann, on the Opel board, Girsky said. "We needed to connect Opel with the rest of the corporation," Girsky said. Adding top GM executives to the board "forces them to come out regularly and it forces Europe to be responsive." Next, Girsky said, he went about changing many of the senior executives at Opel and installing a new set of guiding principles. Those included "protect the product," "respect the customer" and "no surprises." One final rule is Girsky's now-favorite Latin phrase: "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam." He has written it on a card that he sometimes displayed during meetings to emphasize his urgency. He pushed executives to be more aggressive, including a marketing campaign to counter Fiat's ads touting the 500 over Opel's new Adam minicar. The GM brand responded with its own ads. 'Just disconnected' Girsky questioned why Opel wasn't taking advantage of GM's ability to put Apple's Siri voice-recognition in its cars. "Chevrolet had Siri enabled in their cars; Opel was going to wait a year," Girsky said. "The problem was nobody at Opel asked and nobody at GM offered" -- it was "just disconnected." Girsky routinely talks about the need to improve GM with good new vehicles and not just cost-cutting. The company is bringing out 23 new Opel products by 2016, including the Mokka compact crossover. New Opel models, including the Adam, a sporty minicar, and the Ampera, the European version of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, are winning positive reviews. 'Better without GM' Cost cuts, however, are also part of the plan. GM has already announced plans to eliminate $500 million in annual costs over three years in addition to cutting $300 million in spending. The company eliminated 2,000 jobs in Europe last year, according to a company regulatory filing. One of hardest parts of Girsky's job has been dealing with German unions. Workers have picketed with signs that read: "Besser ohne GM." That's German for "Better without GM." Girsky said he's worked to improve relations with Opel's union, pulling inspiration from his work in improving GM's relationship with its U.S. union, the United Auto Workers. "We said in Europe, when you're losing $4 million day, I've got nothing to lose," he said. "I'll take a good idea from anybody if it will help me sell more cars." Bochum vote His challenge is to close the first auto factory in Germany since World War II. After GM secured a new labor agreement in England in May, Girsky focused his attention on worker costs in Germany. All but one of GM's German factories approved a plan this month to save about 20,000 jobs in exchange for freezing wages through 2015. Workers at Bochum, the plant GM wants to close, voted last week to reject the agreement, which would have kept the facility making vehicles through 2016 and parts of it open beyond that as a components and logistics center. In response, the automaker reiterated that it will stop work at the plant by the end of 2014, when the current labor agreements ends, and not engage in further contract negotiations. The Socialist Equality Party of Germany and the International Committee of the Fourth International's World Socialist on March 15 called on Opel workers to reject the labor agreement. "A workforce renowned for its militancy is to be brought to its knees," the statement said on the World Socialist Web site. Instead of just closing a plant up front, GM was able to use the possibility of saving a factory as a way to get greater concessions from all of the plants, Adam Jonas, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, said. 'Tough hand' "He's got a tough hand; I think he's playing it well," Jonas said. "I don't want to say it's 'Mission: Impossible,' but it's been an agonizingly difficult operating environment." Since January 2012, only four of Opel's top 18 leaders remain. Girsky hired Karl-Thomas Neumann, who had led Volkswagen's China operations, to head Opel. Neumann, who also leads GM Europe, began his new position on March 1. Girsky remains head of the board and now travels to Germany less often. Girsky, along with Mary Barra, 51, GM's top product-development executive, and Mark Reuss, 49, head of its North American operations, are seen as possible CEO successors when Akerson, 64, leaves, people familiar with the thinking have said. Ultimately, Girsky's success may be judged on how Opel turns out. Girsky's future "If Europe does not turn around materially, then it would be hard for Steve to make the case that he can run the full company," Jonas said. Opel's public image has suffered from Girsky's approach, said Dudenhoeffer of the Center for Automotive Research. An e-mail Girsky sent in January to workers threatening Bochum's closure by the end of next year if the concessions weren't approved was covered negatively by German media, he said. "Everybody in Germany was confronted with the question: Is that a modern company?" he said. "I'm not sure whether Girsky was successful." To Girsky, however, this is all just part of a very long journey. As Girsky handed-off day-to-day control of Opel to Neumann, he presented the new executive with that card with his Latin inscription.]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GMC tops volume brands in dealer service satisfaction, Power says]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130313/RETAIL05/130319960/gmc-tops-volume-brands-in-dealer-service-satisfaction-power-says]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130313/RETAIL05/130319960/gmc-tops-volume-brands-in-dealer-service-satisfaction-power-says</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:15:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Three General Motors brands, led by GMC, ranked among the top five volume makes for customer satisfaction with the dealership service department, based on an annual J.D. Power and Associates survey released today. Overall, customer satisfaction with dealership service departments is rising as ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM puts cars on strict diet]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130311/OEM01/303119951/gm-puts-cars-on-strict-diet]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130311/OEM01/303119951/gm-puts-cars-on-strict-diet</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[When General Motors CEO Dan Akerson vowed last week to cut the weight of new models 15 percent by the 2016 model year, he put his engineers on a rigorous schedule. Is it doable? Yes, but it's a stretch, says one knowledgeable industry consultant. "It will be a big effort," said Richard Schultz, managing director of Ducker Worldwide in suburban Detroit, an adviser on mass reduction to GM and other automakers. "That's a lot of work, and GM doesn't have a lot of time." For instance, GM would have to shed about 600 pounds from a V-6-powered large sedan such as the Buick LaCrosse, which weighs 4,045 pounds. Engineers could save as much as 200 pounds by substituting a four-cylinder engine for the V-6. The rest would come from lightweight materials. Schultz said GM will avoid large amounts of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and it is unlikely to introduce an aluminum-bodied car, as Audi and Jaguar have done. Instead, GM will use: More high-strength steel for the body-in-white. Magnesium for selected parts such as transmission cases. More aluminum for doors, decklids, hoods and structural parts. Like other CEOs, Akerson doubtless feels a sense of urgency to meet federal corporate average fuel economy standards, which rise to 35.5 mpg by the 2016 model year. In his Houston speech last week, Akerson hinted at GM's intention to use more aluminum and high-strength steel. GM has begun using spot welding to attach aluminum to the body-in-white, saving money and weight by eliminating rivets, which can add as much as two pounds to a car's weight. The new spot welding system disrupts the oxide on the surface of an aluminum component, ensuring a stronger weld than before. That, in turn, eliminates the need for rivets, GM says. GM offered a glimpse of the technology's potential with the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, company spokesman Dan Flores said. Spot welding "allows engineers to look for more innovative ways to use aluminum beyond traditional uses" such as hoods, decklids and doors, Flores said. Translation: Look for GM to use a lot more aluminum in structural components in the body-in-white. GM also hopes to save money by introducing a high-strength steel that is under development. Last year, GM said it had invested in NanoSteel Co. of Providence, R.I., which has developed a nano-structured steel alloy. Automakers like high-strength steel because they can make parts thinner, saving weight. But typically, steel alloys must be hot-stamped, which raises manufacturing costs. NanoSteel is developing a high-strength steel that would be cold-stamped, at less cost. "If it's cheaper, you can use more of it," Flores said. "It's still in trial, but that's where we think the competitive advantage is." While GM is investing in aluminum and high-strength steel, one might argue that the company is still hedging its bets. Take the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, which goes on sale this spring. GM says it cut 59 pounds by using an aluminum hood, front control arms and steering knuckles. It also used high-strength steel for two-thirds of the cab structure. But GM could have saved more weight by introducing an aluminum cargo box, cab or bumpers. Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, has noted that fuel-conscious buyers can opt for the Chevrolet Colorado compact pickup. But Schultz speculates that GM will work harder to cut the weight of its next-generation Silverado. "Why spend the extra money until you have to?" Schultz asks. What about more exotic materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastic? The Corvette features a carbon fiber hood, but this material is still too expensive for mass-market vehicles. To cut cost, GM formed a partnership in 2011 with Teijin Ltd., a Japanese producer of carbon fiber. The company has opened a technical center in suburban Detroit to develop a cheaper way to manufacture carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic. Carbon fiber weighs one-fourth as much as conventional steel and is 10 times stronger. But it takes a long time for the resin to set in the mold. Teijin is trying to reduce the cycle time required to produce carbon fiber parts to less than a minute. But that technology isn't ready, Flores said. Because carbon fiber is not ready for prime time, that leaves aluminum and high-strength steel as the materials of choice -- especially for a vehicle's front end. Look for engineers to use more aluminum hoods, bumpers, suspension components and possibly engine cradles.andnbsp; But GM "is not going to use any technology that they are not already comfortable with," Schultz said. "Everything is happening just a little bit faster, but it's something they know how to do."]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[GM execs receive 324,489 restricted stock units]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130305/OEM02/130309908/gm-execs-receive-324489-restricted-stock-units]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130305/OEM02/130309908/gm-execs-receive-324489-restricted-stock-units</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:08:42 EST]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DETROIT (Reuters) -- Eight top General Motors Co. executives have been awarded more than 324,000 restricted stock units that vest over the next three years, according to regulatory documents filed today. The 324,489 units, each representing one share of common stock, were awarded on March 1 as part ...]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Under Reuss, racing spurs urgency in GM product development]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130223/OEM06/302239995/under-reuss-racing-spurs-urgency-in-gm-product-development]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130223/OEM06/302239995/under-reuss-racing-spurs-urgency-in-gm-product-development</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:01:00 EST]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Bloomberg) -- When the Daytona 500 starts this weekend with Danica Patrick in the pole position driving her Chevrolet SS, General Motors will be seeking something more than a winner's trophy: adding a greater sense of urgency to GM product development. Mark Reuss, GM's North ...]]></description>
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