GM shows how interactive car windows could be fun for passengers

 How do you fight boredom if you're stuck in the back seat during a long road trip? Surf the Web on your smart phone? Stare at the scenery and wonder what you're whizzing by? Researchers at General Motors, along with students at the Future Lab at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel, think there are ways to merge the two.

GM's Windows of Opportunity (WOO) Project asked the Israeli students to "conceptualize new ways to help rear seat passengers, particularly children, have a richer experience on the road." And what they came up with is quite stunning.

Using existing—albeit expensive—technology, the futurists created a prototype entertainment and information system that uses touch- and gesture-sensitive rear door windows. The system ties into the car's information systems—speed and location via GPS, for example—and the wireless Web. Four experimental "apps" displayed on the special window keep the back seat passenger entertained and informed.

According to the press release, the apps include:

• Otto, an animated character projected over passing scenery that responds to real-time car performance, weather, and landscape. With Otto, passengers can learn about their environment in fun, playful ways.
• Foofu, which allows passengers to create and explore by drawing on the window with a finger.
• Spindow, a social media like app that connects riders with others passengers around the globe in real time.
• Pond, an app that allows passengers to stream and share music with other cars on the road, download favorite tracks, and share messages with other passengers on the road.

The Bezalel Academy students demonstrate the prototype system in a video (see below), but there are no immediate plans to put such interactive displays in production vehicles, said GM's press release.

Read More: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/01/gm-shows-how-interactive-car-windows-could-be-fun-for-passengers.html

GMC Wraps Up Monday Night Football Tour

DETROIT – GMC, together with the NFL, completed its second annual Monday Night Football Tour, with NFL cities reaping the benefits of more than 300 volunteers who built playgrounds as part of United Way’s nationwide effort to get 1.9 million more kids active and healthy by 2018.

Playgrounds were completed in Dallas, Tampa Bay, Detroit, New York City, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans and Seattle. Volunteers, including NFL players like  Detroit Lions’ tight end Brandon Pettigrew, contributed more than 1,000 hours of labor.

In Kansas City, Mo., a grade school received a playground it was lacking since its original construction 25 years ago. In New York, a new playground gave young children a place to play at a school previously offering only equipment for older students.

The United Way Healthy Kids Zones—Driven by GMC offered thousands of children the opportunity to climb, build upper body strength, promote balance and agility, and develop strength and endurance. The playground equipment, paid for by GMC and supplied by GameTime, is designed to help children develop active, healthy bodies, as well as personal and social skills.

“GMC recognizes how important it is to raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity and to create new opportunities for young people to lead healthier lifestyles,” said Craig Bierley, GMC Advertising and Sales Promotion director. “By working with the NFL and United Way, GMC is helping make communities stronger.”

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Jan/0113_nfl_gm

2012 Detroit auto show video: 2013 Buick Encore

The Buick Encore paves the way for a new market segment: The very-compact upscale SUV. The Encore is smaller than the Chevrolet Equinox. In fact, it is 13 inches shorter than a Toyota RAV4. When it launches next year, the Encore may be the first vehicle of its kind in America. The BMW X1 and Audi Q3 are its natural competition, but the Buick is expected to beat them to market here, assuming those Germans even make it here at all.

The Encore fully utilizes the global nature of GM’s vehicle development system. Developed in the United States, the Encore will be built in South Korea. Although the Encore is expected to sell modestly here, Opel and Vauxhall variants will likely ring up more sales in Europe. And given the popularity of Buick in China, the Encore is expected to do well there.

I was able to sit in the Encore for a bit while filming our auto show video. It’s a bit odd--like sitting in an Enclave that was squeezed out of a tube. You sit up high, but the cabin feels really narrow. Rear-seat leg room is surprisingly decent, but the dramatic upward sweep of the beltline reduces the rear glass area to the detriment of visibility.

The Encore’s 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine is shared with the Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic. If the Encore’s curb weight sticks to the claimed 3,300 pounds for an all-wheel-drive version (just a bit more than the Cruze), it should have reasonable performance. Active noise cancellation, a Buick first, aims to help the Encore achieve the quietness that’s always been a brand hallmark.

But how will the Encore do when cross-shopped with other small SUVs? Directly on the other side of Cobo Hall from the Buick booth were several 2013 Ford Escapes. This Escape has a nicely-done interior with much more room, and it also can be had with a small-displacement turbo engine. No pricing was announced on Encore (or Escape yet), but it’s likely that the Encore and Escape will overlap in price. Then there is that new RDX that was also introduced in Detroit. It all comes down to price, and whether American shoppers are looking for the premium attributes the Encore offers, yet not coveting space that is available in competing models.

We’ll see how this new direction for Buick works when we buy one in early 2013 to test.



Chicago Buick Encore

Buick Verano Earns IIHS 2012 Top Safety Pick

Brand’s 2012 lineup earns Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s designation

DETROIT – The all-new Buick Verano, with its 10 standard air bags, is an Insurance   Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick for 2012, and completes a sweep of Buick cars and crossovers earning the designation.

General Motors is among industry leaders with a total of 14 IIHS 2012 Top Safety Picks, including 13 models that previously qualified for the 2011 award and were carried over to 2012 because their structure is substantially the same as the institute tested for 2011.

“GM set a goal that every new product would be designed to meet or exceed the third-party metrics that IIHS and others use to communicate crash worthiness to consumers,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety. “We are now seeing the results from that commitment.”
In addition to the Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Enclave, 2011 carryover winners included the Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic, Volt, Equinox, Malibu and Traverse; the Cadillac CTS (sedan) and SRX, and GMC Terrain and Acadia.

The IIHS tests vehicles to determine how well they protect occupants in front and side crash tests, in rollovers via a roof strength test, and simulated rear impacts to evaluate seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries. The Verano achieved a “good” score in all four types of tests performed and has standard electronic stability control, which the IIHS requires for Top Safety Pick designation.

The Verano is designed to help drivers avoid crashes, while protecting occupants in the event a crash occurs. Standard safety features include:

• Ten air bags:  Driver and front passenger dual-stage frontal and seat-mounted side pelvic/thorax air bags; rear outboard seat-mounted side-impact airbags; head curtain side air bags with rollover protection that cover front and outboard rear seating rows; driver and front passenger knee air bags.
• Rollover sensors which can activate the head curtain side air bags if sensors determine an imminent rollover. In a rollover, the air bags stay inflated longer to provide increased occupant protection.
• StabiliTrak electronic stability control helps the driver maintain control by comparing the path being steered by the driver with the actual response and, when necessary, applying the brakes or adjusting the throttle or a combination of both.
• Disc brakes with ABS to provide sure stops and full-function traction control to make the most of available traction in adverse weather conditions.
• Front safety belt pretensioners to reduce forward movement and load-limiting retractors to help manage forces during a collision
• Collapsible pedal system which allows the pedals to detach during a crash to reduce the risk of leg or ankle injuries.
• OnStar, which features the Automatic Crash Response System that uses GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in the event of a crash that deploys the air bags.
• Strong body structure to absorb crash energy and provide a protective “safety cage” around occupants. More than 60 percent of the body structure is composed of advanced steels.

“Safety is a top priority in Buick’s product renaissance as evidenced by earning these accolades from IIHS on every model,” Kent said. “Our customers can have confidence in the safety performance of every Buick for sale today.”

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Dec/1215_verano

Chicago Buick Verano Dealers

Terrain and Acadia Continue to Attract New GMC Customers

DETROIT – For the third consecutive time since the GMC Terrain debuted in 2009, the smaller SUV is on track to end the year with more than half its sales coming from brands outside General Motors. And more than one in five is coming from import car and truck brands including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan.

The GMC Acadia also continues to attract new customers to the brand. Like Terrain, Acadia is on track to count more than half of its owners from outside GM in 2011, continuing a four-year trend for the full-size crossover.

Acadia has the lowest cost of ownership in its segment, according to ALG, which tracks residual values, or how much a vehicle is expected to be worth after a certain number of years. Through November, total Acadia sales were up 18.6 percent year to date.

New in the 2012 GMC Terrain is the industry’s first crash avoidance system that exclusively uses a single camera to help drivers avoid front-end collisions. This technology is coupled with lane-departure warning for $295. Starting in Spring 2012, GMC’s new Intellilink infotainment system will be an option. Terrain sales were up 47.3 percent through November.

“Acadia and Terrain are industry leaders in both design and technology,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick and GMC Sales and Service. “Consumers are taking notice, as evidenced by each model’s sales increases through the first 11 months of 2011.”

After being redesigned for the 2011 model year, Sierra HD pickups are also ending their first full calendar year on a high note. Total sales were up 30.7 percent in November, and retail sales of ¾-ton extended-cab models were up 74.2 percent.

Retail sales of all Sierra pickups – ½ ton, ¾ ton and one ton – were up a combined 22.4 percent in November.

Read More: http://www.media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Dec/1202_gmcsales

 Chicago GMC Dealers

Driven: 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist

Hybrid or V-6? That's the choice Buick is offering LaCrosse buyers for 2012, and neither option is extra-cost.

The V-6 is a 3.6-liter that makes 303 hp, which is considerably more power than you get with the 4-cylinder hybrid. The V-6 also is alone in offering the option of all-wheel drive.

The hybrid, which Buick calls eAssist, is a mild hybrid, in that it can't propel the car solely on electric power, even at low speeds. Instead, as the car's name implies, it assists with 15 hp and 79 pound-feet of torque, helping the 182-hp four-cylinder accelerate this 3835-pound car. More importantly, it allows the engine to shut down at stoplights and then smoothly and instantly restart, aiding the cause of fuel economy. Speaking of miles per gallon, the LaCrosse eAssist is EPA rated at an impressive 25/36 mpg. That's much better than the 19/30 mpg for unassisted four-cylinder offered previously, not to mention far more economical than the V-6's 17/27 mpg.

A six-speed automatic, instead of a stepless CVT, gives the LaCrosse conventional-feeling throttle response rather than the elastic response conveyed with a CVT. Speaking of response, though, with the LaCrosse's ultra-tall final drive ratio, you really have to put your foot into it to awaken this powertrain. On a positive note, the 2.4-liter Ecotec --which, like many direct-injected four-cylinders, is not known for its mellifluous sound quality -- here has been so effectively muffled that could almost be a V-6, at least under 3000 rpm. And the car is very quiet overall.

If that's what you'd expect from a Buick, then so too is the chassis. The car comfortably sops up bumps but would benefit from greater damping of body motions, to quell squat and dive. The electrically assisted power steering is rather numb and artificial-feeling.

As in many other hybrids, the eAssist battery pack is located behind the rear seat, and it takes up a bit of trunk room (as do the old-fashioned-style gooseneck hinges and their big plastic housings).

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1111_2012_buick_lacrosse_eassist/viewall.html#ixzz1eZ8D7sJg

GM Lansing Delta Township Plant Builds Millionth Vehicle

LANSING, Mich. – A Crystal Red Tintcoat GMC Acadia Denali rolled off the production line at General Motors’ Lansing Delta Township  Assembly Plant today, the 1 millionth vehicle produced at the automaker’s newest assembly plant in North America.

“This milestone shows the dedication of our team members to provide the highest-quality crossovers,” said plant manager Scott Whybrew. “Our team has established a strong foundation by continually improving our plant operations in order to exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Since starting production in 2006, Lansing Delta Township has manufactured the Saturn Outlook, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Acadia Denali and Buick Enclave. A white Outlook was the first vehicle produced on May 24, 2006.

The plant currently employs approximately 3,700 employees on three shifts and can  manufacture 290,000 vehicles a year.

“Producing the millionth vehicle would not be possible without the great people we have here,” said UAW Local 602 Chairman Rick Martinez. “Our employees are highly trained, and we couldn't create the models with such high quality without our people.”

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Nov/1116_100mil