Dick Genthe Chevrolet: September 2010

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Opening Soon: 2011 Camaro Convertible

Opening Soon: 2011 Camaro Convertible

2010-09-30

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DETROIT – The 21st century rebirth of the Chevrolet Camaro opens a new chapter when the 2011 Camaro Convertible premieres at the Los Angeles International Auto Show on Nov. 17.

The Camaro Convertible will arrive in Chevrolet showrooms in February 2011. Starting price will be $30,000, including $850 destination. (Full details will be released later this year.)

“The Convertible will make the all-new Camaro, already a smash-hit, even more desirable to a greater range of drivers,” says Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing.

The Convertible model will be available in the same basic model offering as the Camaro Coupe. The standard model will have a 312-hp Direct Injection V6 engine featuring 29 miles per gallon on the highway. The SS model will feature the 6.2-liter V8 engine producing 426 hp. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, with an optional six-speed automatic.

Camaro is America’s most popular sports car, seizing leadership in U.S. sales with the coupe model that launched in spring of 2009 as a 2010 model. The right to purchase one of the first Convertibles was recently sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction for $205,000, with all proceeds donated to charity.

About Chevrolet

Chevrolet is a global automotive brand, with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers "gas-friendly" solutions, such as the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco model that is expected to deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway, and 2011 Chevrolet Volt that will offer up to 40 miles of electric driving and an additional 300 miles of extended range with the onboard generator (based on GM testing). Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions, and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

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via media.gm.com

Drop the Top!!!

Posted via email from Dick Genthe Chevrolet

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

GM to Complete Acquisition of AmeriCredit, with GM Financial Beginning Operations October 1

GM to Complete Acquisition of AmeriCredit, with GM Financial Beginning Operations October 1

2010-09-29

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AmeriCredit to be renamed General Motors Financial Company, Inc.

Acquisition will allow GM to offer consumers more financing and leasing options

Launch of initial leasing program targeted by the end of first quarter 2011

DETROIT – General Motors announced its acquisition of AmeriCredit Corp. will close effective Oct. 1, 2010, following the approval of AmeriCredit's stockholders today. The company will be renamed General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (GM Financial).

The acquisition will form the foundation of the company’s plan to create an in-house financing arm and allow GM to provide consumers more vehicle financing options across the U.S. and Canada. GM Financial will work closely with GM dealers to expand financing and leasing options, including a new regional lease program to be launched by the end of the first quarter of 2011.

Earlier today, AmeriCredit stockholders approved the all-cash transaction valued at approximately $3.5 billion. The company will file a Certificate of Merger with the Texas Secretary of State on Sept. 30, effective Oct. 1.

“This acquisition allows GM to offer an enhanced range of solutions for our customers and dealers, and establishes an important strategic capability for GM,” said GM Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell. “The speed by which this transaction occurred is evidence of how we are running GM today. We identified an opportunity and moved quickly to provide solutions for customers and dealers.”

“While the name is changing, our commitment to our customers and dealers remains paramount,” said GM Financial President and CEO Dan Berce. “We are excited to become a member of the GM family and look forward to the new opportunities this provides us.”

The establishment of GM Financial will provide strategic capabilities to offer consumers a range of additional financing and lease options. Key partners, in particular Ally Financial, will continue to provide essential financing services, including dealer financing and prime retail financing.

With total assets of approximately $10 billion, the acquisition poses minimal impact to GM’s balance sheet, and does not change GM’s objective of achieving strong investment grade status. GM Financial will maintain direct access to capital markets for its funding requirements. GM Financial results will be reported as a separate segment within GM’s consolidated financial results and will continue to report its results as a separate SEC registrant.

About General Motors:

General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 208,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at

via media.gm.com

The Captive Finance Solution Returns to GM

Posted via email from Dick Genthe Chevrolet

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

GM will launch improved OnStar | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Last Updated: September 15. 2010 1:00AM

GM will launch improved OnStar

Carmaker aims at younger buyers, while taking on Ford's Sync

Christina Rogers / The Detroit News

General Motors Co. is overhauling its OnStar brand to make it more appealing to younger, more tech-savvy buyers, and to take on crosstown rival Ford Motor Co.'s popular Sync system.
The Detroit-based automaker plans to add several features to its OnStar service lineup and create a sub-brand of mobile apps for its four vehicle brands.

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GM will highlight these changes in a nationwide advertising campaign set to launch Monday. OnStar, with 5.5-million subscribers, has built a reputation for safety and vehicle theft protection but GM officials want to expand it to include more information and entertainment options.

The new ads will feature OnStar's new tagline, "LiveOn," and TV commercials will show drivers using various aspects of OnStar -- such as its turn-by-turn directions and mobile apps -- with music by indie rock band "Modest Mouse."
"As we re-launch the brand, we wanted to stretch the definition of what OnStar means because it's going to do more things," said OnStar President Chris Preuss.
The move comes as competition heats up among automakers trying to outdo each other on their in-car tech offerings.
Once a leader in this area, GM has since lost ground to rival automakers who've done a better job meshing the technology with music and other entertainment. GM debuted OnStar in 1995.
"I got to give props to the guys down in Dearborn," Preuss said, referring to Ford Motor Co.'s Sync system. "If they've done anything effectively with the power of Sync, it's not so much on the technology as it's been translating that technology to the customers' benefit."
Ford introduced Sync in 2007. The technology, developed with Microsoft Corp., allows drivers to control cell phones and music players with voice commands. Ford has since built upon Sync, introducing its MyFord Touch this year. The system replaces most of analog controls with full-color computer screens and touch-sensitive buttons.
Kia Motors Corp. this year debuted its own version of Sync, UVO, which allows drivers to use voice- and touch-activated controls.
"The experience you have living inside the car is going to be as important to the next generation of buyers as the exterior and fuel economy has been to previous generations," said James Bell, an executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book.
As a subscription business, OnStar has been "extremely profitable" for GM, Preuss said, declining to give exact dollar figures. But GM's new leadership saw OnStar as an under-valued and under-marketed technology, Preuss said.
He noted that many of its incoming executives, including CEO Daniel Akerson, have backgrounds in telecommunications.
In re-launching the OnStar brand, GM has upgraded the hardware -- now in its ninth generation -- to make several new features possible, including technology that allows drivers to get traffic updates and severe weather alerts.
MyLink, a new OnStar sub-brand, will be available in October for its 2011 model year vehicles. MyLink offers mobile apps for each of the GM brands. Using the program, drivers can remotely control functions on their cars and trucks using a smart phone.
OnStar also is testing software to enable drivers to verbally update their Facebook pages and have text messages read to them aloud. The new advertising campaign will span multiple outlets, including TV, radio and the Web and be tied closely to its car and truck brand marketing, an effort led by GM's new vice president of U.S. marketing, Joel Ewanick.
"This has a lot to do with Ford introducing Sync in the Fusion a few years ago," said Bell. "GM was looking a bit delinquent in that space."
Bell said OnStar already is a technological "pot of gold" but said "I've always thought it wasn't marketed enough."
cvrogers@detnews.com (313) 222-2300