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GM cutting back on powertrain warranty citing lack of interest

Generally, when a manufacturer offers a long, high-mileage warranty, it's a sign that it stands behind its products. On top of that, it's generally a selling point for consumers, who can rest easy knowing that any catastrophic failures will be picked up by the manufacturer. Considering those facts, it does seem rather strange that General Motors is slashing the mileage warranty on model year 2016 vehicles from Chevrolet and GMC. Instead of offering consumers a 100,000-mile warranty, GM will now only offer a powertrain warranty up to 60,000 miles. The five-year warranty period, though, remains unchanged. GM will also cut the number of free services being offered to Chevy and GMC owners, as well as Buick drivers, from four to two. "Through research, we have determined that when purchasing a new vehicle, included maintenance and warranty rank low on the list of reasons why consumers consider a particular brand over another," explained a memo sent to dealers by Chevrolet VP Brian Sweeney and his GMC counterpart, Duncan Aldred, and obtained by Automotive News. "As a result, we have benchmarked our competitors, reviewed our current offerings and have concluded the following modifications to align closely with our customers' needs and expectations." While the move might seem odd, Sweeney and Aldred are right – according to Automotive News, Ford, Honda and Toyota each offer a five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. As for what the money saved by trimming the powertrain warranty will go towards, a GM spokesperson simply told AN that the company will "reinvest the savings we will realize into other retail programs," some of which have been requested by consumers. What are your thoughts? Would a 40,000-mile reduction in a new vehicle's powertrain really turn you off from buying one? Even if it matched its competitors? Is GM better off spending its money elsewhere? Have your say in Comments. Featured Gallery 2016 Chevrolet Equinox View 10 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Chevrolet Chevrolet GM GMC Auto Repair Maintenance Ownership warranty

Genovation Cars readies all-electric Corvette prototype

Chevy runs the full spectrum from some of the most environmentally friendly cars to the least. At one end are EVs like the Spark and Volt. At the other, performance models like the Camaro and Corvette. But one American company wants to bridge that divide. That company is Rockville, MD-based Genovation Cars, which reports that it is almost done building its prototype for an all-electric Corvette. Dubbed the Genovation Extreme Electric (or GXE for short), the prototype is based on a previous-generation 2006 Chevy Corvette Z06, but ditches its enormous 7.0-liter V8 for an array of inverters, batteries, and electric motors said to be good for over 700 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. That promises to deliver a 0-60 time of about 3.0 seconds and a top speed in excess of 200 miles per hour. Those are supercar benchmarks for performance if we've ever seen them, and ought to leave even the top-spec Tesla Model S P85D in... well, not a cloud of smoke, but whatever the electric equivalent is, in a non-polluting cloud of that. The GXE is also supposed to be able to travel for 150 miles on a single charge, and handle well while it's at it with 50/50 front-rear weight distribution and a low center of gravity. Sorta like the Power Wheels 'Vette pictured above, then, but bigger and faster. Look for the GXE to debut at the Electric Vehicle Technology Expo this coming September in Michigan, after which Genovation says it will put the GXE to the test on the track to back up its performance claims. Genovation Cars Nearing Completion of High-Performance All-Electric Corvette, the GXE ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genovation Cars is nearing the completion of a prototype high-performance all-electric Corvette called the Genovation Extreme Electric or GXE. Assembly of the GXE will be completed by the end of July, followed by a three-week testing phase. The GXE is based on a 2006 Z06 Corvette. Several contributors to the GXE effort have helped design and build record-breaking electric vehicles. They include an MIT electrical engineer and a mechanical engineer from Cosworth. "We are using state of the art inverters, batteries and electric motors that will produce in excess of 700-hp and 600 lb-ft of torque," said Genovation CEO Andrew Saul. "We expect the car to achieve 0-60 mph in around three seconds and have a top speed of over 200 mph.

GM may kill 6 car models as it works with UAW to tackle sales slump

The president of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday the union is talking with General Motors about the potential threat to plants and jobs from slumping U.S. car sales. GM's response will be more trucks and SUVs, and sources say at least six slow-selling car models may be killed off. "We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have" at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio, and whether they might be replaced with newer, more popular vehicles such as crossovers, Dennis Williams told reporters. "We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it," Williams added. GM has cut shifts at several U.S. plants this year as inventories of unsold cars have ballooned. Industry analysts said more jobs could be at risk as the automaker wrestles with permanently shrinking production of small and midsized sedans. GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model, Reuters has learned from people familiar with the plans. Other GM cars at risk include the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, sources said. Some analysts have singled out GM's Hamtramck plant in Detroit as one of the most vulnerable because of plummeting car sales. The plant, which opened in 1985, builds four slow-selling models: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. In the first half, it built fewer than 35,000 cars, down 32 percent from the same period in 2016, according to suppliers familiar with GM's U.S. production schedule. The typical GM assembly plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year.COMING ATTRACTIONS: TRUCKS AND SUVS GM must "create some innovative new products" to replace slow-selling sedans "or start closing plants," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. The auto maker already has begun to shift future production plans from cars to trucks, according to Morgan Stanley auto analyst John Murphy. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the new vehicle models that GM will introduce over the next four years will be passenger cars, with the rest divided among trucks, SUVs and crossovers. GM plans to add production of the new Cadillac XT4 crossover next year to its Malibu sedan plant in Fairfax, Kansas.