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GM uses wind power to build SUVs, trucks

This week started with a chill, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a dire report with scientists warning, "The world we know today is not the world we will see in 50 years," with temperatures rising at their current rates. In the meantime, the trend toward purchasing more SUVs and crossovers continues. Most automakers, though, have set goals toward more sustainable production. That includes General Motors, which, somewhat ironically, plans to use wind power to produce many of its vehicles, including pickups and full-size SUVs. As the Detroit Free Press reports, several wind farms are coming online to support cleaner production as part of a partnership between GM and energy producer CMS Enterprises. At the beginning of October, the 100-megawatt Northwest Ohio Wind Farm began producing energy, supplying GM operations in Ohio and Indiana, where manufactured vehicles include the Chevy Cruze, Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Hilltopper Wind Farm in Illinois will begin producing another 100 megawatts for GM manufacturing in the region. In Texas, where GM builds the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade, the automaker is getting 50 megawatts from Cactus Flats Wind Farm beginning October 9. Using wind power isn't just about being green, but also for the sake of price stability. As Rob Threlkeld, GM's global manager of renewable energy told the Free Press, "You don't get the price spikes this way, like you do with fuel, and it reduces the environment footprint of the vehicle you're driving." Threlkeld said that renewable energy has already meant "millions of dollars in savings" for GM. GM plans to power all of its global operations with renewable energy by 2050. This week, the automaker was ranked 76 on the EPA's "National Top 100 List" of green manufacturers. It was the only automotive company listed. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free Press, GM, EPAImage Credit: GM Green Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM GMC Truck SUV wind power sustainability

GM will compensate SUV owners for fuel-economy error [UPDATE]

General Motors will offer debit cards to owners of some of its crossover SUVs after it was discovered that GM overstated the vehicles' fuel economy on window stickers, Automotive News says. GM will offer reimbursements to about 135,000 customers that are worth between $450 and $1,500 each. Some owners will also have the option of being provided with an extended warranty free of charge instead of the debit card. GM overstated fuel economy on about 170,000 vehicles by one to two miles per gallon because of what it has said was an inadvertent error stemming from not factoring the impact of emissions-related hardware into the EPA window-sticker figures. As a result, GM put a temporary stop-sale on the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave before switching out the window stickers on about 60,000 vehicles. Automotive News says letters and debit cards will be sent out next week, and Reuters is estimating that the reimbursement program will cost GM about $100 million. With automakers ranging from Hyundai/Kia to Ford to, more recently, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi being ensnared by emissions or fuel-economy-rating issues, GM is working quickly to address the problem. For those curious, the reimbursement totals, factoring in current gas prices, the SUVs' combined fuel economy, and typical driving of about 12,000 miles a year, will provide between three and 12 months worth of free gas for those drivers (the models get either 17 or 18 miles per gallon combined, depending on front- or four-wheel-drive configuration). While about 135,000 customers will be reimbursed, Automotive News says the fleet buyers of about 35,000 crossovers haven't been addressed yet. UPDATE: GM spokesman James Cain, in an e-mail to Autoblog on Sunday, confirmed that the company will reimburse about 135,000 customers. Purchase customers will be given the option of a pre-paid debit card or a 48-month/60,000-mile protection plan, while lease customers will be offered the pre-paid debit cards. Most of the cards will have a value of between $450 and $900 on them. "We want all of our customers to have a great ownership experience, so we designed this reimbursement program to provide full and fair compensation in a simple, flexible, and timely manner," he wrote.

Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon midsize pickup trucks to get diesel engines

The market for midsize pickup trucks has all but been abandoned in the US, but General Motors is about to shake the market up with the all-new (to the US) Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. Launching next year, GM already told us that its new trucks would be a "fuel-efficient alternative" to fullsize trucks, and aside from the smaller size, Automotive News says that these trucks will accomplish this with a diesel engine.
According to the AN report, the next-gen Colorado and Canyon will offer a small, four-cylinder Duramax turbo diesel with a displacement of either 2.5 or 2.8 liters - both engines are currently used in this truck for other markets. This would allow GM to join the Cummins-powered Nissan Titan and Ram 1500 EcoDiesel as the only non-HD trucks in the US to offer diesel. The article goes on to say that the diesel versions of the Colorado and Canyon would launch about a year after the trucks go into production in fall of 2014.