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GM is quietly slashing prices on base models

While General Motors' fourth quarter financial figures haven't yet been released, the automaker seems to be weathering a potentially rocky time well, even beating third-quarter projections last year. To keep the climb going, the company is launching new base trims for several popular models that make them cheaper than ever but with tight dealer margins. The new entry-level trims are the Chevrolet Cruze L, Equinox L, GMC Terrain SL and Buick LaCrosse 1SV. Buyers lose some content by picking them, but the prices are slashed. According to Cars Direct, the biggest savings are on the LaCrosse, where customers pay $31,065, plus $925 destination, $2,570 less than the previous base 1SB trim but must accept things like 17-inch wheels and no cargo net in the back. If you're wondering how Buick can remove only a little equipment but cut the price so much, it's because the company also slashed dealer margins. According to Cars Direct, the difference between the invoice and MSRP for the LaCrosse 1SV is only around $150, compared to around $1,350 before. The disparity is even greater for the Cruze with an $81 difference in the prices, compared to about $600 for the LS version. Showrooms are expected to keep very low stocks of these trims, though. "Dealers use such vehicles to get people in the door, but they do not generally want to do high volumes of these strippers. The margins are next to nothing; they don't make much money off these cars," said Ed Kim, Vice President of Industry Analysis for AutoPacific to Autoblog. Dealers are also expected to advertise that these new base trims undercut major competitors. For example, the Cruze L rings up for about $2,320 less than a Honda Civic LX, according to Cars Direct. One potential drawback for buyers is that these models might not be eligible for incentives. While the attractive prices might get customers into dealers, folks may not actually end up driving home with these entry-level models. Kim indicated base trims also make up a small portion of the sales mix. "Consumers aren't asking for stripped out vehicles, even at the low end of the marketplace," he said. Featured Gallery 2015 Chevrolet Cruze View 9 Photos News Source: Cars DirectImage Credit: Chevrolet Buick Chevrolet GM GMC Car Buying Car Dealers Crossover Sedan gmc terrain cheap cars

GMC Hummer EV range is 329 miles; deliveries in December

It'll be a very Hummer Christmas for some households, as General Motors says it will begin deliveries of the electric GMC Hummer pickup in December, according to GMC boss Duncan Aldred. And we now know the truck's EPA range number: 329 miles on a charge. GM had previously predicted the Hummer would achieve a range of 350 miles.  That 329-mile figure applies to the Hummer Edition 1, the top-of-the-line, $100,000-plus iteration that will be the first trucks off the line. The Edition 1 will also tow up to 7,500 pounds and carry up to 1,300 pounds. Aldred told reporters on a conference call that subsequent, less-pricey models will achieve longer ranges and will be along in 2023. GMC HUMMER EV View 7 Photos More than 80% of Hummer reservations are for the Edition 1, though. Aldred said almost half of the 125,000 people who have expressed interest in the Hummer have put down $100 to reserve one. GM has said the first year of Hummer production is sold out. The Hummer EV joins the Rivian R1T as the first electric pickups to market. Ford's F-150 Lightning rolls out in 2022, and other electrics from Detroit and startups are expected to roll out after that. Tesla is building a $1 billion facility in Austin, Texas, that will, among other things, build the Cybertruck, though timelines on that have come and gone. The Hummer, by contrast, was developed in just 18 months. It made a big splash last week when President Biden took the wheel during a tour of GM's Factory Zero assembly plant in Hamtramck, Mich. Biden gleefully demonstrated the acceleration of the four-ton, 1,000-horsepower truck, which is said to do 0-to-60 in 3.1 seconds. He then declared, "This sucker's something else." Next up for GM's EV push will be the Cadillac Lyriq SUV in 2022. The electric Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups will be revealed Jan. 5. And the SUV version of the Hummer will be introduced in 2023. Aldred expects the SUV to ultimately make up the majority of Hummer sales. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

GM seeks national mandate for zero-emissions cars

DETROIT — General Motors says it will ask the federal government for one national gas mileage standard, including a requirement that a percentage of auto companies' sales be zero-emissions vehicles. Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of product development, said the company will propose that a certain percentage of nationwide sales be made up of vehicles that run on electricity or hydrogen fuel cells. GM says a nationwide program modeled on such a requirement in California could result in 7 million electric vehicles, or EVs, on U.S. roads by 2030. California wants 15.4 percent of vehicle sales by 2025 to be EVs or other zero emission vehicles. Nine other states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, have adopted those requirements. In January, California Governor Jerry Brown set a target of 5 million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030. The Trump administration criticizes California's ZEV mandate, saying it requires automakers to spend tens of billions of dollars developing vehicles that most consumers do not want, only to sell them at a loss. Reuss told reporters that governments and industries in Asia and Europe "are working together to enact policies now to hasten the shift to an all-electric future. It's very simple: America has the opportunity to lead in the technologies of the future." A national mandate also would create jobs and reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and "make EVs more affordable," Reuss added. GM, the nation's largest automaker, will spell out the request Friday in written comments on a Trump administration proposal to roll back Obama-era fuel economy and emissions standards, freezing them at 2020 levels instead of gradually making them tougher. Under a regulation finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency at the end of the Obama administration, the fleet of new automobiles would have to get 36 miles per gallon by 2025, 10 mpg higher than the current requirement. But the Trump administration's preferred plan is to freeze the standards starting in 2021. Administration officials say waiving the tougher fuel efficiency requirements would make vehicles more affordable, which would get safer cars into consumer hands more quickly. GM on Thursday said it doesn't support the freeze, but wants flexibility to deal with consumers' shift from cars to less-efficient SUVs and trucks.