2008 Buick Enclave Cxl - Fully Rebuild on 2040-cars

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GM to idle car production at five factories as Americans continue CUV love affair

In case you needed another reminder that Americans have fallen out of love with sedans, General Motors today announced plans to idle five factories in January in a bid to cut its inventory to 70 days. Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly ( Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Volt and Impala) and Fairfax Assembly in Kansas ( Chevy Malibu) will stop production for three weeks. Lansing Grand River ( Cadillac ATS and CTS, and Chevy Camaro) is going down for two weeks, while Lordstown, OH ( Chevy Cruze) and Bowling Green, KY ( Chevy Corvette) will go idle for a week each, Automotive News reports. GM's shutdown reflects a broader problem with the company's supply – at 847,000 vehicles, the company's supply increased unsteadily from a low of 629,000 units in January of 2016. That's more than a 25 percent increase in the past year. Citing information from Autodata, The Detroit News reports that at the end of November, GM had a 168-day supply of LaCrosses, 177 days' worth of Camaro, 170 days of Corvette, 121 days for Cruze, 119 days for ATS, 132 days for CTS, and 110 days of CT6. Meanwhile, inventory of the company's more popular vehicles is actually below the professionally accepted 60- to 70-day supply, The News reports. The Trax, Colorado pickup, and GM's full-size SUVs are sitting below 50 days and experiencing year-over-year sales increases. GM needs a rethink of its inventory levels, which is something that's apparently coming. "We're going to be responsible in managing our inventory levels," GM spokesman Jim Cain told The News. Another unnamed spokesman told Automotive News the company's day-to-day supplies would "fluctuate before moderating at year-end." But at least one analyst thinks this won't be the last time Detroit needs to stop production to level things out. "Incentives are elevated, residuals are declining, and rates are rising," Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays, told The News. "And while GM in particular may benefit in the months ahead from new product launches, it's important to recognize that GM's inventory is elevated at the moment, and it wouldn't surprise us if they need to announce another production cut – which could pressure the stock." Related Video: News Source: The Detroit News, Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Plants/Manufacturing Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Crossover SUV Sedan bowling green cadillac xt6 fairfax

GM follows up Lambda CUV stop-sale with tire recall

In late January, General Motors announced a stop-sale for about 6,281 examples of the 2015 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave because of the possibility for the treads cracking on their 18-inch Goodyear Fortera HL tires. At the time, GM said that this would also eventually lead to a safety campaign to repair the problem, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just published those details. GM's recall covers 5,876 of the three Lambda platform crossovers to replace their tires. According to NHTSA, if the treads crack, there could be a loss of pressure and possible failure. Goodyear already announced its own recall of the tires after internal testing found small tread cracks. The company did not believe this was safety issue, but the problem did put the rubber out of compliance with federal laws. The business's safety campaign covered an estimated 48,512 tires. Of those, around 32,000 were reportedly made for GM to either be fitted to vehicles or sold as replacements. The remainder went to the aftermarket. Goodyear's portion of the recall is expected to begin around February 20. RECALL Subject : Tire Tread Cracking/FMVSS 110 Report Receipt Date: JAN 28, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V044000 Component(s): TIRES Potential Number of Units Affected: 5,876 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) BUICK ENCLAVE 2015 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2015 GMC ACADIA 2015 Details Manufacturer: General Motors LLC SUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 14, 2015, 2015 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 20, 2015, and 2015 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured December 9, 2014, to January 16, 2015, and all equipped with Goodyear P255/65R18 Fortera HL tires. These vehicles are equipped with tires that may experience tread cracking. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or Less." CONSEQUENCE: If the tire treads crack, a loss of tire pressure and possible tire failure may result, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tires that were manufactured within a specific date range, free of charge.

Ford GT, Buick Avenir and Audi Q7 take 2015 EyesOn Design awards

The annual EyesOn Design Awards at the Detroit Auto Show allows some of the greatest designers in the world to weigh in on the best production and concept debuts at the big event each year. For 2015, the large panel of judges included luminaries like Frank Stephenson of McLaren, Ralph Gilles from FCA and Moray Callum of Ford. Apparently the editors at Autoblog had a good eye because the winner of 2015's Best Designed Production Vehicle award went to the Ford GT, which was also our favorite debut from the show. The new supercar beat the Acura NSX and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class Coupe for the honor. The judges described the Blue Oval's shape as "capturing the original GT40 in a modern interpretation," according to EyesOn Design. The Buick Avenir was also a big winner in the awards this year and received the nods for both Best Designed Concept Vehicle and Innovative Use of Color, Graphics and Materials. In the concept category, it beat out the Chevrolet Bolt and Mercedes-Benz F 015, and in the latter group, the sedan triumphed over Audi Q7, Mercedes F 015 and Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE. The Q7 received its own accolade for Best Designed Interior, and it beat the Avenir and Infiniti Q60 for the honor. This year's Lifetime Design Achievement Award went to former Renault designer Patrick le Quement, and Bob Lutz received the EyesOn Design Catalyst Award for the second time. The honor is for an executive "who has empowered great design," according to the organization, which describes Lutz perfectly. Scroll down to read the announcement with more comments about the winners. Related Video: Ford, Buick, Audi recipients of EyesOn Design Awards at North American International Auto Show EyesOn Design Awards for Design Excellence for 2015 were revealed today at the North American International Auto Show. The awards honor the most significant automotive designs revealed at NAIAS as determined by the North American and global leaders of design from automotive manufacturers, along with academic chairs of transportation design programs and design leaders from other fields.