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GM will recall more than 3.3 million vehicles in China for suspension defect

BEIJING (Reuters) - General Motors' joint venture in China, Shanghai GM, will recall more than 3.3 million Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles stating Oct. 20 because of a defect with the suspension system, China's market regulator said on Saturday. GM Shanghai said in a text message to Reuters that the suspension arm may be deformed under extreme operating conditions, but there are no known casualties related to the issue. The recall includes cars produced between 2013 and 2018, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement. GM will contact those affected and repair the vehicles free of charge, it said. (Reporting by Josephine Mason and Hallie Gu; additional reporting by Yilei Sun; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Michael Perry)Related Video: Image Credit: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Recalls Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Safety

GM announces net 220 job increase as Trump visits Michigan

GM announced today that about 900 jobs would be added (or, importantly, retained) ahead of President Trump's arrival in Michigan, where he is expected to discuss his plan to roll back fuel economy standards. The timing of the announcement is almost certainly not coincidental, as appending it to a Trump visit gives it a higher profile and dovetails with the President's jobs agenda. It's less likely the decision itself was made for those reasons, but the free PR boost is a nice bonus. As for those 900 jobs themselves, they aren't all new jobs. The only net gain is approximately 220 jobs at the Romulus Powertrain Plant, which produces the 10-speed automatic transmission that's proliferating through the company's lineup. The 180 jobs at Flint Assembly and 500 jobs at Lansing Delta Township are retained jobs – that is to say, spots the company found for workers who would otherwise have been laid off. By the way, the Flint jobs will help with production of heavy-duty pickups, and the Lansing jobs are to produce the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. Finding jobs for manufacturing workers in the auto sector, whether new or retained, is admirable. No matter how GM couches it, the company has created or retained a total of 7,000 jobs this year, and its total reinvestment in US production is around $1 billion. But these decisions are business ones, not political ones – timing the announcements to make them seem inspired by economic policy, or the political situation, is simply smart PR. Related Video: Image Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images Celebrities Government/Legal Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GMC

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Buick Reatta Coupe

During the 1980s, General Motors worked hard to woo back American car shoppers who had defected to European luxury brands. Swanky interiors, futuristic electronics and Europe-influenced styling found their way into quite a few GM models during the second half of the decade. Pontiac had the 6000 STE, Oldsmobile offered the Toronado Trofeo, Cadillac sold the Turin-Hamtramck-built Allante, and Buick produced the sporty Reatta two-seater. Just under 22,000 Reattas were built during the 1988 through 1991 model years, and today's Junkyard Find is the fifth example I've found during my junkyard travels. The Reatta was the most expensive 1990 Buick, priced at $28,335 for the coupe and $34,995 for the convertible (or about $65,895 and $81,380 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars).  For that kind of money, American car shoppers in 1990 could get a BMW 325i in coupe or convertible form for $24,650 or $33,850. They could get a Saab 900 Turbo convertible for $32,995 or an Audi Coupe Quattro for $29,750. Each of those European competitors had sophisticated overhead-cam engines and grippy suspensions, but the Reatta was built on a shortened version of the chassis that went under the Barcalounger-esque Buick Riviera and its engine was the old-timey pushrod Buick V6. The 3.8-liter Buick V6 had been made quite reliable and acceptably smooth by the time this car was built, and it made 165 horsepower (just three fewer than the BMW 325i), but Buick salesmen didn't have much to brag about when showing this engine compartment to a 35-year-old youngster who had just driven a Saab 900 Turbo. The antiquated engine was problem enough, but the lack of a manual transmission served to chase off additional potential buyers. A four-speed automatic was mandatory in every Reatta. Just in case some traditional (i.e. Greatest Generation members) Buick customers might consider this glamorous two-seater, Buick scared them off with the Reatta's video-game-style digital dash and its way-ahead-of-its-time Graphics Control Center touchscreen interface. You can't win! The Graphics Control Center hardware has been grabbed from this dash (the components also fit optioned-up Rivieras and Trofeos of the same era, so junkyard shoppers pull them for resale). Naturally, a Reatta owner would want a hardwired car phone. If you really wanted to be cool in the early 1990s, you bought a Chrysler product with the amazing VisorPhone.