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Mark Reuss: GM can't afford product 'misses,' has 'thought about' CT6 V-Series

Mark Reuss is a busy man. He oversees General Motors' global product portfolio, an all-encompassing task for a company that sold more than 9.9 million cars and trucks last year. When GM launches a well-received product, like the road-going rocket ship that is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – he gets credit. When the company stumbles with the slow-selling Chevy Malibu or grapples with fallout from the decade-old Saturn Ion and its flawed ignition switch, he gets blamed. GM owners, the press and sometimes the federal government, demand answers. Bob Lutz famously held the job before Reuss. So did Mary Barra, who's now GM's chief executive. There's a New GM, but the lineage is connected to a long history. When he's not thinking product, Reuss, an executive vice president, also runs the purchasing and supply chain for the company, which is still one of the largest industrial empires in the world. We caught up with Reuss on the floor of the New York Auto Show, where GM had just rolled out two crucial new products: the 2016 Cadillac CT6 and the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Speaking with a small group of reporters, Reuss delved into a variety of subjects, including the new Malibu, Cadillac's future (he thinks the ATS-V is going to "flame the M3 and M4"), and other topics. On fixing the Malibu: "We can't miss. We can't have those kinds of misses [like the previous generation] on our cars and crossovers and trucks. We can't do that. If we do that, we give a reason for someone to go buy something else. It's that simple. "On a car like the Malibu we have a chance to really fix all of that, which we have, and then lead. Then you've got a real opportunity there. So that's what we've really been focused on here – to fix those things." He later added: "We need that car here to transform Chevrolet desperately because it's the heart of the market. And when you think of Chevrolet, people will come back and think about what we did with the [new] Malibu and the Cruze... It's hugely important to us." On Cadillac: "If we go out and try and out-German the Germans, it's probably not going to work. We've got an opportunity here generationally where there's a lot of people younger than me that have parents that drove BMWs and Mercedes, and I think there's an opportunity there for those people to drive something different than what their parents did, and I think that's always been an opportunity in the auto industry if you look at the history of it.

GM recalls 64k 2011-2013 Volts over carbon monoxide fears, stop sale on Trax and Encore

General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts from the 2011-2013 model years in the US and an additional 13,937 exported examples because of fears over carbon monoxide buildup. According to a statement, if a Volt is accidentally left on while running on electric power, its internal combustion engine would eventually kick on to charge on the battery. If this happens in an enclosed space, then carbon monoxide can fill the area, leading to a potential exposure to the dangerous gas. According to GM, there have been two injuries reported due to this issue. To fix the problem, there's a software update to limit the time the vehicle can idle. According to Automotive News, GM is also issuing a stop sale on about 2,300 examples of the 2015 Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore. In these compact crossovers, it's possible that the steering column assembly could touch the power steering circuit board and cause damage over time. This could potentially cause the system to stop working. Automotive News indicates that the automaker is still working with the supplier to get the necessary parts to repair this problem. General Motors is recalling 50,249 Chevrolet Volts in the U.S. from the 2011-2013 model years to implement a software update that will limit the amount of time a vehicle can be left idling in the "on" or "run" position. If a driver exits the vehicle and inadvertently leaves the vehicle "on" by failing to react to cues and warning chimes emitted by the vehicle, the vehicle's high-voltage battery will drain after a period of time and the gasoline engine will begin to run. If the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up. GM is aware of two injuries, both related to carbon monoxide build up. The total recall population including Canada and exports is 64,186. Related Video:

1987 Buick GNX with 8.5 miles sells for ... well, you won't believe it [UPDATE]

UPDATE, FRIDAY, FEB. 15: Blowing past what was believed to be the previous sales record of $165,000, this 8.5-mile 1987 Buick GNX sold for $200,000. It jumped approximately $80,000 in the final 10 minutes. The winning bid went to username PETRO917, who joined Bring a Trailer in February, seemingly specifically to bid on the GNX. The previous story appears below. Automotive grails are expected to cost unfathomable amounts of cash, but this 8.5-mile (EIGHT!) 1987 Buick GNX could reach monetary digits not seen before. With four days still left on the Bring a Trailer auction, the GNX is already up to $100,000. The Grand National, particularly the GNX, is one of those cars that has skyrocketed in value in the past 10 years. It's been earning payouts that put it in a rare class of General Motors vehicles typically occupied by classic Corvettes and Camaros. At the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction in 2015, a 362-mile example sold for a brain-scrambling $165,000, likely the most ever paid for a GNX. Last year, the first GNX ever released to the public (VIN No. 1 and 2 were kept by the company) had 8,200 miles and sold for $126,500. The most expensive GNX ever sold on Bring a Trailer had 28,000 miles and ended at $60,000 in summer 2018. Bidding on this example is already $40K past that, with days to go. To the shock and dismay of many, this ultra-rare performance icon has been driven less than the distance of a half marathon. Its odometer reading makes it possibly the most pristine GNX on the planet. After it was originally sold in Mena, Arkansas, it simply sat on display in a Texas dealership for decades. The seller purchased the car in 2002 and supposedly kept it in a climate-controlled environment. Plastic wrapping over the seats and door panels further the immaculate cleanliness. According to the listing, the only parts that have been replaced are the battery and a relay switch, both of which come with the sale. In a comment on the auction, the owner shared the reason he has decided to sell the car: Collecting is enjoyable only if you can share the collection with other people of similar mind who can also appreciate it. I am at a point in my life when the relationships, not the material possessions, mean the most to me. The time has come for someone else to own a piece of history and share it with those individuals most important in his or her life.