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Buick teases electric concept crossover for China

Buick released a teaser image of a new all- electric concept SUV it's calling the Enspire. It'll bow at Buick Brand Night on April 17 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang, and be on display to the public at the Beijing auto show later in the month. Buick says only that the Enspire "leverages GM's global resources and is an exploration of design and new technologies. It is the brand's latest example of innovation and application of future electric smart mobility." The darkened, right rear three-quarter shot shows a rounded rear fascia, a narrow tail lamp that stretches the length of the tailgate and a third brake light on the roof spoiler. While this concept is clearly aimed at China, GM Authority notes that General Motors previously filed to trademark the "Enspire" name in the U.S. in 2015. GM CEO Mary Barra outlined the company's electrification plans for investors in November and included a slide of an unbadged crossover under the title "Leveraging existing BEV platform to expand in near term," which some are speculating could be this Enspire concept. It also suggests that Buick could be developing a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Bolt platform. GM plans to l aunch 20 new EVs by 2023, targeting 1 million electric-vehicle sales by 2026. Buick is GM's best-selling brand in China, comprising about 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2017. Buick last year showed off the Velite 5, an extended-range hybrid based on the Chevrolet Volt, as a production car for China. Related Video:

GM may kill 6 car models as it works with UAW to tackle sales slump

The president of the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday the union is talking with General Motors about the potential threat to plants and jobs from slumping U.S. car sales. GM's response will be more trucks and SUVs, and sources say at least six slow-selling car models may be killed off. "We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have" at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio, and whether they might be replaced with newer, more popular vehicles such as crossovers, Dennis Williams told reporters. "We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it," Williams added. GM has cut shifts at several U.S. plants this year as inventories of unsold cars have ballooned. Industry analysts said more jobs could be at risk as the automaker wrestles with permanently shrinking production of small and midsized sedans. GM is reviewing whether to cancel at least six passenger cars in the U.S. market after 2020, including the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, which could be replaced in 2022 with a new gasoline-electric crossover model, Reuters has learned from people familiar with the plans. Other GM cars at risk include the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, sources said. Some analysts have singled out GM's Hamtramck plant in Detroit as one of the most vulnerable because of plummeting car sales. The plant, which opened in 1985, builds four slow-selling models: Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Volt. In the first half, it built fewer than 35,000 cars, down 32 percent from the same period in 2016, according to suppliers familiar with GM's U.S. production schedule. The typical GM assembly plant builds 200,000-300,000 vehicles a year.COMING ATTRACTIONS: TRUCKS AND SUVS GM must "create some innovative new products" to replace slow-selling sedans "or start closing plants," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. The auto maker already has begun to shift future production plans from cars to trucks, according to Morgan Stanley auto analyst John Murphy. He estimates that fewer than 10 percent of the new vehicle models that GM will introduce over the next four years will be passenger cars, with the rest divided among trucks, SUVs and crossovers. GM plans to add production of the new Cadillac XT4 crossover next year to its Malibu sedan plant in Fairfax, Kansas.

38k GM eAssist hybrids recalled for circuit board, fire risk

General Motors has issued a recall covering 38,197 2012 and 2013 model-year Chevy Malibu Eco, Buick LaCrosse and Regal sedans equipped with eAssist, and sold in the United States. The automaker will check the generator control module for proper operation. Only vehicles built before December 2012 are being recalled.
According to the automaker, a malfunctioning generator control module could slowly drain the battery, causing an indicator to light up in the dash. If that indicator is ignored, the driver may experience a stalling engine, and in some cases, "a burning or melting odor, smoke, and, in rare instances, a fire in the trunk."
GM says the issue is not with the eAssist battery pack; the smoke and fire comes from overheating of the control board. One trunk fire has been reported, but no injuries are known. Scroll down below for the official press release from GM.