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GM expanding Lansing Lambda CUV plant

Considering that crossovers are a rapidly growing portion of the US auto market, it's not surprising to hear that General Motors is preparing to build even more of them. The company is investing $63 million to expand its Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant that builds Lambda platform CUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
According to GM, the expansion will add roughly 263,000 extra square feet of space to the plant. Of that, 181,000 square feet will be for an updated body shop with cutting-edge robots. There will also be 54,000 square feet of additional room in the paint shop and 28,000 square feet of more area for general assembly.
GM isn't saying as much, but there is the possibility that this extra space could allow for additional models produced at the factory. Cadillac reportedly dropped plans to build a three-row SUV on the Lambda platform earlier this year, however, dealers for the luxury brand were recently pitched the possibility of adding large and small CUVs, an ATS convertible or a sedan below the ATS.

Black Friday could power record November sales

Black Friday allows some shoppers to line up in the wee hours for doorbuster deals on laptops and TVs, but the day after Thanksgiving could mean huge profits for automakers this year, too. Multiple industry analysts predict record growth for the industry for November, and the upcoming incentives could help those numbers. TrueCar predicts that Black Friday incentives could provide a major boost, and it estimates a November sales jump of 3.9 percent from last year to a record for the month at over 1.35 million vehicles. As examples of potential deals, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC plan to offer up to 20 percent off some models, and FCA US has no-interest financing for up to 75 months from its brands. "Consumers are excited about Black Friday promotions and these month-long events appear to be resonating with car buyers." Eric Lyman, TrueCar's vice president of industry insights, said in the report. Black Friday only recently became a big day for auto sales, according to an analysis from Edmunds. Last year, Thanksgiving weekend posted double the sales as any other weekend in the month. The company predicts a sales volume of over 1.33 million vehicles for November. If that happens, it would be the beat the previous record of 1.32 million sales for the same month in 2001. Some forecasts temper the gains for November but only slightly. Kelley Blue Book predicts flat year-over-year sales at 1.3 million vehicles, but that's largely because there are two fewer sales days in 2015 versus in 2014. "Black Friday deals on vehicles have grown in popularity in recent years, and should be a big contributor to this month's sales results," said analyst Tim Fleming in the study. The combined research from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive have the lowest November prediction among this group at just over 1.279 million sales for the month versus 1.299 million in 2014. However, once the researchers adjust the figures for the two fewer selling days, 2015 could actually be seven percent higher than last year. TrueCar Finds New Auto Sales in November to Reach Monthly Record Black Friday promotions bolster sales gains; industrywide incentives up 6% from last year November 24, 2015 12:11 PM Eastern Standard Time SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE) projects total new vehicle sales, including fleet deliveries, will reach 1,352,500 units in November, a 3.9 percent increase from a year ago and the highest ever for the month.

GM pushing back on proposed pickup and SUV brake recall [w/poll]

Through the first six months of 2014, General Motors has recalled 29 million cars and trucks in 54 different actions. If your author's notoriously sketchy math is correct, that'd work out to one recall every 3.5 days (as of this writing). GM is actively fighting to make sure there isn't a 55th recall, though.
Safety critics, including perennial nemesis Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety, are calling on GM to recall a further six million pickup trucks and SUVs in northerly climes due to corroding brake lines caused by the use of road salt. There is a catch, here, though ­- the vehicles in question are over 10 years old, and include the 1999 to 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and GMC Sierra, as well as the 2000 to 2003 Tahoe and Yukon (shown above).
GM issued the following statement on the matter, obtained by CNN Money: