2014 Silverado Rolls Through Detroit Skyline

Silverado in the rain (Photo credit: Perfesser)

The Detroit People Mover is taking on the persona of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado during the 2013 North American International Auto Show.
Two People Mover trains are wrapped to look like the new Silverado towing a horse trailer while the People Mover station in the General Motors headquarters at the Renaissance Center features images showcasing the Silverado’s design cues, inside and out.
New from hood to hitch, the 2014 Silverado is engineered to be the strongest, smartest and most capable Silverado ever.

GM Consolidates Operations in Africa

English: Logo of General Motors Corporation. Source: 2007_business_choice_bro_en.pdf (on GM website). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

General Motors is consolidating its Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa operations into a new unit, GM Africa, effective immediately.

Mario A. Spangenberg, currently president and managing director of GM North Africa, will become president and managing director of GM Africa. He will be based at GM Africa’s headquarters in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. With this consolidation, Tarek Atta will become managing director of GM Egypt and North Africa, reporting to Spangenberg.

Edgar Lourençon, who has served as managing director of GM South Africa and president of GM Sub-Saharan Africa since November 2009, will assist in the transition and repatriate to South America later this year. He will report to Mark Barnes, GM International Operations vice president, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, and chief country operations officer, Africa and Australia.

“Bringing our operations in Africa together will enable us to take advantage of synergies across the continent,” said Tim Lee, GM vice president, Global Manufacturing, and president, International Operations. “It will put GM in a strong position to expand in a part of the world that has tremendous long-term potential for vehicle sales growth.”

GM does business in more than 50 markets in Africa, and has manufacturing operations in South Africa, Egypt and Kenya. In 2012, GM sold 180,493 vehicles in Africa, an increase of 17.5 percent from the previous year.

“We are pleased to have Mario, a proven leader and an agent of change, overseeing our Africa operations,” said Barnes. “He has done an outstanding job growing GM’s business in North Africa, despite intense political and economic challenges.”

Spangenberg has been in his present position since July 1, 2011. He earlier held key posts in other parts of the world, including director of Sales Operations for GM de Mexico, managing director of International Sales for GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in South Korea, and director of Marketing for Adam Opel AG in Germany. He began his industry career in 1980 at Volkswagen.

In addition to his most recent assignment in GM International Operations, Lourençon has held several important positions in South America, including director of Quality and director of Sales and Field Operations for GM in Latin America, and president and managing director of GM Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. He joined the company in 1977 as an engineer in Manufacturing Engineering at GM do Brasil.

“We thank Edgar for strengthening our operations in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Lee. “In the short term, with his background and expertise, we will look for Edgar to provide his leadership in two critical areas – overseeing the launch of our new pickup in South Africa and further strengthening the Isuzu relationship.”

GM Sets March and Quarterly Sales Records in China

Chevrolet Cruze (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

General Motors and its joint ventures in China sold 257,944 vehicles in March and 745,152 vehicles in the first quarter of 2012, setting March and quarterly records.
GM’s domestic sales in March were up 10.7 percent from the same month in 2011. They were the second highest for any month in GM’s history in China. For the first three months as a whole, its domestic sales increased 8.7 percent, the best quarter since GM began doing business in China.
“GM has maintained our growth in our largest market in 2012, despite an overall industry slowdown,” said Kevin Wale, president and managing director of the GM China Group. “Our new models such as the Chevrolet Malibu have gotten off to a solid start, complementing the ongoing strength of established products such as the Buick Excelle, Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac SRX.”
Shanghai GM’s domestic sales increased 10.5 percent on an annual basis to 110,038 units. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s sales in China increased 11.6 percent year on year to 139,768 units. FAW-GM’s domestic sales in March totaled 7,417 units. Sales at all three GM joint ventures were up from the previous month.
Demand for Buick products rose 3.7 percent on an annual basis to a March record 57,082 units. The brand was led by the Excelle, whose sales jumped 25.4 percent to 24,134 units, and the Excelle XT and GT, which had a collective sales increase of 22.7 percent to 14,064 units.
Chevrolet sales in China rose 11.1 percent year on year to a March record 54,716 units. The New Sail was the brand’s best-selling model, with demand for the sedan and hatchback rising 55.5 percent to 20,085 units. The Cruze remained a popular model as well, with sales growing 7.7 percent to 18,678 units. Sales of the Malibu totaled 4,289 units in its first full month on the market.
Cadillac continued its strong run in March, as sales increased 35.2 percent on an annual basis to a monthly record of 2,745 units. The SRX accounted for 2,143 of the luxury brand’s unit sales.
Wuling sales in China were up 9.9 percent on an annual basis to an all-time monthly record 130,251 units. The Baojun brand had sales of 5,012 units in its first March on the market.

GM Plant Sites Certifiably Kind to Their Habitats

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Six General Motors facilities globally are joining 15 others in earning the Wildlife Habitat Council certification for creating or enhancing wildlife habitats on their grounds. With 21 certified programs, GM leads all automotive manufacturers.
GM incorporates elements like walking trails, native tree plantings, butterfly gardens, rain gardens to control storm water runoff, restored prairie and wetlands, and bat and duck nesting boxes. It works with the nonprofit WHC to encourage habitat management and environmental education at its sites.
The  Wildlife at Work^SM and Corporate Lands for Learning^SM certification programs recognize companies that establish community education about conservation. Features of GM’s new certifications include:

• Inviting local schools to educational activities, creating habitats for amphibians and small mammals, and planting 1,800 trees and 1,500 bushes at the CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, where the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain are produced.
• Encouraging community members to participate in conservation activities, such as constructing and installing bird nesting boxes for Eastern Blue Birds at the Arlington, Texas Assembly plant, home of full-size SUVs like the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade.
• Incorporating site-based conservation education and planting native trees at Baltimore Operations in White Marsh, Md., where electric motors will be produced next year in addition to two-mode hybrid drivetrains.
• Reusing Chevrolet Volt battery covers for wood duck nesting boxes and involving local experts in their efforts at Milford, Mich. Proving Ground.
• Inviting local schools to participate in site-based events such as planting native trees at the Gravataí, Brazil Plant, which builds the Chevrolet Celta and Prisma.
• Teaching students about environmental issues through music, theater, and lectures, and offering employees bi-weekly environmental education at the São José dos Campos, Brazil Plant, where the Chevrolet Corsa, Classic, Blazer, S10 pickup, Meriva and Zafira are built.

“We find General Motors’ environmental leadership commendable and hope other companies follow their lead,” said Wildlife Habitat Council President Robert Johnson. “WHC congratulates GM for its commitment and contributions to wildlife habitat enhancement, community outreach, and conservation education.”
WHC’s program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements are strict and require that sites apply for periodic renewal.
Six other GM facilities achieved Wildlife at Work and Corporate Lands for Learning recertification, having continued their successful wildlife habitat management programs.
“This commitment presents significant benefits to the environment, as well as our employees,” said Susan Kelsey, a GM Environmental Group facilities manager. “It gives them a place to find relaxation, harness creativity and have a tangible, positive impact on the local community.”