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 Officially Official: GM NOT Using UAW Help In Volt Battery Plant

TheGMSource - About a month ago we wrote about a tip that ran across our desk that suggested GM was opening its new Brownstown Township Volt battery plant without the help of the UAW. Today, that rumor became truth as the Detroit Free Press reported that GM is indeed going to open the plant without the help of the UAW, and the UAW may never be in the plant at all.

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 Mark Reuss Makes Major North American Management Changes

TheGMSource - One thing has become increasingly clear since Ed Whitacre Jr., became GM's CEO. There's a great deal of pressure to either perform, or be replaced by somebody who will perform. Sort of how the saying goes "sh!t or get off the pot." Today we've learned a few people have either gotten off the proverbial pot on their own or they were forced off.

Not only were significant changes made today, but Mark Reuss, GM President North America declared that "this is my team" meaning he will bear the full brunt of any success or failure for GM North America. That has to be admired.

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 Ford Outsells GM For First Time Since 1998

TheGMSource - No need for us to cover the GM sales figures for the month as I'm sure you've already read about them on the Internet. However, Ford just released their sales figures and they are quite impressive to say the least. The company sold 43% more vehicles then February last year. This allowed Ford to outsell General Motors for the first time in more then a decade.

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 Bob Lutz Debating Retirement

TheGMSource - The cigar smokin', stock sellin', helicopter flyin', favorite automotive executive of ours here at TheGMSource has made some comments on the side of the Geneva Motor Show that we don't support in the least. He's debating retirement, saying he's taking retirement an "active consideration."

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 Sources: Major Management Changes Coming Tuesday

TheGMSource - When will they end? Seemingly never. I'm not talking about Toyota recalls...or maybe I am. In all seriousness I'm talking about management changes on the 13th floor of GM's RenCen. Ed Whitacre Jr., hasn't been CEO for long but he's made some significant changes within the upper ranks of GM's management and it appears he's not done. If rumors are true, Whitacre is going back to something Fritz Henderson did when he was CEO of GM.

Is this a sign that Fritz' welcome back to GM means he has more "pull" then we all think, or is Ed willing to admit through actions he made a mistake?

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Man In Jail For Car Crash Claims Unintended Acceleration At Fault 

TheGMSource - I only wish somebody in during the Toyota recall hearings yesterday would have mentioned the story I've posted after the jump. It's about a gentleman who has a '96 Camry that he claims has unintended acceleration. As the story goes he was driving home from church with his family when his 1996 Toyota Camry wouldn't stop, had unintended acceleration and the brakes wouldn't work.

If this is the case, and if the statements made in the video about other reports of unintended acceleration in '96 Camrys then this is a tragedy for all involved. Hit the jump for the video.

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China Rejects One GM Deal Today....Approves Another 

TheGMSource - Unfortunate for Hummer owners, enthusiasts, dealers, and especially employees the Chinese Government reportedly rejected Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company Ltd. offer to buy the brand that was for sale by GM. I have my own beliefs on that and believe that Tengzhong never planned to buy the brand at all. Another story for another day, I understand.

While they reportedly rejected the deal to purchase Hummer which was rumored to be worth as much as $200 million, they did approve of a different deal involving GM worth $85 million.

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BREAKING: Hummer Brand To Begin Wind Down Proceedings 

TheGMSource - As we were one of the very first to report yesterday citing unnamed sources it has been officially announced that the Hummer sale to Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company Ltd. cannot be completeed, thus resulting in the orderly wind down of the Hummer brand.

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Guest Commentary: What's The Point of Toyota Hearings? 

Below is a guest commentary of a follower of @TheGMSource on Twitter, Kristian Hahn also known as @SloppyMcCheese. We believe in free speech and because of that some words may not be "P.C." in the eyes of some readers.

TheGMSource - Full discloser, I am not an Automotive Insider nor am I a journalist, just a wrench with a mind of my own. And sometimes that mind goes off on its own while I beat panels and stretch upholstery. Today was one of those days, and blame it all on Toyota, Congress and Twitter. Mostly Congress, and possibly some DAP contact cement fumes too. Regardless, I had a ball bantering 140 characters at a time until something dawned on me.

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Hummer Buyer May Not Get Chinese Approval 

TheGMSource - Not even hours ago we wrote how it's not likely potential Hummer buyer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company Ltd. will get Chinese government approval to close the sale by the GM imposed deadline of the end of this month. We're now hearing that if the Chinese government does not give approval the company has a back-up plan to move forward with the purchase of Hummer.

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Ed Welburn At The Toyota Hearing Today? 

TheGMSource - Ed Welburn has his eye on GM's design over at the Warren Tech Center but did Ed decide to take the day off and jet down to D.C. to take in the Toyota hearing today?

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What's The Deal With Hummer? 

TheGMSource - The Hummer brand has been in limbo since GM announced last year that it would either close or sell the brand. A buyer from China with the name Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company Ltd. stepped up to the plate and announced their intentions to purchase the brand from GM. Nobody ever heard of the Chinese company prior to their announcement of intention to buy the brand.

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What Does GM's Car Czar Get For His 78th Birthday? 

TheGMSource - When you're that cigar smokin', stock sellin', helicopter flyin', favorite autmotive executive of TheGMSource you seemingly have it all right? You own the best of the worlds sports cars, you own your own car company in Cunningham Motors and shees, you even have your very own fighter jet and helicopter! So, when you turn 78, what's there left to get for your birthday?

Lucky for you, I was able to pry the information straight from the man himself, so hit the jump to read what a recently turned 78 year old Lutz got for his birthday.

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The More Things Change.......Fritz Henderson Rehired By GM 

TheGMSource - The backlash from this should be pretty interesting. I can't wait until the major news outlets pick up on this. You know, the often critical American media. With that said, it's been reported by DetNews.com that GM has brought back a name from it's past that helped drive it into bankruptcy through the years.

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Ed Whitacre, Jr. Will Be Paid Millions As GM CEO 

TheGMSource - Ed Whitacre, Jr. has only been GM CEO on a permanent bases for a few short weeks. He agreed to stay on the job citing how difficult it was to find a new CEO with the government pay restrictions in place. However, we've gotten word on Eds total pay package and it's left us a bit puzzled on the pay restriction issue he cited for staying on.

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World Premier: Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept 

TheGMSource - GM has shown another vehicle that uses the Chevrolet Volts technology called VOLTEC. You've all heard the details and how the technology works so I won't bore you with the specifics. What you're looking at up above is a concept that GM plans to show from their freshly saved Opel brand. The concept it called the Flextreme GT/E.

This concept is meant to show how VOLTEC can be very flexible with its uses as this is used in a mid-size sedan. Hit the jump for the official release from Opel straight to your desktop from The Source!

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Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Spied 

TheGMSource - The Chevrolet Camaro z/28 is a vehicle enthusiasts crave. With Fords recent announcement that their next Cobra will have more horsepower then the previous model and better fuel economy Chevy has to do something to match their crosstown rival.

In comes the Chevrolet Camaro z/28.

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RUMOR: GM Not Using UAW Employees For Volt Battery Production 

TheGMSource - General Motors and the UAW. They go together like a hand and a glove, a sock and a foot, pants and a belt...or do they? If a recent post is to be believed, General Motors is planning to cut the UAW out of working on one if its more important aspects of the Volt. The battery.

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Toyota Conspiracy Theorists Continue Claims 

TheGMSource - I wrote here on my blog a week ago that people around the Internet and even on TV began speculating that the Toyota recalls woes are all part of a U.S. Government conspiracy meant to drive owners away from Toyota vehicles and into American made cars and trucks.

At the time, I - like many of you that follow me on Twitter thought it was ridiculous. I've been monitoring my hits from Google & Bing and I've received hundreds, and I do mean hundreds of hits with some form of the keyword "Toyota, conspiracy, U.S. Government, and GM."

With that said I'll chime in with my thoughts on the whole conspiracy angle.

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Honda Slips In Hudreds Of Thousands of Additional Recalled Vehicles 

TheGMSource - We think if any major automaker has a recall to announce now would be the time to do it, or at least sometime soon. Like say, when Toyota hits the Hill in a few weeks to answer questions about how it's handled this recall mess it has created for itself and to also testify exactly how long it's been that Toyota has known of said issues.

Not to be outdone by fellow country mate Toyota, Honda slipped in a recall of hundreds of thousands of new vehicles.

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Chevrolet Launches Innovative Internet Series On Quality 

TheGMSource - General Motors and Chevrolet have launched an innovative new series meant to show consumers the extreme measures GM's engineers go through to make sure Chevy quality is the pinnacle of quality in the automotive industry. The new series, called "Dept. 180 - Verifying Chevrolet Quality Through Extreme Measures" launched this week.

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BREAKING: Ray LaHood Says Owners of Recalled Toyotas Should Stop Driving Them 

TheGMSource - Ray LaHood the U.S. Transportation Secretary just said that owners of recalled Toyota cars and strucks should stop driving them immediately because they are not safe for drivers. Since this is breakinig, we'll have more as we get it.

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Conspiracy Theorists: Government Forcing Toyota Recalls For Investment Purposes

TheGMSource - I've thought I've heard it all this week and last. Lets face it, Toyota is the darling of the American media. A company that could do no wrong. Toyota didn't have quality problems. Toyota didn't have major recalls. Fact is, Toyota has recalled some 8 million plus vehicles now tied to floormats and sticky pedals. In China, it's made its fifth major recall in the past 12 months.

I did think I've heard it all...until I read today that this is all a conspiracy by the United States government.

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Toyota Recall May Mean More In China Than U.S. 

TheGMSource - Consider this...the United States was not the worlds largest car market last year, China was and it continues to grow month over month. GM has seen its sales explode in China the past few years as the economy booms and thanks to Joint Ventures with automakers in the region.

You'd think in order for Toyota to sustain its worldwide growth it would look to rely on the Chinese market over the next few years. Maybe so, but for Toyota, recalls in China are anything but few and far between.

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Government Investigating Chevrolet Cobalt 

TheGMSource - Not to rest on its laurels, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced today it is looking into complaints on the power steering unit on the Chevrolet Cobalt. The investigation covers vehicles from 2005 - 2009.