It might be a scary thought to some, but according to Alan Taub, vice president of Global Research and Development at General Motors, the self-driving car is less than a decade away.

While General Motors has had major success in South Korea, Japan has eluded GM for some time. The American automaker is hoping to reverse that trend with the introduction of their Chevrolet Sonic small car, which will be positioned above domestic entrants like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

Local 551 of Chicago’s Ford Plant gave a resounding “no” to the new four-year labor contract. Local 551 represents about 6 percent of Ford’s United Auto Workers (UAW) employees and according to  secretary-treasurer Scott Houldieson of Local 551, the two-tier pay scale was one of the biggest reasons the plant’s workers voted against it.

General Motors unveiled their new family of small displacement engines, a group of three and four cylinder engines ranging from 1.0L to 1.5L in displacement. The engines were designed in concert largely with GM’s Chinese subsidiaries.

GM didn’t divulge which vehicles will get the new engines, but did say that North America won’t be an initial market for the three-cylinder  engines. GM was also tight-lipped about the specifics of the engines, only stating “they will feature lightweight design and advanced technologies such as direct injection, turbocharging and alternative fuel compatibility” as well as “…[being] designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness.”

Good news eco-friendly drivers – GM has just announced that it is going to start work on the next-generation EN-V concept vehicle.

The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was killed off in 2009 to make way for GM’s new range of car-based crossovers, but evidently there’s still demand for a mid-size, truck based SUV, as Chevrolet has announced a new TrailBlazer based on the upcoming Colorado mid-size pickup.

Given that the Colorado was developed for world markets by GM’s Thailand division, expect the new TrailBlazer to differ from the outgoing vehicle, which could be had with a 6.0L small-block V8. The new TrailBlazer will be unveiled alongside the Colorado at the Dubai Motor Show in November. In the mean time, check out the press release below.

General Motors has announced its decision to delay the addition of a second shift for the Chevy Volt assembly plant.

If you’ve got a GM vehicle and OnStar, you’ll be able to rent out your idle car and make some extra cash through the RelayRides marketplace.

In Bangkok, Thailand today, Chevrolet finally took the wraps off the production version of the new 2012 mid-size Colorado pickup. The result of a five-year vehicle program estimated at some $2 billion, the new truck promises to deliver more features, technology and value than any mid-size bowtie pickup before.

The annual North American Car and Truck of the Year awards has just released its short list for 2012, selecting 17 cars and seven trucks that will compete for the prestigious prize.

In the running for the 2012 North American Car of the Year are three from Hyundai (the Accent, Elantra and Veloster), two from Audi (A6 and A7), two from Volkswagen (Passat and Beetle) and two from Toyota ( Camry and Prius v). Others on the list include two GM models, the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic, while two Chrysler group nominees include the Chrysler 300 and Fiat 500. Rounding out the list is the Ford Focus, Kia Rio, Scion iQ and Subaru Impreza. Notably absent from the list is the all-new Honda Civic.

The 2012 North American Truck of the Year short list includes just one vehicle from seven different automakers: the BMW X3, Honda CR-V, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes M-Class, MINI Countryman, Nissan Quest and Saab 9-4X.

The three finalists in each category will be announced later this year with the winners being announced at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Last year the Chevrolet Volt took home 2011 Car of the Year, with the Ford Explorer as 2011 Truck of the Year.

See the full list of nominees after the jump:

It’s no secret that the upcoming Corporate Average Fuel Economy targets, whereby all automakers who sell vehicles in the US, must achieve 35.5 miles per gallon as a fleet average between now and 2016 and  54.5 mpg for cars and light trucks by 2025, represent a formidable hurdle.

General Motors will be offering the industry’s first front center air bag in select vehicles. This inflatable restraint will help to protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes where the affected occupant is on the opposite, non-struck side of the vehicle.

You’re going to have to wait a bit for the new front center air bag – it will be introduced on the 2013 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse midsize crossovers (it will come standard on Acadia and Traverse with power seats and all Enclaves).

Here’s how it works: found in between the front row seats near the center of the vehicle, the tethered, tubular air bag deploys from the right side of the driver’s seat. It protects the driver when they are the only occupant in the event of a passenger-side crash. When there is a driver and a front passenger, it acts as energy absorbing cushion in both driver- and passenger-side crashes. As well, it will offer protection if your vehicle is involved in a rollover accident.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System database, far-side impact crashes account 11 percent of the belted front occupant fatalities in non-rollover impacts between 2004 and 2009 involving 1999 model year or newer vehicles. The stats go on to show that in these far-side fatalities, where the occupant is on the non-struck side of the vehicle, also represent 29 percent of all the belted front occupant fatalities in side impact crashes.

Partnering with technology supplier Takata, GM’s front center air bag took three years to develop. It went through a series of designs to address packaging, cushioning, and restraint issues that could occur in different crash and occupant position scenarios.

Even though the front center air bag is not required by federal regulation, it will add to the vehicles’ third-party crash test performance results. “The front center airbag has real potential to save lives in side crashes,” said Adrian Lund, president of the insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  “GM and Takata are to be commended for taking the lead in this important area.”

Watch the video of the air bag in action after the jump.

While General Motors seemed desperate to sell Opel back in 2009, GM CEO Dan Akerson now says that the terms of the sale were a “bad deal” and that Opel, along with GM’s other global divisions, are now profitable.

Last week, details surfaced of OnStar’s revised Terms and Conditions that allows the company to perform private data tracking on vehicles equipped with their device, whether the owner is a subscriber for OnStar’s service or not.

It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012.

A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent each country is based on the relative size of the said country’s car market. Countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain have a well established market, and each will be represented by six journalists.

As for cars, only completely redesigned new models that have launched within the twelve months before the contest are counted. Each car must be available in at least five European countries and must have an expected sales volume no less than 5,000.

Categories considered include design, safety, performance, and price. This year, says the judging committee, technical innovation and value will be especially influential. What also makes Car of the Year unique is the absence of separate genres for its candidates. Rather than selecting the best of the compacts or the best trucks, vehicles with all sorts of engine size and body types will be vying for the same allotment of points.

Comparison testing of the vehicles will be performed in Sweden.

The following 35 candidates selected for the 2012 Car of the Year award include:

In perhaps a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, head of the Canadian Auto Worker’s Union, Ken Lewenza  has expressed some concern over a tentative new agreement south of the border between the UAW and General Motors.

An Automotive News article suggests that a re-designed Chevrolet Corvette, known internally as the C7, will bow in 2013. GM design chief Ed Wellburn said that work is ongoing for the new Corvette, and one of the main challenges is designing a car that can appeal to a younger audience while staying faithful to the brand’s heritage.

Recently it has been revealed that owners of GM vehicles equipped with OnStar, whether subscribed to the service or not, risk the involuntary disclosure of private and sensitive data collected from the vehicle’s GPS unit.

GM has long intended to bring their Chevrolet Volt over to the Chinese market. It’s both the largest and the fastest growing market for automobiles and only within a few short years smog pollution has increased exponentially among China’s booming cities. To alleviate the headache, China will offer automakers planning to sell electric vehicles in their country a substantial subsidy of as much as $19,300.

It’s no secret that the Chinese have been eyeing up General Motors‘ technological expertise when it comes to vehicles like the Chevy Volt (pictured above).

Chevrolet cranks up its production capacity for the fourth quarter as the Azia Avto plant in Kazakhstan agrees to support the production of three new Chevy models.

General Motors’ European arm, Opel/Vauxhall, has announced that it will reveal a radical looking two-seater EV concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

Legendary auto executive Bob Lutz will return to General Motors as a part-time consultant, according to the automaker. “Maximum Bob” retired in May 2010 at the age of 79, but has retained a high profile in the industry ever since.

Never far from controversy, former Vice-President Dick Cheney has stirred the pot again, this time, declaring that he was against government handouts to automakers Chrysler and General Motors.

Cadillac has been given the go-ahead to create a new flagship sedan that will slot above the upcoming XTS, as General Motors aims to have Cadillac compete with the top-tier European luxury car brands.

With GM planning to introduce its next generation of full-size pickups around 2014, the existing generation of trucks are essentially marking time.

Bob Buckhorn, the mayor of Tampa, Florida needed a safe, reliable vehicle for his family, and did what many cost-concious car buyers do – he looked for a vehicle seized by the police.

With the push toward electric vehicles appearing to gather momentum, General Motors has announced that it’s partnering up with Korean electronics giant LG Corporation to develop a new range of EVs. This expands an existing relationship between the two companies, whereby LG has been involved on battery development for the Chevy Volt and its Euro market counterpart the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera.

The architectural team of Craig Hodges and HsinMing Fung (the two founding architects of HPlusF) have taken on unique projects in the past, adding their style to the Hollywood Bowl and Egyptian Theater. For HPlusF’s latest architectural undertaking, they put a cool new spin on the Hummer brand by turning it into a home.

Along with the Nissan LEAF it’s the most hyped car of recent times, yet for all the hoopla and publicity surrounding the Chevy Volt it appears that interest in GM’s extended range electric car is starting to wane.

Heavy-Duty pickups were designed for abuse. And in order to see just how much they can handle, website Pickup Trucks.com put together it’s Heavy-Duty Hurt Locker Comparison test.

The idea was to pit the latest H-D offerings from Ford, General Motors and Ram (in this case the F-350 Super Duty, Sierra HD 3500 and Ram HD 3500) in a series of extreme towing tests, covering a distance of some 2,200 miles across the American West . The tests included navigating some of steepest grades in the country in some of the most extreme climates, hauling fifth-wheel gooseneck trailers of some 19,400 lbs behind each truck.

And when the dust finally settled, the GMC Sierra HD 3500 was judged the overall winner. “The GMC Sierra led with best-in-class performance, with wins in almost every test we put the trucks through,” declared Pickup Trucks.com’s editor Mike Levine.

GM engineers have instigated some changes on the 2012 model Sierra and Silverado HD, in order to improve towing capability; these include reinforced pickup box sills, stronger rear springs and box mounts and revised suspension tuning.

The result is an increase of some 2000 lbs in tow rating capacity, which now stands at an impressive 23,000 lbs. To see how the Sierra performed against its chief rivals in the Heavy Duty Hurt Locker test, watch the video below.

Hit the jump to see the video

You don’t mess with GM, as a car salesman and a trucking company owner found out recently. They’ve been charged by the FBI for allegedly selling more than 200 Hummers overseas with phony titles and collecting more than $500,000 in unearned incentives from General Motors.

Yesterday, the CEO of General Motors, Dan Akerson purchased $250,500 in shares of the automaker, buying 10,000 shares at $25.05.

General Motors will look to slash its R&D costs in the future, by increasingly sharing platforms and engines across models. Company CEO Dan Akerson and product boss Mary Barra spoke to the big changes coming for GM during online seminars billed as the 2011 Global Business Conference.

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu is supposed to be the most high-tech car in Chevy’s lineup. And in order to compete with Ford’s Sync, it’s going to be the car that debuts GM’s new MyLink infotainment system.

MyLink will be a touchscreen that features voice activation, Pandora Internet, Stitcher and XM satellite radios, hands-free dialing, USB and MP3 input, and Bluetooth—the sorts of features consumers not only expect these days, but are used to.

The system seems relatively fast and easy to understand, thanks to its 7-inch touchscreen. Consumers can get their hands on MyLink starting next spring, when the new Malibu debuts. Click the jump to see it in action.

General Motors is back on top as the world’s largest automaker, outselling Toyota in the first 6 months of 2011. Both GM and Volkswagen managed to surpass the Japanese automaker in sales, with March’s earthquake and tsunami blamed for severely hampering Toyota’s overall production.

It’s a scary thought for many, the idea that a car will one day most probably drive itself. We’ve already seen the proliferation of driver aids in the last 20 odd years, from anti-lock brakes, to stability control and more recently, features such as adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance systems.

General Motors has announced a second quarter net income of $2.5 billion or $1.54 per fully diluted share. By comparison, GM’s Q2 2010 performance showed a net income of $1.3 billion or 85 cents per diluted share. Revenue has increased from $6.2 billion to 39.4 billion compared to the second quarter of 2010.

There will be no public mea culpa, but Ford marketing boss Jim Farley has apologized for sensational remarks he made about General Motors.

The program is part of the OnStar system, and over 10,000 of its current subscribers have been chosen to take part. Parents can log onto a GM website and view the location of their car on a map, thereby preventing a web of lies and deceit. Alerts can pop up in the form of a text message or an email.

GM’s CEO Dan Akerson believes that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle won’t be feasible until at least 2020. Let’s hope GM calls the right prediction this time.

Technology has progressed so much that sometimes it can be unsafe, even for your car. Mobile apps can now allow drivers to unlock car doors and remotely start their engines. However two hackers have exploited this convenience and now have access to vehicles with remote starters. Researchers Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik managed to use a laptop to hack the mobile app connection in two different car brands, and will demonstrate this at the upcoming Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.

GM has spent a not-insubstantial sum on Sunlogics, a manufacturer of solar energy systems, in order to supply its Chevrolet dealerships with environmentally-friendly charging stations.

General Motors is trailing   Nissan in electric car sales, prompting the the American automaker to boost output on Chevrolet Volt to 5,000 units a month as the automaker tries to take the lead.

GMC‘s thing has always been trucks, though some would argue it’s 1971-87 El Camino derrivatives, the Sprint and Caballero broke the mold. Now, there’s no question that the brand is firmly stepping outside it’s traditional comfort zone; for 2013 it plans to chase after those in the market for cars like the Kia Soul and Scion XB.

GM has announced the pricing details for the 2012 Cadillac SRX and the crossover will get a new, more powerful engine. Pricing for the 2012 SRX will start at $36,060, including a destination charge of $875 and the model adopts a new 3.6-liter V6 producing 308-hp.

Given current and future proposals for Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards it probably isn’t surprising that General Motors is focusing on gas mileage when it comes to new product offerings.

With fuel economy being one of the for most issues for the entire auto industry, GM may plan to add eight-speed automatic transmissions and turbocharged engines to its next generation of full-size trucks.

General Motors has officially confirmed that there will be a diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze compact car in the U.S, planned for introduction in 2013. The current Chevrolet Cruze Eco is rated at around 40 mpg on the highway, so the diesel would have to deliver significantly better fuel efficiency than that to justify a higher-price. GM CEO Dan Akerson commented on the diesel variant, “I drove it the other day. It is great, these new diesels are quiet. Should make it in the low- to mid-40s, and that’s with an automatic,”.

Buick and GMC understand the importance of social networking and have set up online vehicle-shopping experiences that are socially engaging, letting site visitors build, save and share their configured vehicles.

Ford’s head of marketing came out today with a brash, succinct statement that strikes deep down into the core of humanity: “f**k GM.”

Chevrolet has sold 2.35 million vehicles globally in the first six months of 2011, setting sales records in all the top five markets. The first six months of 2011 was the best half year performance in Chevrolet’s 100-year history. The American automaker sold 286,499 more vehicles in the first half of 2011 than the same time period of 2010, a 14-percent increase year over year.

The Saab 9-6X concept was unveiled six years after being axed. The first pictures of the concept have hit the web and was unveiled at the company’s museum in Trollhättan.

Following on from a demonstration back in February, at the DistribuTECH conference in San Diego, General Motors, in conjunction with OnStar, is in the process of launching a real world Smart Grid program for electric vehicles, beginning with a pilot project, set to debut later this year.

General Motors has its hands in all corners of the globe, and while most consumers know about their operations in Europe and South Koreas, their arm in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan is shaping up to be quite the powerhouse in the all-important Russian market.

There’s no question that the US Federal government’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards have drawn a lot of fire and widespread opposition from automakers, especially as the Obama administration is now pushing for a 56 miles per gallon fleet average target by 2025.

Well, this is awkward. Volkswagen said some while back that GM might be selling Opel, possibly to them. It was a statement made by a chief executive, then repeated by German media, then finally catching the attention of GM itself. And now GM is distancing itself from such rumors, calling the statement “regrettable.”

Albeit just barely. After having languished in the number 38 spot since 2010, thanks to corporate earnings, the General was able to beat out Bank of America Corp, by some $1.4 million in profit to secure its place once again on the Top 20 World’s Largest Corporations list.

Move on over Ford, GM is picking up momentum. According to analysts of Morgan Stanley, General Motors is the better long-term pick among domestic automakers. Morgan Stanley has been especially impressed with the new product cadence at GM, something expected to continue with the introduction of the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano.

However, if you happen to live in the state of Oregon or Washington, General Motors has some good news for you. If you buy any new Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicle in these two states, GM will pay for your insurance for up to a year or 15,000-miles. This special offer is a joint collaboration between GM and MetLife to attract more customers.