While General Motors is shying away from social media and advertising, its competition is taking the chance to fill the gap and get attention. 

Last week, the auto giant announced that it was nixing its ads with Facebook outright. Ford jumped in to fill that gaping hole and blow a big raspberry in the General’s face by making a big deal out of upping its ads on the site. Not long after, GM announced that it would also not be running ads in next year’s Superbowl, an American advertising tradition.

Some might have been shocked by the decision, especially after the ostentatious ads the company ran to thumb noses at Ford, but according to GM, the bill is just too high. Following suit with Ford, Hyundai is jumping on the “jeer at GM” bandwagon by announcing that it will run Superbowl commercials next year.

Hyundai marketing VP Steve Shannon sent an email to the Detroit Free Press shortly after the GM announcement saying: ”In addition to the fact that this is far and away the best-watched television program in the U.S. the social media opportunities continue to grow every year and we expect even more impact from this aspect of our advertising on the Super Bowl next year.”

There can never bee enough hilarious superbowl commercials, that much is certain, but given how far we are from the next Superbowl, doesn’t this whole thing seem a little childish?

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

General Motors has started the expansion of its Wentzville, Missouri plant, essentially taking the first steps toward brining the new Chevrolet Colorado to the U.S. 

The $380 million expansion to the assembly plant will retain or create 1,260 jobs as GM starts to build the next generation of its midsize pickups at the location. No details have been given on when the plant expansion will be completed or what products will be built at the plant, but we’re confident that the new Chevrolet Colorado will be built there.

However, the midsize pickup might not be called the Chevrolet Colorado as it is now, when it launches. Currently, GM is working on completing its refresh of all its full-size pickups as 2014 model years before bringing the new midsize to market.

“This is the first of many of what we hope are many good news announcements” at the plant, said GM spokeswoman Stephanie Jentgen.

[Source: Detroit News]

Tucked away behind the list of new cars in Cadillac’s lineup like the upcoming XTS seen above, the Omega platform that could underpin a new rear-wheel drive flagship for the American luxury marque seems to be gathering steam.

While details have been hazy about the new platform, and in some senses still are, our friends at GM Inside News, have learned that the company is sourcing parts for the structure.  While that doesn’t necessarily mean the project is green lit completely, it’s bigger news toward an actual product than has otherwise surfaced.

Still, a car built on the Omega architecture isn’t likely until 2015 at the earliest. It takes about four years to develop a new platform and car simultaneously. That said, if such a does end up on the assembly line, it will mean a mega sedan.

[Source: GM Inside News]

General Motors, one of the largest advertisers in the U.S., seems to be pulling out of big ad campaigns like it’s the new hot trend.

“We understand the reach the Super Bowl provides, but with the significant increase in price, we simply can’t justify the expense,” General Motors Global CMO Joel Ewanick said.

His statement comes only days after the company also announced its immediate withdrawal of all paid ads from social media titan Facebook, which went public today. Earlier this year we also reported that the company had consolidated most of its ad budget to a single company, slashing scores of smaller players out of its books.

Over the last three months, in fact, it looks like GM is trying to change its advertising tack, though what that means is still unclear.

One GM spokesperson commenting on the Facebook pullout played the decision down, saying the company regularly reviews its ad spending and makes adjustments, suggesting that the move wasn’t a big deal.

That might be true, considering the $10 million represents a tiny fraction of Facebook’s overall income, but the automaker’s decision not to buy ad time during the king of American TV events represents a break in tradition that will take many by surprise, especially after spots like the Chevy post-apocalyptic piece that poked fun at Ford, seen below.

Straight from the other side of the world, Chevrolet announced its SS Performance sedan today: a rebadged next-generation Holden VF Commodore, as expected.

For the first time in 17 years, Chevrolet will offer a rear-wheel drive sedan, though it will really just be a returning Pontiac G8. Still, the car will enjoy more fanfare than the Pontiac did because its new badge will also herald the Aussi car as its new entrant as a NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar, replacing the Impala.

The company confirmed that it will only be a limited-run car, manufactured next year to be sold as a 2014 model. Few other details are currently available, but the car will make its official debut in next year’s Daytona 500 in February.

Still, with a 6.2-liter V8 likely to sit under the hood with well over 400 hp, the transmission will probably be what makes or breaks Chevrolet’s latest performer. If it follows the G8′s mundane automatic mainstay, the limited production will probably be a good thing, but with a six-speed manual, this could be the four-door beast to marry power with everyday practicality the Camaro can’t have.

The latest rumblings from Down Under are suggesting that GM subsidiary Holden will soon announce its plan to export the V8 Commodore to the American market as the Chevrolet SS Performance sedan.

If and when that announcement comes, as it’s expected to, it will confirm speculation that the mysterious “SS” badge recently filed with the U.S. Patent Office and then leaked through the OnStar app is, in fact, the next generation Commodore. Another big hint in what’s really more of a sure thing, Holden has been testing left hand-drive versions of the Commodore, presumably in preparation for other-side-of-the-road markets like America.

It also seems the upcoming nameplate might be tied NASCAR. News.com.au speculated in the same article that GM’s decision to scrap the Impala from the sport will leave a slot open to be filled by by the SS Performance.

As we’ve reported before, the upcoming car will almost certainly be a revived Pontiac G8, which was the previous attempt at selling a Holden to U.S. consumers. Financial difficulty brought a swift end to both the car and brand, as GM couldn’t justify maintaining it while floundering.

[Source: News.com.au]

Warren Buffett must have been a wealthy lemming in a past life, because when he dives from a cliff others follow — often into a pit of money. His latest plunge involved acquiring 10 million shares of General Motors, which could signal future strength for the company.

Only three years ago GM declared bankruptcy, a move that to this day left 32 percent of the company in Federal control. Buffett’s reputation as an investment guru grew out of his shrewd ability to notice undervalued companies early, but those investments usually don’t go to larger companies like GM.

To be fair, it wasn’t actually Buffett that invested money, it was Berkshire Hathaway, his investment firm. The total money put in was $256.6 million, which was enough to make it the automaker’s 20th largest investor. Since that investment, the stock has already jumped 4.3 percent.

In 2010 when GM went public, the shares started at $33, but closed Tuesday at $21.42. This isn’t the only stock GM is currently drawing attention to either. The company also just announced that it plans to pull all its advertising from social media giant Facebook, a decision that pulls $10 million in ad revenue from the site, which is expected to be going public this week. Despite that, Facebook’s current value continues to jump, most recently reaching $16 billion.

GM decided to pull the ads because it said they didn’t effectively reach the target audience. That move in tandem with the Buffett investment could be a good thing for the company as a signal that despite its stock prices being lower than they were two years ago, it is remaining dynamic and working toward improvement.

General Motors, the world’s largest automaker, has confirmed its plan to pull $10 million worth of ads from social media behemoth, Facebook, just days before the site’s IPO. 

The move reflects  a lack of faith on GM’s part that its paid advertising affects the consumers being targeted enough to justify continuing the ads. This isn’t the first time in recent history that the company cut its ad spending. Earlier this year we reported that GM had consolidated most of its ad spending to Aegis Group’s Carat London operation, cutting several smaller companies out of its budget.

With so much speculation surrounding Facebook’s ground-shattering IPO, having the U.S.’ third-largest advertiser pull out can’t be a good sign, but it isn’t clear if, and by how much, the decision will affect the network moving forward.

Greg Martin, A GM spokesperson told the Detroit News, that the company regularly re-evaluates where its advertising dollars go, and that this was a routine move.

“In terms of Facebook specifically, while we currently do not plan to continue with advertising, we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers,” he said.

While the higher-ups at Facebook might be sweating a little, most car fans probably couldn’t care less about the ads disappearing — exactly the mentality behind the move.

What they (you) probably do care about are the fan pages, which GM says will remain intact.

[Source: the Detroit News]

After losing its crown as the world’s largest automaker in 2011, Toyota looks to regain its position at the top of the heap, out-selling rivals General Motors and Volkswagen through the first quarter of this year.

With sales up 18 percent globally, Toyota moved 2.49 million vehicles, putting the Japanese auto giant just ahead of GM’s 2.28 million tally. Germany’s Volkswagen AG, which has said it will become number one on the list by 2018, currently sits third with 2.16 million units for the first three months of the year.

Toyota first claimed the top spot as the world’s largest automaker in 2008, aided by low sales for GM as it underwent bankruptcy protection. The Japanese automaker then managed to hold on to its number one position for the following two years before last year’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami significantly impacted production, dropping Toyota from first to third.

Along with restored production, Toyota is seeing improved sales as it begins to significantly revamp its lineup, rolling out a new version of it’s top selling Camry mid-size sedan, while also introducing new versions of the Prius hybrid like the Prius c and Prius v.

[Source: Bloomberg]

It’s common practice for regional auto journalist associations to gather, usually once a year, and vote on which cars they like most. 

Recently, the Texas Auto Writers Association had a mind meld to decide which cars qualified as the best of the year in the Lone Star State. The biggest news from their think tank? Chrysler pretty much won the whole thing.

The Nissan GT-R was named the “Car of Texas,” and the best supercar which might be surprising because it’s an import, but then again the 545-hp beast isn’t to be trifled with and Texans love anything fast.

Beyond that, the Chrysler Town & Country also got the “Car of Texas” title, though for different reasons more aimed at family practicality. Its interior,storage capacity and comfortability were big  factors.

What’s more interesting than either of  the big winners was the fact that Chrysler won the eight of the total 18 awards with its diverse lineup — the most of any automaker. The Fiat 500 Cabrio won best sub-compact while the Chrysler 300 was the favorite for both luxury car and full-size sedan.

Despite not having launched yet, the Dodge Dart scored the top spot in three categories too as Compact Car of Texas, best new feature, and best vehicle. Finally, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was named the best performance utility vehicle.

GM came in second place with four vehicles winning awards including the Chevrolet Volt as the green car of Texas.

GALLERY: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8

Depending on where you live, a hiccup in GM’s truck supply lines might make buying a pickup from your local Chevrolet of GMC dealer difficult.

With its current line of Silverados and Sierras remaining unchanged since 2006, GM is falling behind the pack. There will be a new RAM pickup in the fall and Ford’s F-Series came on the scene two years after the current GM line. That line will be refreshed to remain competitive, but that means a full production halt for a total 29 weeks between all the plants affected.

Of course in that time, there will be a lapse in normal production, something the company tried to soften by ramping up production in anticipation. While that might seem like a solution in theory, problems started to rise when it became apparent that dealerships wouldn’t all have a positive disposition to bulking up truck supplies ahead of time.

Some dealerships are going with the plan, but according to Automotive News, there are also stores saying no to the trucks. As AIS Rebates, an Ann Arbor, Mich., firm that provides incentive data to dealers reports, there is a $3,000 incentive for dealers on crew cab versions of the Silverado and Sierra 1500, but anything beyond that is unlikely because the gap in production will already be squeezing GM’s profits.

That leaves dealerships in one of two places, which inevitably affects the consumer. Dealers will either find a stockpile of trucks that might not move given the impending approach of improved trucks, and those turning the vehicles away may find customers flowing to new dealerships or brands over the unavailability.

Either way, it could spell out a sweet situation for customers who play their cards right. On the one hand, your local dealer might put cash on the hood if there are too many trucks getting sun tans on the lot. In the other scenario, where that dealership runs dry, you might find another dealership eager to sweet talk new customers away from the competition.

[Source: Automotive News]

Every year the Fortune 500 rankings are announced, and it’s usually no surprise to see the big three on the list. This year, however, you’ll find only two of the domestic automakers, though both have moved up the list.

Coming in at number 5 on this year’s Fortune 500 list is General Motors. Following a successful 2010 ranking where the company was placed 8th, GM’s 2011 revenue increased 11 percent to $150.3 billion. A major factor for this is the high sales and lower costs of GM’s products, like the Cruze and Sonic compact and subcompacts. It also helps when you grab the global sales leader title away from Toyota.

Ford moved up one Fortune 500 ranking to the number 9 position this year, thanks to a huge 208 percent jump in profits. Jumps like that are more in line with Tech, and Oil companies rather than automakers, so its no wonder to see Ford move up in the Fortune 500.

Its interesting to note that Chrysler did not appear on the Fortune 500 this year because they are now controlled by Fiat, and no longer considered a U.S. Company by Fortune magazine.

[Source: Automotive News]