General Motors is adding two shifts and about 2,500 hourly and salaried jobs at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the new Chevrolet Malibu mid-size sedan and the next-generation Impala large sedan alongside the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera electric cars. GM on Wednesday announced the additional shifts and a $69 million investment in tooling and equipment to support the next-generation Impala. In April 2010, GM announced a $121 million investment to support Malibu production. “Filling this plant with new work is very satisfying because GM is dedicated to helping rebuild this city,” GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the plant Wednesday. “We are confident in the flexibility of the plant, the excellence of our workers and the great cars assembled here.” Joe Ashton, UAW vice president-GM Department, said “Given the competitive nature of the auto industry in the United States, the bar for success is placed very high. The members of UAW Local 22 soar over the bar every day by demonstrating their flexibility, hard work, and their intense focus on the customer. This workforce understands that meeting our diverse and sophisticated customers’ need for high-quality and reliable transportation is our most important task.”
From USA Today: Nearly six of 10 Americans — 57% — say they won't buy an all-electric car no matter the price of gas, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. That's a stiff headwind just as automakers are developing electrics to help meet tighter federal rules that could require their fleets to average as high as 62 miles per gallon in 2025. And President Obama has set a goal of a million electric vehicles in use in the U.S. by 2015. The anti-electric sentiment unmasked by the poll shows that pure electrics — defined in the poll question as "an electric car that you could only drive for a limited number of miles at one time" — could have trouble getting a foothold in the U.S. Nissan (ever in denial) interprets the poll numbers as a good sign, pointing out that "as many as 40% are considering driving electric vehicles." Researcher J.D. Power and Associates projects sales of pure electrics this year will be 10,727, rising to 95,939 in 2015. Industry estimates for total 2011 light-vehicle sales are in the 13 million range, rising to about 14 million by 2015.
From the Detroit News: The Obama administration unveiled revamped fuel economy labels today — including new ratings for electric vehicles — but dropped a proposal to assign "A+" through "D" grades for vehicle efficiency. The decision — announced this morning by the administration — is a win for automakers that have lobbied against the letter grades, worried that it would have deterred customers from buying larger vehicles that got poor grades. The new labels — required by a 2007 energy law and jointly revised by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — will take effect with the 2013 model year. The new label retain the traditional focus on miles per gallon and annual fuel costs, while updating the overall design and adding required new comparison information on fuel economy and emissions. The new labels have some new features, including a QR Code that will allow users of smartphones to access online information about how various models compare on fuel economy. Consumers will be to enter information about their commutes and driving behavior to get a more precise estimate of fuel costs. (Below is an example label from a Ford F150 pickup with a 3.7 liter V6)
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