The 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD is a full-size, heavy duty; 'one-ton' pickup truck built for the toughest of uses, available in regular cab, extended cab and crew cab body styles.

The Sierra 3500 HD is known for its towing, hauling capacities, smooth ride, respectable build, materials quality, accurate steering, and pleasant seats. For 2009, the GMC Sierra 3500HD gets the latest version of OnStar which includes turn-by-turn navigation. Bluetooth phone connectivity is also offered, and the optional navigation system comes with an available real-time traffic feature. A backup camera is optional on extended and crew cabs.

The Ford F-350 is the Sierra 3500HD's nearest competitor.

Power and Performance

The regular cab, extended cab and the crew cab models are available with a standard two-wheel-drive configuration. The regular cabs have base Work Truck or midlevel SLE trims. The extended and crew cabs are available in premium SLT form. The SLE trims come in SLE1 and SLE2 trims.

A 353-horsepower, 6.0-liter, V-8 engine is standard. The engine is attached to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Duramax 6.6-liter, turbo-diesel, V-8 engine gives 365 horsepower is an option available. This engine has been mated to a heavy-duty Allison six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD can haul up to 5,309 pounds and tow up to 13,000 pounds. The Work Truck trim, with a four-wheel-drive (4WD), has a floor-mounted select or transfer case, while other 4WD trims are given AutoTrac. The mileage is just 15 in city and 20 mpg on highways.

Body and Styling

A refined heavy duty vehicle, 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD comes with quality interior with simple-to-use controls. Three power points, lots of storage cubbies and box and cup holders are the highlights. 16" x 7.0" 8-lug painted steel, 16" x 7.0" 8-lug chrome-clad steel, 17" x 7.5" 8-lug bright machined aluminum and 17" x 6.5" 8-lug painted steel includes painted center caps are available.

Leather seats; door panels that have wood-grain and metallic accents; keyless entry; rain-sensing wipers; an exclusive dash; heated front seats and 12-way power feature in the SLT trims.

Power door locks and windows; XM Radio with a 3 month trial subscription and front leather-appointed bucket seats, power reclining, heated; Driver Information System; Sunroof; Navigation System and DVD Entertainment System are some of the optional interior features.

Safety features

Frontal, driver and right-front passenger airbags, four-wheel antilock, four-wheel disc brakes, and one-year OnStar service with Safe and Sound plan are standard.

The OnStar system includes automatic crash notification, automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, a link to all emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock (requires power locks), OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, hands-free calling and remote horn and lights.

PASSkey III Plus theft-deterrent system, power-adjustable pedals and rear park assist are optional.

 

The 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD is a full-size, heavy duty; 'one-ton' pickup truck built for the toughest of uses, available in regular cab, extended cab and crew cab body styles. The regular cab, extended cab and the crew cab models are available with a standard two-wheel-drive configuration. The regular cabs have base Work Truck or midlevel SLE trims. The extended and crew cabs are available in premium SLT form. The SLE trims come in SLE1 and SLE2 trims.

 

Power and Performance

 

A 353-horsepower, 6.0-liter, V-8 engine is standard. The engine is attached to a six-speed automatic transmission. The Duramax 6.6-liter, turbo-diesel, V-8 engine gives 365 horsepower is an option available. This engine has been mated to a heavy-duty Allison six-speed automatic transmission.

 

The 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD can haul up to 5,309 pounds. The Work Truck trim, with a four-wheel-drive (4WD), has a floor-mounted select or transfer case, while other 4WD trims are given AutoTrac. The mileage is just 15 in city and 20 mpg on highways.

 

Body and Styling

 

A refined heavy duty vehicle, 2009 GMC Sierra 3500 HD comes with quality interior with simple-to-use controls. Three power points, lots of storage cubbies and box and cup holders are the highlights. 16" x 7.0" 8-lug painted steel, 16" x 7.0" 8-lug chrome-clad steel, 17" x 7.5" 8-lug bright machined aluminum and 17" x 6.5" 8-lug painted steel includes painted center caps are available.

 

Leather seats; door panels that have wood-grain and metallic accents; keyless entry; rain-sensing wipers; an exclusive dash; heated front seats and 12-way power feature in the SLT trims.

 

Power door locks and windows; XM Radio with a 3 month trial subscription and front leather-appointed bucket seats, power reclining, heated; Driver Information System; Sunroof; Navigation System and DVD Entertainment System are some of the optional interior features.

 

Safety features

 

Frontal, driver and right-front passenger airbags, four-wheel antilock, four-wheel disc brakes, and one-year OnStar service with Safe and Sound plan are standard.

 

The OnStar system includes automatic crash notification, automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, a link to all emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock (requires power locks), OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, hands-free calling and remote horn and lights. PASSkey III Plus theft-deterrent system, power-adjustable pedals and rear park assist are optional.

 

 

The Chevrolet Camaro is back. Chevrolet has reintroduced this iconic pony car after eight years. The all new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, a two-door, four-passenger sports car excels in design, power, handling, efficiency, comfort, convenience, safety over the previous models. The new, fifth-generation Camaro delivers on all fronts.

 

The 2010 Camaro is not retro as the new Dodge Challenger or the Ford Mustang. The Camaro manages to look thoroughly 21st century – in fact, futuristic. The 2010 Camaro delivers the best of both worlds – great heritage and a thoroughly modern, advanced package of sporty driving, comfort and technology.

 

Built on GM’s new, global rear-wheel-drive architecture, the Camaro is offered in V-6-powered LS and LT models as well as the V-8-powered SS. All models and powertrain combinations include fuel-saving six-speed transmissions.

 

Highlights of the 2010 Camaro

 

• Sleek, heritage-inspired interior and exterior styling with contemporary cues • Robust body structure, exceptional build quality and suite of safety features including 6 standard airbags • Advanced powertrain technologies, including engines with direct injection and Active Fuel Management, enabling a balance of performance and fuel economy • Four-wheel independent suspension system tuned to match the performance capabilities of the respective powertrains • Variable-rate power steering with the rack mounted forward of the front axle for better weight balance and greater driver feel • Four-wheel disc brake systems standard on all models, including four-piston Brembo calipers on SS models • StabiliTrak stability control system and traction control standard on all models • Family of 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheels

 

Standard features include XM Radio, an auxiliary jack for MP3 players, steering-wheel-mounted cruise controls, front sport bucket seats with adjustable head restraints and rear-seat trunk pass-through, a tilt/telescoping wheel, and turn-by-turn OnStar voice prompts (a navigation screen is not offered). Sunroof: power with Express-Open and venting is optional. Options (or standard features, depending on model) include: Bluetooth, a USB port with full iPod integration, a leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob, six-way power driver's seat, heated leather seats, and a 245-watt, nine-speaker audio rig.

 

Power and performance

 

An advanced 3.6L direct-injected V-6 with variable valve timing is standard on LS and LT models. It offers power and efficiency, with 304 horsepower (227 kW) and EPA-rated 29 mpg in highway driving.

 

The performance-oriented Camaro SS comes with a pair of 6.2L V-8 engines, including one with Active Fuel Management that helps improve fuel economy by shutting down four cylinders during certain light-load driving conditions. That model delivers 25 mpg in EPA-rated highway fuel economy.

 

A six-speed manual transmission is standard while a six-speed automatic, includes steering wheel-mounted TAPshift controls is optional.

 

Exterior and interior

 

Combining great looks, performance and advanced technology, the 2010 Camaro honors its heritage while delivering on customer expectations of a sports coupe for the 21st century.

 

The front and rear, body color front fascia with front grille and rear diffuser is standard. The SS trim's front fascia ads the front air scoop and brake cooling slots. An optional RS Package is available with 20-inch flangeless painted-aluminum wheels with Midnight Silver finish; body-color roof ditch molding; high intensity discharge headlamps with integral halo rings; unique tail lamps; and rear spoiler when LT model is ordered.

 

Inside the four-passenger cabin, gets a distinctive glow with an available ambient light package with advanced LED light pipe technology.

 

Cloth upholstery is standard and leather-appointed seats are included on 2LT and 2SS models. Four-way manual adjustment including fore/aft and up/down on the driver seat and two-way adjustment on the passenger seat is standard. Heated, leather-trimmed seats with driver six-way power adjustment are optional.

 

Both LT and SS standard cloth and available leather interior colors are black, gray and beige. The front seat travel is a generous 8.5 inches (216 mm) from front to back. On SS models, the seats feature a distinctive SS logo on the headrest with contrasting stitching. An Inferno Orange interior trim package also will be available with leather interiors.

 

An AM/FM stereo with CD-ROM and MP3 playback, music navigator, Graphic Information Display and auxiliary audio input jack which includes outside temperature display is standard. A premium, 245-watt Boston Acoustics nine-speaker audio system can be ordered on 1LT and SS models. XM Satellite Radio is standard on all models.

 

All models also include power door locks and express up and down driver and passenger window. Cargo capacity can be increased with the standard fold-down rear seat. The capacity of the trunk is 11.3 cubic feet (320 liters).

 

Safety features

 

The 2010 Camaro, a four-passenger, front-engine, rear-drive coupe, comes with a comprehensive system of safety features – starting with a robust body structure and integral safety cage around the passenger compartment. High-strength steel and ultra high-strength steels are used in key areas throughout the structure.

 

Safety technologies also include:

 

• Driver and front passenger dual-stage air bags • Driver and front passenger seat-mounted thorax side-impact air bags • Head curtain side-impact air bags for front- and rear-seat occupants • Front-seat safety belt load limiters and pretensioners • A front passenger detection system that senses children and small-stature adults, and suppresses air bag deployment when appropriate.  

The recession has hit the automobile sector badly forcing the General Motors (GM) and Chrysler to seek an additional $14 billion in aid from the government.

 

GM, presenting a survival plan, said it plans to cut 47,000 jobs globally and close five more U.S. manufacturing units. Chrysler also wants to cut down 3,000 more jobs and stop manufacturing three models.

 

GM, world's largest automaker, needs up to $30 billion from the Treasury Department. Earlier it wanted only $18 billion. It said it could run out of money by March if it fails to get new funds. The GM request includes a credit line of $7.5 billion to be utilized if the recession affects too badly. However, there was a ray of hope, it claimed that it could gain profits in just two years and could repay the loans by 2017.

 

Chrysler LLC sought $5 billion in new loans apart from the $4 billion it received in December. It might need also an additional $3 billion, it claimed. The two requests were part of restructuring plans the two automakers owed the government in exchange for earlier loans.

 

Meanwhile, Ford which has taken huge loans from the private sources said it can make it through 2009 without any assistance from the government.

 

Chrysler is likely eliminate the Dodge Aspen, Durango and Chrysler PT Cruiser models while GM plans to sell or spin-off its Saturn brand or phase out the brand.

 

Meanwhile, GM is said be considering a proposal to sell off its Hummer division and sought buyers for its Saab unit. By selling or eliminating certain brands, GM could focus on Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick, with Pontiac reduced to one or two models, the sources in the automobile sector said.  

General Motors Corporation conceded its 77-year stint as the world’s largest-selling automaker to Toyota Motors Corporation. In a speech at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said that losing the sales race to Toyota wasn’t as important as returning to profit and making GM successful. GM is expecting $13.4 billion in U.S. loans to help reduce labor costs, debt, dealers and brands, a move that will see some major restructuring to lower its break-even point.

 

GM’s 2008 sales fell more than 11 percent to 8.35 million vehicles, according to a company statement; while Toyota posted a 4 percent drop to 8.92 million vehicles. Since 1999, Toyota saw a 70 percent increase in sales as the demand for fuel-efficient cars increased. In spite of Toyota’s amazing success story amid the worst of the meltdown in global auto demand, the company is feeling the pinch in worldwide auto demand, with its first sales slump in 10 years.

 

GM said that the economic downturn in the United States and Europe caused its slide and slashed vehicle demand in major markets, where Toyota did not have as significant a presence. Industry-wide sales in the U.S. staggered under sky-rocketing fuel prices and a looming recession to fall 18 percent in 2008 hitting GM’s domestic sales by 23 percent. The auto giant recorded about $73 billion in losses since the end of 2004, and is having to close more than a dozen factories at locations in North America.  

The Cadillac Converj Concept was unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show by General Motors. The Cadillac Converj’s styling is aerodynamic, with well defined sharp streaks and a raked, backward slanting character line that visually depicts forward motion. Cadillac’s signature shield-type grille rides up front on the hood. According to Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman of product development, “the Converj was meant to appeal to customers on account of its beauty and proportions and not just its electric propulsion technology”.

 

The Cadillac Converj Concept is likely to roll off production lines by the end of 2010, joining fellow sibling, the Chevy Volt. The Converj is an extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV), equipped with an electric motor and a gasoline engine. The gasoline engine plays the role of a generator, and recharges the vehicle’s batteries, while the electric motor is responsible for propulsion. The Converj Concept seats 4 occupants in a sleek and futuristically designed coupe body style.

 

The Converj will share the Voltec, (the Volt’s powertrain) which has an electric motor, a 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack with over 220 cells, and a range-extending, flex-fuel-capable four-cylinder engine. The Voltec powertrain on the Converj delivers 120 kilowatts of power, 273 lb-ft of torque and can attain a top speed of 100 mph. The Converj can run up to 40 miles without using gasoline or releasing emissions, after which the engine-generator kicks in for “several hundred miles”, according to GM’s Bob Lutz.  

GM's radical extended-range electric car, the Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in series-hybrid electric vehicle, built at the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly in Detroit, Michigan. GM avoids the term "hybrid," and prefers to call it an electric vehicle with a "range extender" because of its design. The Volt can run on electricity from batteries for up to 40 miles.

 

The Chevrolet Volt is currently in the final run up to its pre-production phase of integrating its fundamental components. The Volt concept vehicle which first made an appearance in the North American International Auto Show has four doors and a rear liftgate; it is capable of carrying four to five passengers. Once finished, the Chevy Volt is expected to have a top speed around 100 mph and make 0-60 mph in 9.0 seconds. A 1.4 liter four-cylinder "Family Zero" engine will kick in with more power, when its battery-charge tapers off. At around 1600kg the Volt is quite a heavy car, with an overall weight distribution of 50:50.

 

GM will show the new Chevrolet car at a motor show at the tail-end of 2009, which is likely to generate a lot of interest from family car buyers, and plans to get the Volt into showrooms by the end of 2010.  

Perhaps for the first time, visitors to the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show will not be able to witness the General Motors Corporation’s Press Conference, as the automajor has canceled all plans to hold one. Seen as a cost cutting move at a time when GM faces a very troubled and uncertain future, the auto giant also surrenders an opportunity to talk to visitors about its forthcoming vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, an important platform for showcasing its new products and North America’s most hi-profile media event.

 

Scott Fosgard, spokesman for GM, said that currently the media and the industry’s attention was riveted on negotiations going on in Congress, which was likely to overshadow events at the LA Auto Show. General Motors Corp. lost $2.5 billion in the third quarter of 2008, and the automaker fears that it might be totally depleted of cash reserves in 2009, unless it garners funds to stay afloat or the American economy shows signs of a recovery.

 

Congress has authorized $25 billion in low-cost loans to help the auto industry develop more fuel-efficient vehicles. However Detroit's automakers are demanding up to $25 billion more in bridge financing and $25 billion more, for union-managed trusts to pay for health care of retirees.

 

GM will unveil the Saab 9-X Air concept vehicle and Chevrolet Volt electric extended-range vehicle at the LA Auto Show. The company postponed plans to unveil its all-new Buick LaCrosse sedan and Cadillac SRX crossover.  

General Motors are keeping pace with developments in these days of uncertain gas prices and changing consumer demand. One important decision General Motors has made on the Pontiac G6 engine, will help tide over the crisis.

 

Thus far, GT and GXP Coupe models have always had V6 powertrains. The GT had the 3.5L OHV VVT V6; while the GXP was equipped with the 3.6L High-Feature V6 and a six-speed automatic. According to reliable sources, the GT and GXP Coupe models will be joined by an "SE" model for 2009. Henceforth, G6 Coupe models will have an ECOTEC 2.4L VVT four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic as standard. The four-cylinder engine is good for 164 HP and 156 lb.-ft. of torque. The G6 update will also highlight a different front fascia - a new, squared-off grille and improved lower air dam, inspired by siblings the G8 and Vibe. For 2009, the G6 will be updated with new switchgear and "Black-Tie" units, in use on other new GM vehicles. The driver information center will be installed at a traditional location.

 

The new VVT four-cylinder may bring down the price and make the car more attractive to customers. The G6 sedan with the four-cylinder is rated at 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.  

According to undisclosed but reliable sources, General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Cerberus Capital Management LP are on the verge of considering a merger, or an acquisition of Chrysler by GM. Cerberus Capital Management LP which has an 80.1 per cent stake in Chrysler, and is already engaged in a joint venture with GM, has evidently been holding talks about a full merger or acquisition with GM.

 

Detroit’s automakers have often explored tie-ups, and in this case, a consolidation of the auto-majors would augur well for the American automotive industry, as well as establish GM as global sales leader, a position that has come under threat from Toyota in recent times.

 

According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, Cerberus, who owns 51 percent of GMAC Financial Services, is pitching for GM’s remaining 49 percent stake in GMAC, in a trade-off for Chrysler’s automotive operations.

 

While negotiations between GM and Chrysler have been held more than a month ago, GM spokesman Tony Cervone maintained that GM officials, often discussed issues facing various automakers. Chrysler said that their company was exploring avenues for growth around the world, through beneficial global affiliations.