GM 2008 Collection is Coming up Roses with a Focus on Energy Diversity

Published Sep 24th 2007, 6:06am by Jody DeVere in Featured Articles

I had a blast attending the General Motors 2008 Collection event this week with the ever passionate Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman and Susan Docherty, General Motors Western Region General Manager who I recently interviewed on AskPatty.com, they spoke about their excitement surrounding the GM brand revitalization that is currently underway.

This event was a rare opportunity for me to test drive the many GM 2008 models before the hit showroom this fall. It was fun and educational to get intimately acquainted with the Buick Enclave my personal favorite, the H2, which I needed to understand why so many women love to drive H2's here in Los Angeles and the super fast and sleek 2008 Corvette. I took a long scenic drive with the all new Cadillac CTS luxury sport sedan, which hopes to give Lexus and other luxury sport sedan makers a run for their money with in 2008, then I took a spin in the European look and feel Saab 9-3. What a hoot!

I'll be reviewing all these 2008 GM models and more soon on AskPatty's newest feature CarBlabber, car reviews for women by women, so stay tuned for more on my impressions from a woman's point of view.

GM’s new entries for 2008 include:

Cadillac – The second-generation Cadillac CTS luxury sport sedan and the redesigned STS luxury performance sedan, both of which get more powerful-yet-efficient engines

Buick – The elegant Buick Enclave luxury crossover and the return of the Buick Super designation on LaCrosse and Lucerne

Chevrolet – An all-new Malibu dramatically redesigned inside and out; a more powerful Corvette; a more powerful version of the Equinox, the Equinox Sport; and an all-new 2-Mode full hybrid Tahoe full-size SUV

GMC – The 2-Mode full hybrid Yukon full-size SUV which, like the Chevy Tahoe 2-Mode hybrid, achieves up to a 25-percent gain in fuel economy over non-hybrid models

HUMMER – A more powerful H2 with a redesigned interior and an all-new, V-8-powered H3 Alpha performance SUV

Pontiac – Two new GXP models: the G6 GXP and Torrent GXP

Saturn – An all-new Saturn Vue compact SUV and Saturn Astra three- and five-door sport compacts

Saab – A more powerful 9-3 range at Saab sporting dramatic exterior enhancements that evoke the popular Aero X concept.

A focus on energy diversity

In addition to the GM claim of producing the industry’s best cars and trucks , a key priority for General Motors is reducing the industry’s reliance on petroleum and petroleum imports, as well as reducing carbon emissions. To that end, the 2008 model year features the world debut of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs equipped with GM’s 2-Mode hybrid system. They join three other hybrid vehicles and 12 E85 ethanol FlexFuel cars and trucks in the lineup.

GM has committed to producing electrically driven vehicles that help diversify energy sources, reduce emissions and improve efficiency. Along with hybrids they include extended-range plug-in electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and, ultimately, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

GM also is the first automobile manufacturer to join the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), a group of global companies and non-government organizations committed to slowing, stopping and reversing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions over the shortest period of time reasonably achievable.

In addition, GM has 24 vehicles that surprisingly get 30 MPG or better which are already in showrooms for you to chose from. GM vehicles include a five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty – the most comprehensive in the industry and one year subscription to OnStar on all models.

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com