Buick (Page 6)

General Motors was once again the top selling automaker in the US market in September 2011, with 207,145 vehicles sold bringing the General an increase of 20% over the same month last year.

After one week of serious face-to-face conversation, bargainers for the UAW and Ford Motor Co. are on the brink of consensus on a four-year deal for the automaker's 41,000 unionized rank and file that might include a $7,500 signing bonus and union-won promises of new and retained jobs at Ford.

UAW retirees from General Motors Co. of Detroit and Chrysler Group LLC of Auburn Hills, Mich., will get enhanced health and dental benefits in 2012 via the UAW Retired Medical Benefits Trust, the union announced on its Facebook page.

People who go to the auto show in Orange County, Calif., through the end of this weekend will be able to test drive dozens of 2012 cars, trucks and vans -- everything from the new Volkswagen Beetle to the Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Sonic.

The new contract for auto workers between the UAW and General Motors Co. should get ratified in record time and by an overwhelming margin because the UAW got a lot from GM: At least 6,400 more union jobs, job security, more products to build, plant reopenings, auto workers' first raises in eight years and $5,000 profit-sharing checks. But there were some people who didn't benefit from this four-year contract.

If the pending four-year contract negotiated by the UAW with General Motors Co. has you curious to find out what a GM auto worker is paid to put bumpers on Buicks, pay attention: You're about to learn how UAW members will be compensated through 2015.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and the UAW shook hands on a four-year contract late Friday, giving GM's rank and file their first pay raises in eight years. While terms of the General Motors-UAW deal weren't immediately disclosed, Reuters reported that 48,500 unionized GM workers would get $5,000 "signing bonuses" and that at least 570 laid-off workers would be re-employed.

The Buick Regal is very closely based on the European Opel Insignia so when spyshots surfaced showing a Buick Regal Wagon in the Detroit area, many assumed that the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer would be making an appearance as a sports wagon for the Buick brand but according to multiple sources, that isn’t going to happen.

The Buick brand has seen strong growth over the past year thanks to new models like the LaCrosse, Enclave and the Regal with the 2012 Buick Verano expected to help this affordably luxury brand to enter the C-segment – with more success expected with the recently announced 2012 Verano MSRP of $23,470 (with the $885 destination fee).

GM and its domestic partners in China had a record August with sales up 13.4 percent year over year. Total sales on an annualized basis were 205,885 units with Buick being a strong driving force.

General Motors had another good month in August 2011, moving 218,479 vehicles for an improvement of 18% over August last year – making them the top dog in terms of sales volume and third behind Nissan and Chrysler in terms of growth.

General Motors had another strong month in July 2011, posting an improvement in sales of 7.6% over July 2010 with their total of 214,915 vehicles making them America’s bestselling automaker group.

Automakers are always trying to one-up the competition with various incentives and features by General Motors has announced that they will be the first company in the US to offer free auto insurance on new vehicles – but only in two states.

Once again General Motors has claimed the top spot in the American auto industry with a 10.5% improvement over June 2010 allowing them to sell 215,358 vehicles in June 2011.

The Buick LaCrosse midsize luxury sedan will get a revised 303hp direct-injected V6 for the 2012 model year, with no fuel mileage penalty.

The Buick Regal GS, the highest-performance version of the luxury brand's smallest sedan, will have 270hp and 295ft-lbs of torque from a 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec 4cyl engine.

Call them what you will, but stop-start vehicles (SSV) that go by the names of micro hybrids and idle-stop vehicles enable gasoline engines to turn off when vehicles are slowed down or stopped. The net effect per Pike Research is up to 10% less fuel consumption, less emissions and at a cost lower than full hybrids.

A somewhat misleading sticker price of $29,960 has been announced for the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist but strong highway mileage numbers offset that somewhat.

According to the latest Buick news release, across-the-board use of direct injection in the Buick lineup is helping to take translation layers out of the delivery process to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions.

General Motors had a rough month like many other automakers in the Japanese-disaster-hit May 2011 but with a miniscule decline of just over 1%, the four remaining brands of GM were able to keep the automaker atop the sales chart for the US auto industry.

The tires on the 2011 Buick Enclave luxury crossover may look nice on the road, but General Motors (NYSE: GM) went through a lot of abuse by 50 engineers to prove their performance, durability and safety before being chosen.

When production of the fuel-efficient 2012 Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano begin this fall, 40 percent of the energy to power the General Motors Orion Assembly Plant where they are built will come from burning landfill gas created nearby.

When the 2012Chevrolet Impala hits the market later this year, it will be powered by the 3.6L V6 originally found in the Chevrolet Camaro – packing 302 horsepower and 252lb-ft of torque.

After a fairly weak March in terms of growth, General Motors broke out of their short slump in April 2011 with 232,538 units sold, giving them a year-over-year increase of 27% and the top spot in terms of growth and sales volume last month.

Shanghai GM announced that sales of Buick products have surpassed 3 million units since the joint venture began offering its original vehicle brand in 1999.

Polk, a provider of automotive information, has determined that Toyota was the most popular brand among African American new car buyers in 2010. Ford, Chevrolet and Honda were all practically locked in a statistical tie for second place.

May is National Military Appreciation Month and GM is expanding their military discount program to include spouses of Active and Reserve members, as well as retirees of the US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard.

The 2011 Buick LaCrosse, a luxury brand of General Motors (NYSE: GM), received a five-star safety rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program, the agency has announced.

A China-based auto news reporter today leaked more renderings of the upcoming Buick Envision SUV ahead of the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show debut, giving a better glance of what the new SUV will look like.

General Motors had a pretty good month in March 2011 with all of their American brands showing gains compared to March 2010 but in relation to the rest of the industry, GM ranked second to last in growth rate above only Toyota – dropping below Ford Motor Company in total US sales.