The General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly plant is getting a new Logistics Optimization Center. This new 400,000 square foot building will be adjacent to the rest of the plant in order to sequence and assemble part to help make the manufacturing process more streamlined and flexible. The cost is estimated to run about $44.5 million and 200 new workers will be needed.

Christine Sitek, GM North America manufacturing manager, said, “This project is the latest example of how we’re doing business differently in GM today. We’ve developed an innovative material strategy that increases efficiency and improves quality to benefit our customers, employees and the bottom line.”

While the investment seems like an astronomical amount, it will save money in the long run and makes sense to simplify the car building process.

“This investment was earned through the quality and flexibility that has been a hallmark of Lansing Grand River since it opened in 2001,” said Lansing Regional Plant Manager Tony Francavilla. “However, our plant could not be successful without the strong support from our local community, the city council and Mayor Virg Bernero. We’re committed to continuing world-class manufacturing performance for which we are known, and our customers demand.”

The General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant builds the Cadillac ATS and three of the Cadillac CTS models including the sedan, coupe and wagon. It also builds the high performance V Series of each model. Awards for these vehicles include:

• Car and Driver 10Best List for five straight years (CTS-V Sedan, Coupe and Wagon)
• Consumer Reports’ most-reliable domestic car 2012 (CTS Coupe)
• 2013 North American Car of the Year ( ATS)
• 2013 Car of the Year by Esquire (ATS)
• 2013 Autobytel Luxury Car of the Year (ATS)
• 2013 Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year (ATS)
• Lansing Grand River by the numbers

Source General Motors

The EPA Battle of the Buildings is a competition that allows businesses to compete for becoming the “Biggest Loser” in regard to losing energy costs and consumption. This year, three General Motors facilities have won. These are:

• Martinsburg, West Virginia Customer Care and Aftersales. This building was named a Top Water Performer for reducing water use by 51 percent.
• Ypsilanti, Michigan Customer Care and Aftersales. This building was ranked No. 14 overall for reducing energy use by 31 percent, resulting in more than $4.5 million in energy cost savings.
• Fontana, California Customer Care and Aftersales. This building was recognized for 20 Percent or Better Improvement, reducing energy usage by more than 30 percent.

Al Hildreth, GM’s company energy manager, said, “Through diligent monitoring of our energy use and continuous improvement activities, the buildings that completed the competition cut energy use by more than 20,000 metric tons of CO2. The continued recognition of our energy efficient work is testament to the work our team does daily to improve the efficiency of our plants and facilities.”

The strategies General Motors used to help cut their energy consumption includes tracking energy use, controlling light levels and turning lights off when they aren’t needed, monitored use of heating and cooling ventilation systems and water reductions wherever possible.

GM reduced its energy use through a variety of strategies, including tracking energy use, making the most of heating and cooling ventilation systems, and controlling light levels and turning lights off when unneeded. Water reductions were possible from leak repair and conservation.

Jean Lupinacci, chief of ENERGY STAR for commercial buildings and industrial plants, comments, “The impressive results of the third-annual National Building Competition are proof positive that any building can take simple steps to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings where we all work, play and learn. All of the participants in the Energy Star National Building Competition are finding more and more ways to cut energy use, saving thousands of dollars and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Source General Motors

The 2014 GMC Sierra Regular Cab truck is getting ready to hit the dealerships, with a Double Cab configuration that will be available at that time as well. Eventually there will be three cab sizes and three bed lengths to pick and choose through, but what we have now is in the image. This one has a 6.5 foot bed and has gotten a host of other updates including better gas mileage, a quieter cab and reduced vibration and harshness – so basically it will feel more like driving a car and less like driving a rig, but it’s still all truck.

A major improvement that General Motors is especially proud of is the new aerodynamic engineering. The engineers used a high tech Aerodynamics Lab which was made up of a 750 foot long tunnel and a 43 inch diameter fan that produced an equivalent of 4,500 horsepower to generate winds up to 138 miles per hour. This allowed them to test every nook and cranny to make sure to design the 2014 GMC Sierra to be the most aerodynamically truck ever built.

Aerodynamic Engineer, Diane Bloch, commented, “We can’t stop air; we can only guide it through the path of least resistance. It’s like electricity, without the shock. The biggest misconception is that it’s all about single components. But a certain side mirror design doesn’t create a certain amount of drag, its interaction with the rest of the vehicle does. We discovered that in the computational analysis we perform. The most harmful air between the cab and bed was coming over the cab and down through the gap, so we paid the most attention to that specific area.”

Block also pointed out that keeping the tailgate up while driving is better for aerodynamics. This is because if the tailgate is down the benefits of the airflow are diminished. Having an aftermarket net is the worst thing you can do if you are looking to improve the aerodynamics.

Source General Motors

Those who have been in grieving over the demise of the Pontiac can dry your eyes and put a big smile back on your face. The 2013 Hurst Edition Trans Am is ready to rev your heartstrings in some big ways, and yes, that is a Pontiac logo showing up bright and clear on the front of the hood and rightly so. You just can’t have a Trans Am any other way. The Chevy Camaro, and the classic Trans Am models of yesteryear inspired this new addition to the General Motors sports car line up  and it’s set to join it’s siblings as a new icon in the world of fun driving adventures.

The 2013 Hurst Edition Trans Am isn’t just about the looks either. This baby’s got enough power to keep up with the most serious supersportscars. The scooped hood makes way for a 6.2 liter V8 which is fast all on its own, but if you are a power freak you can add the optional supercharger and get up to 575 horsepower. Those horses are sent to the rear wheels. If that still isn’t enough, there is another supercharged kit that delivers up to 720 horsepower, or a twin turbo kit that will take it up to 1,100 horses – and yes – that is typed out right. 1,100 horsepower.

When you crawl inside the 2013 Hurst Edition Trans Am you will be additionally delighted. While the design doesn’t have quite as much metal as the 70s version, it has high quality retro styling that will either take you back to the good old days, or remind you that good old days are right here and now. Surprisingly, you can get the base model for $29,985. If you want the t-tops it’ll be another $7,500, and $10,550 for the supercharger kit. Still, not bad at all for this caliber sportster.

Check out the commercial and imagine the possibilities:

Source YouTube

General Motors announced that it has signed the “Climate Declaration”. It is the first out of 40 United States companies to do so. The powers to be at General Motors feel that responding to climate change is a matter of good business. The declaration is part of a campaign organized by a sustainable business advocate group, Ceres and its Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy, or BICEP, coalition. The document was created to help support efforts on calling for policymakers to address climate change. This would include promoting clean energy, boosting efficiency and limiting carbon emissions. General Motors all ready employs these strategies in operations, so signing the declaration seemed like a no brainer.

Mike Robinson, GM vice president of Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs, stated, “We want to be a change agent in the auto industry. As our world faces issues like congestion and climate change, we are at the forefront in transforming the way we move, from building more efficient vehicles to partnering with car-sharing startup Relay Rides.”

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson called on President Obama to appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission to develop a 30-year policy framework for energy security this past March and has been making stringent efforts to become friendlier to the environment. Some of those efforts have equated to being awarded the American Carbon Registry’s Corporate Excellence Award and an EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence. This particular award is the highest recognition for corporate energy management and is a culmination of General Motor’s efforts with Ceres with more than two decades of working together to refine sustainability strategies and performance.

It’s expected that many other companies will begin to sign the Climate Declaration in order to support the efforts to lower the carbon footprint and create a happier planet for those of us who enjoy breathing clean air.

Source General Motors

While Hyundai and Ford have both been under the gun for publishing advertising that has been viewed as racist and/or offensive, General Motors is the one taking it’s raps and has apologized for their recent advertisement. It isn’t the advertisement that is so much in question, but the song that was used for the ad that is considered distasteful. The ad in question is promoting the Chevy Trax subcompact. While it is a light hearted commercial features 1920’s style party goers, the song did not sit well.

General Motors spokeswoman Ryndee Carney issued the apology by stating, “Our intent was not to offend anyone and we’re deeply sorry if anyone was offended… we’re reviewing our advertising approval processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Was General Motors being racist, or did they just grab a song with a 20’s groove to it without paying attention to the lyrics? Here’s the video and lyrics – you can make up your own mind.

Booty Swing Lyrics

by Parov Stelar

Get Lyrics app for Android

Now, Arab sheikhs on the burning sands,

Come into their harems and clap their hands,

Said, “Come on, girls, are you ready to play?

Let’s have a little more of that swingin’ today.”

Now, in the land of Fu Manchu,

The girls all now do the Suzie-Q,

Clap their hands in the center of the floor,

Saying, “Ching, ching, chop-suey, swing some more!”

Now, geisha girls in old Japan,

Wink behind their peacock fans,

Since they learned to say, “Yeah!

Let’s swing it like Amelican’s swing swing dance!”

Now, Gypsy caravans have changed their mode,

They truck down the Romany road,

With their hi-de-hos, and their hey-hey-diddle,

Doin’ the swing on the Gypsy fiddle.

Them eastern wisemen know the story,

Of the swing with Oriental glory,

They stroke their beards and grin,

Sayin’, “Swing, little children, till the dawn comes in!”

Now, geisha girls in old Japan,

Wink behind their peacock fans,

Since they learned to say, “Yeah!

Let’s swing it like American’s swing swing dance!”

Gypsy caravans have changed their mode,

They truck down the Romany road,

With their hi-de-hos, and their hey-hey-diddle,

Doin’ the swing on the Gypsy fiddle.

Source YouTube