Royal's GM Collection

As of February 21st, Royal Chevrolet Cadillac will become Royal Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac.

Our company has purchased the assets of Jim Martin Buick, Pontiac, GMC, and has begun selling and servicing the new brands. Royal sits upon 10 acres, and has sufficient service capacity to take on the new customers. We are a bit shy of enough parking for the increased inventory, but we have adequate off-site storage for duplicates. Jim Martin will remain as a consultant with the new company, and Glenn Wood will serve as its President.

Certainly, the new realignment of brands in Lynchburg will result in a better selection for the consumer, and also lowered per unit costs by virtue of the consolidation. The Jim Martin property on Lakeside will be sold as soon as possible.

BOB LUTZ SAYS WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID

From Autoblog, we learn that GM 's CEO has stated fairly publicly, (at a private event) that to him "global warming is a complete crock of shit".

Wow. I waited a few days to see what kind of reaction might ensue, and I can sum it up for you here. First, on blogs and newspaper websites that publicized the comment, there was overwhelming opposition to the statement. Lutz was absolutely skewered, to include calls for a boycott of GM products. Autoblog shows 754 comments, the first 250 or so that display complete derision. As you scroll toward the last few hundred comments, you will see more than a few defending his words.

Lutz is also on record stating that he cares more about reducing our dependency on oil than "the CO2 issue". Those of you who follow this blog know that I concur completely with this sentiment. At any rate, I am expecting a barrage of vitriol for taking the unpopular side on this issue, so before you attack me, take some time to do a little research, and provide for me the answers to the questions below:

1-Many, many studies show that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, have for centuries FOLLOWED increases in temperature. How do you reconcile this fact with the theory of anthropogenic warming?

2-Satellite and weather balloon data clearly show that, of the roughly seventy-five hundredths of one degree increase during the 20th century, three-fourths of THAT increase occurred prior to 1940. How then, do you place the blame on the burning of fossil fuels, which increased exponentially during and after WWII?

3-There is definitely a greenhouse effect associated with the Earth's temperature maintenance mechanisms, but CO2 only represents 380 parts per million, with water vapor and nitrogen making up the bulk of the remainder. With the studies that reveal that CO2 increases follow temperature increases, why can't you see that CO2 increases have a natural cause much more potent than the contribution made by burning fossil fuels?

4-How do you completely RULE OUT, as you must in order to exclusively blame man's activities, SOLAR ACTIVITY, as a cause of warming throughout the history of the earth?

5-The UN International Panel on Climate has predicted a 2 to 3 foot sea level rise over the next century. Why do you persist in embracing the assertion of CATASTROPHIC warming, to include the prediction of a 20 to 25 foot rise, this coming from a Divinity School dropout?

MORE NEWS ON CELLULOSIC ETHANOL AND GM

Here's some more news on the company that has announced it can produce ethanol, WITHOUT USING CORN, at about a dollar a gallon. General Motors has invested in the company, called Coskata, and is placing its hopes on an ethanol solution prior to the advent of the egregious CAFE regulations. If ethanol becomes plentiful, then the six million flex-fuel vehicles GM has already delivered can make quite a contribution to our country's quest for energy independence.

Hat tip: instapundit.com.

CADILLAC CTS COUPE DEBUTS IN DETROIT

Wow! Autoblog is reporting that the new Cadillac CTS coupe debuted Saturday at the Detroit International Auto Show, and created quite a buzz. No mention yet if the concept is slated for production, but they've got my vote. Thirteen more pics available at the link. Enjoy!

Update! Better pics over at Leftlane News.

GM PARTNERS WITH CELLULOSIC ETHANOL STARTUP

I have tired of defending corn-based ethanol from those who have battled it every step of the way. One day, when the cellulosic variety is available, we will have corn-ethanol to thank for jump-starting the industry. GM has partnered with a company called Coskata, out of Chicago, who says they have developed a way to produce it in quantity, and for about one dollar per gallon. The link to the announcement is here.Every drop of ethanol can REPLACE fossil fuel, a much better strategy for dealing with the environmental and security problems our addiction to oil has engendered.

WARRENVILLE, Ill. – General Motors Corp. said Sunday it has taken an ownership stake and formed a partnership with Coskata Inc., a renewable energy startup company that plans to produce ethanol from agricultural leftovers and municipal and industrial waste.

The announcement was made at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit after the two companies briefed reporters earlier at Coskata's headquarters in this western Chicago suburb. The extent of GM's investment and minority stake was not disclosed.

BATTERY BREAKTHROUGH

Scientists at Stanford University have discovered a process through nano-technology, that promises to revolutionize energy storage in lithium-ion batteries. Remember, lithium-ion is the choice of General Motors to power the new Chevy Volt. An excerpt from the report:

The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers.

"It's not a small improvement," Cui said. "It's a revolutionary development."

The process involves "nano-wires" made of silicon, which enables the battery to store more energy.

This could be really bad news for those who extract the black stuff from the sands of the Middle East. A 10-fold increase in storage means that the Volt could have a gasoline-free range of 400 miles, instead of 40 miles. This would be revolutionary with a capital R.

Among some of the obstacles is the fact that lithium is already pretty expensive, due to supply issues. I don't see why the nano-wire technology couldn't also enhance other battery types, like nickel hydride. Just doubling battery capacity would be a game-changer, ten times is absolutely astounding. Anyway, we'll keep you posted here at Chevy News.

GM RULES!

The following is reprinted in its entirety from the Detroit Free Press. If I wrote it you might think I was gloating.......or something.



December 13, 2007

BY MARK PHELAN

FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC

For the first time in a couple of decades, General Motors can be reasonably confident the light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train.

GM scored four of the six finalists Wednesday for the 2008 North American Car and Truck of the Year, and it might be on its way to sweeping the coveted awards for two consecutive years, an unprecedented feat for any automaker. The Saturn Aura midsize sedan and Chevrolet Silverado pickup won this year.

Advertisement
It's a payoff for years of work in improving quality, fuel economy, technical sophistication and overall vehicle appeal by the world's largest automaker, which delivered on its promises even as it went through painful downsizings and the reorganization of its engineering and design teams around the world.

"There's no doubt GM is doing a lot of things right," said John McElroy, host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and -- like me -- one of the 46 American and Canadian journalists who vote for the awards.

The Cadillac CTS sport sedan and Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan are finalists for car of the year, and the Buick Enclave crossover SUV and Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid SUV are finalists for truck of the year.

The other finalists are the Honda Accord midsize sedan and Mazda CX-9 crossover SUV. The winners will be announced Jan. 13 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Two words explain GM's dominance of the finals: "Better products," said juror Michelle Krebs, editor of AutoObserver.com.

"It's good news for GM," she said. "It gives them credibility. The Enclave is a good-looking vehicle, and the customers are voting for it. The Malibu is one of the best -- if not the best -- midsize sedans. The CTS is terrific, and the hybrid Tahoe is innovative."

However, neither the nomination nor even winning an award guarantees sales success.

Despite kudos like GM's nominations and Ford's strong performance in recent quality surveys, "the nagging problem the domestics have is that people don't believe their vehicles measure up in design and quality" to foreign brands, Krebs said. "The fact is, they do."

To fully understand how highly we voters think of GM's new vehicles, consider a couple that didn't make the finals.

Mercedes-Benz introduced an all-new version of its best-selling car, the C-class sedan, this year, but Cadillac's CTS stood onstage Wednesday at Cobo Center as a finalist and its direct competitor from the world's most revered luxury automaker did not.

On the truck side, the Tundra, Toyota's self-proclaimed most significant vehicle ever, couldn't crack the top three.

There have been years when GM managed to get only a single vehicle into the finals, and one year when it didn't have even one finalist.

Thousands of people contributed to the reversal of fortunes, but McElroy said it's hard to overstate the contribution of GM's design team, led by Ed Welburn.

"There's been a dramatic turnaround," McElroy said. "I'm knocked out by what Ed Welburn is doing these days."

AMHERST FORD CLOSES DOWN

With the news that Amherst Motors was closing, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Barnes Brockman was a great person, and thus, a very successful car dealer. He was one of the first to welcome me to Lynchburg when I first came here in 1987, and I never forgot the gesture. We car dealers suffer from a poor public image by virtue of the fact that many are, shall we say, less than ethical. Barnes Brockman lifted the image of the car dealer by being the ethical business man that he was.

I never knew the people who bought the franchise from Mr. Brockman, they certainly came to town at a rough time for the industry. Ford sales have been soft, and it must have been purely a financial decision to sell to Apple Ford, knowing that the point would be closed down.

Ford did the right thing, as financially healthy dealers are paramount in increasing sales, something GM is beginning to realize also.