General Motors today said that thanks to strong public interest in the Chevrolet Volt, the 340-mile extended range electric vehicle, it will increase U.S. production capacity of the groundbreaking new car by 50 percent, from 30,000 units to 45,000 units, in 2012.

The announcement came as U.S. President Barack Obama toured the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, where the Volt is being produced now for sale later this year.

The Volt offers a total driving range of about 340 miles and is powered by electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the vehicle drives gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered, engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank.

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General Motors has confirmed that they are going to build a production version of the Buick Regal GS. The Buick Regal GS was spotted as a high-performance concept vehicle at the 2010 NAIA Show where positive consumer feedback had a hand in egging GM towards pushing for the said Buick Regal GS.

No official details were bared yet although the show car did boasts of a 2.0 liter Ecotec turbocharged engine. The base Regal CXL began arriving in dealerships earlier this month, with a starting price of US$26,495. The model offers a 2.4-litre four cylinder engine, leather heated seats, Bluetooth, XM Radio, and USB-port radio. The Regal CXL turbo will be available in the fourth quarter this year.

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General Motors has ended their partnership with REVA, after Mahindra & Mahindra reportedly acquired a controlling interest of the REVA Electric Car Company.

This resulted in GM cutting their ties with REVA to develop electric cars in India. Reva and G.M. India were working jointly to produce an electric version of the new Chevrolet Spark.

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GM Daewoo has officially unveiled its luxury car sedan, the Alpheon at the Busan International Motor Show. This is a seven-seat compact multi-purpose vehicle and is actually making its first appearance in Asia.

The Alpheon is based on the same GM global architecture as the Buick LaCrosse, one of the three finalists for 2010 North American Car of the Year. The Alpheon’s sculpting design flows in all directions, giving the vehicle a tightly wrapped appearance and a fast, coupe-like profile.

Its dynamic and elegant body styling is highlighted by sharp side lines, short overhangs and fenders wrapped precisely around large wheel housings, giving it the presence of an upscale large sedan (2,837-mm wheelbase and 4,995mm body length).

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Increased fuel economy continues to be an important factor in choosing a car. And as fuel standards continue to change, car companies, like General Motors, are looking towards smaller cars and engines to power more, using less energy. But despite the push toward compact cars, America’s love affair with big cars continues.

Now General Motors has rolled out its new technology, allowing drivers to not compromise size for efficiency. With engine management systems like Direct Injection, automakers are getting a jumpstart on the new rules and designing smaller engines that are able to power larger cars like the Buick LaCrosse. Using high-tech computing power, engineers are able to inject precise amounts of gas into the cylinders to reduce fuel waste and vary valve timing to increase horsepower.

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Whether we like to admit it or not, our gas guzzling and carbon emitting days with our vehicles are near the end of its life. And that’s what General Motors is looking at right now. This is a great move since oil dependency and carbon monoxide affecting our atmosphere and health. PLUS it’s good public relations as well. It’s a good thing that a major car manufacturer is taking action on this very obviously correct position.

The electric car’s name is Converj. Although most people aren’t keen on getting an electric powered car because it’s supposed to be slower than their gas powered brothers and supposedly more expensive to buy. The more electric cars in the market, the more it will be affordable so the high price is just the beginning. As of the moment most electric cars seem slow but faster electric cars are being developed as we speak.

The decision to introduce another plug-in electric model and to take it high-end as a luxury model within Cadillac demonstrates that G.M. is serious about developing the technology and confident in bringing it to a level that would be suitable for a Cadillac buyer.

According to information provided earlier this year when news of the Converj broke, the plug-in electric Caddy will be able to go as many as 40 miles on electric power alone with the engine boosting battery power when it falls to about 30%.

The electric car is currently going into production and will be in the market at around 2011.

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What if you could look into the future–let’s say 2030? What type of cars will we be driving? Will it be a flying car or still a land based vehicle? This is what the Southern California Automotive Design Studios thought when they created a contest.

“Automotive designers have always been fascinated with the next generation of drivers and this year’s Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talents to revisit the concept of ‘the car’ with new eyes, using the hottest technologies to both explore and fulfill the needs of young people,” said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

The following have submitted their entries:

Volkswagen/Audi of America Design Center California: Audi eOra and eSpira

General Motors Advanced Design: Car Hero

Honda Research and Development, North America: Honda Helix

Mazda R & D of North America: Mazda Souga

Nissan Design America: V2G

Toyota’s Calty Design Research: Toyota LINK

I’m not sure but do these cars still run on gas? I hope they’ve taken into consideration not only the environmental effects but also the economical effects of being too dependent on gasoline and oil. The last thing we need are even more gas guzzling giant vehicles. Nevertheless, they look cool and I hope to see and ride them in my lifetime.

Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, Director of Industrial Design at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University; Imre Molner, Dean of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, Chair, Transportation Design, Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design and Jason Hill, Principal of Eleven, LLC and Designer of the Aptera electric and plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle.

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The MathWorks today announced that General Motors Company (GM) has developed its Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain control system using Model-Based Design. By using math and simulation-based tools from The MathWorks, GM designed the powertrain prototype within 9 months, shaving 24 months off the expected development time. The complex control system is currently in production in the GMC Sierra Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid, Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Chevy Silverado Hybrid, and Cadillac Escalade Hybrid vehicles.

The Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain is part of GM’s diverse hybrid and electric vehicle program, with multiple propulsion technologies designed to meet global driving patterns and needs. Created to optimize fuel efficiency in both city and highway driving, the Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain combines a conventional engine with two 60-kW electric motors integrated into an automatic transmission, and it integrates with new components such as battery and power electronics.

By adopting Model-Based Design, where the development process centers around a system model, GM engineers increase time savings. Also, by verifying the control system before hardware prototyping and by using production code generated from the controller models, GM has rolled out production vehicles featuring the hybrid powertrain within four years of starting the control system design process. The ability to reuse design information has helped the global development teams foster more efficient communication and reduced response time, eliminating integration issues.

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After a landmark government bailout, General Motors has emerged from bankruptcy on a mission to win back American car buyers. In an effort to change their corporate culture and re-focus on customers and cars, the revamped automaker is asking consumers to “Tell Fritz.”

The new campaign allows people to go online and send their comments to company executives, express their views and give input on the direction of the new GM. In addition, executives, including CEO Fritz Henderson, recently invited consumers to meet them and drive all of the latest models at the company’s Michigan Proving Grounds.

And the new commitment to customers may be paying off. The company recently announced they would be building 60,000 more vehicles this year than originally planned, and have recalled over a thousand previously laid off workers to help build them.

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Fairtheworld today commented on the new GM’s decision to join with eBay. The newly restructured GM had several moves: the old GM model is being scrapped, while the new GM will take environmentally-friendly small cars as its core research focus. As for sales, GM will now experiment with new operational models which will enable customers to purchase cars and services more conveniently.

The new GM is reported to be in talks with eBay, in the hope of building online auto sales channels through the eBay portal. If struck, the deal will allow customers to buy cars online, purchasing and auctioning them like they do on any other goods. This will fundamentally change the existing auto sales model, and may become a future direction.

Fairtheworld.com has already recently put forward the “online 4S store” concept. The revolutionary “Fair N Fair” 3D Virtual Expo platform, developed by Fairtheworld, will provide complete online sales solutions for auto companies. 3D virtual reality technology allows for a 360-degree, full view display of cars in “Fair N Fair”, greatly enhancing the experience of visitors and buyers.

The newly-emerged e-commerce platform “Fair N Fair”, with its vividness and industrial clustering feature, will help auto companies achieve functions such as purchasing and supplying, bidding and inviting tenders, and recruitment, as well as building and expanding sales networks.

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