cruze

General Motors just recalled about 136,500 of the 2011 model year of Chevrolet Cruze, GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express vehicles in three recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. The trio of recalls comes on the heels of the agency announcing an investigation into...

Back in 2009, General Motors applied to the Department of Energy for $14.4 billion in loans to help it manufacture more fuel-efficient vehicles. Today, with the automaker making big strides in turning around its business, GM said it no longer needs or wants the money.

General Motors unveiled plans Thursday to build a new compact Buick sedan at an idled plant in Michigan that once built Pontiacs. The automaker will invest $145 million to retool the Orion Assembly plant, which will build the new Buick Verano sedan as well as a yet-unnamed small Chevrolet car, GM said during a press briefing at the plant, about 40 miles north of Detroit.

The thrifty new small car replaces the underwhelming Chevy Cobalt, a model that had a hard time competing with the likes of Toyota's Corolla and Ford's Focus, new versions of which are due in coming months. A manual transmission model will have a 40-mpg highway rating.

General Motors reported Wednesday that sales fell 25% in August, as consumers held back from buying autos amid the lackluster economy. For the month, GM said it sold 185,176 vehicles, compared to 246,479 a year ago, a decline of 24.9%. Among its four core brands -- Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and...