Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
Options
Comments
In Part 1 of this Engineering TV interview, Denise Gray, GM's Director of Hybrid Energy Storage Systems Engineering, discusses the Chevy Volt's lithium-ion battery cells. The Volt's 16 kWh T-shaped lithium-ion battery, which is roughly 6 feet long (1.8 meters) and weighs nearly 400 pounds (181 kg), will be supplied by LG Chem. Compact Power Inc., a subsidiary of LG Chem based in Troy, Mich., will build battery packs for Volt prototype vehicles until GM's new battery facility is operational.
I don't think any current car would qualify for the $7500 tax credit.
Looks like minimum is 4kwh for $2500 credit and a max of $7500.
19 ‘‘(2) APPLICABLE AMOUNT.—For purposes of
20 paragraph (1), the applicable amount is sum of—
21 ‘‘(A) $2,500, plus
22 ‘‘(B) $417 for each kilowatt hour of trac23
tion battery capacity in excess of 4 kilowatt
24 hours.
25 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.—
1 ‘‘(1) LIMITATION BASED ON WEIGHT.—The
2 amount of the credit allowed under subsection (a) by
3 reason of subsection (a)(2) shall not exceed—
4 ‘‘(A) $7,500, in the case of any new quali5
fied plug-in electric drive motor vehicle with a
6 gross vehicle weight rating of not more than
7 10,000 pounds,
8 ‘‘(B) $10,000, in the case of any new
9 qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle
10 with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
11 10,000 pounds but not more than 14,000
12 pounds,
13 ‘‘(C) $12,500, in the case of any new
14 qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle
15 with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
16 14,000 pounds but not more than 26,000
17 pounds, and
18 ‘‘(D) $15,000, in the case of any new
19 qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle
20 with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than
21 26,000 pounds.
https://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/products/N5_range_extender
I think GM has to continue to downsize the company and then approach the government to assist in further re-structuring to make them a viable company. That re-structuring will be some form of chapter 11bankruptcy if they can't get the debt re-structured or have the UAW make further concessions.
DETROIT -- As General Motors prepares to present its viability plan to the U.S. Treasury Department next week, product chief Bob Lutz says GM’s business model won’t work if the market deteriorates further.
“Stability is one thing. We can deal with stability,” the vice chairman of global product development said Tuesday in an interview with Automotive News. “But if there’s a further decline, then it’s going to be a very rough situation for everybody.”
Lutz, who this week told of plans to retire at year end, said he agrees with Chrysler co-President Jim Press. In recent speeches, Press has said the industry must stop “dreaming about pent-up demand” and adopt a business model that works today.
“I think we can pretty well do that, and that is the plan for the submission we’re making to the government on February 17 to demonstrate a survival capability under a scenario that is about like it is today,” said Lutz, who will become GM vice chairman and senior adviser on March 1.
But he added that it will be painful to get there.
“It’s going to be shedding a lot of jobs, closing a lot of plants, reducing the breadth of the product line, restructuring debt, getting the UAW to buy in on a lot of change,” Lutz said. “It’s hard to get done, but I’m convinced we can get that done.
“The bad thing is, what if things get worse?”
GM announced today that it is cutting 14 percent of its global salaried work force -- about 10,000 employees -- and temporarily reducing salaries of many who remain.
Lutz said initial reviews of GM’s daily sales figures for February show that sales are not improving. He said the United States needs a government stimulus to spur demand, even though it likely won’t have an impact until next year.
“But stimulating demand is absolutely vital,” Lutz said. “One of the things I think will happen in the short term is that if they can come up with a program that stalls foreclosures. If you could stabilize the housing market, stop the foreclosures and gradually get credit flowing to consumers again, that will help a lot.”
For several months, GM has tried to sell vehicles with almost no leasing, basically no fleet business, no daily rental sales and almost no corporate fleet sales, Lutz said.
“So when you see our market share of 21 percent, that’s like 21 percent pure retail with very little GMAC financing and no lease,” he said.
GM is struggling for survival, Lutz said, but “will deliver a viable survival plan” to the government next week.
Problem now is it is not only the folks who are in hock that are in trouble, it is the folks who have lost their job and cannot pay the mortgage or other bills. If you lose your job you can only last so long on savings.
That is exactly correct on both counts. I know personally two people that have lost their homes because of their poor judgment. They both took out equity loans and bought new vehicles. They drive off from their home they owe more on than it is worth and those of US that are paying the bills are stuck with paying for their new cars. Which by law is illegal if you write off the interest on the 2nd. I would cut the nuts off of every banker that loaned 100% or more on an equity loan.
If you have a few minutes, we would greatly appreciate your participation in a quick (and fun) exercise on how best to organize our site information.
http://edmunds.optimalsort.com/ersm/
Did they lose their jobs or just decided they did not want to pay the bills?
General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will cut 10,000 white-collar jobs world-wide this year, a move that could help prod the company's main union and bondholders into making concessions as required by GM's $13.4 billion federal loan package.
GM announced the cuts, amounting to 14% of its salaried workers globally, as it rushes to pull together a plan it must submit to the Treasury Department by Feb. 17. The plan is supposed to describe how GM will return to profitability and compete with Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp.
The goal will be a process that "achieves the extensive restructuring that's going to be necessary to leave these companies in positions where they are going to be viable businesses without government support over time," he said.
The company has not said when it expects to roll out the second generation of the vehicle, but plans to focus on cutting the size and cost of the battery are a top priority, Weber said. GM has not said how long it will take to produce an offshoot of the Volt.
Weber said his priorities included driving down the size and cost of the Volt's lithium-ion battery for future versions. The 400-pound (181kg) T-shaped battery pack is expected to be the Volt's most expensive element and most important component.
The cells for the battery will be manufactured by Korea's LG Chem. Weber said GM engineers are not focused on extending the vehicle's range beyond 40 miles (64km), a distance seen as the longest most people would drive the car on a daily basis.
"My goal is not to go from 40 to 60 miles in the next generation vehicles," Weber said of the Volt's range. Instead, he said, the battery would be half the size and half the cost of the batteries that go into the current Volt.
1) GM cutting 10,000 white collar jobs.
2) From Post 4206 - Bob Lutz comments: “It’s going to be shedding a lot of jobs, closing a lot of plants, reducing the breadth of the product line, restructuring debt, getting the UAW to buy in on a lot of change,” Lutz said. “It’s hard to get done, but I’m convinced we can get that done.
Since the suppliers are supposedly on the edge of failure - who and how many go under? or cut 50%?
I thought GM's argument was that almost any failure of a supplier would be critical, as they need them all?
GM lost $38 billion last year, so they only need to cut another $37 billion and they will break even. Is that even possible?
PS
Both are still working. One makes right at $100k per year. He owes $595K on a home that would be lucky to bring $400k today. It was listed on a short sale for over a year before they bailed. It was an ARM interest only loan and out 13 miles further from town than I am. He was commuting 40+ miles each way in a Ford Excursion. They have 6 kids. High priced fuel sent them closer to town last year.
Sorry for going off topic. It is the main reason no one is buying cars now.
In the first qtr they lost $3.3 billion including one time cost(GMAC issues, strike) but $350 million operating loss.
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/30/gm-posts-big-loss-as-us-sales-slide/
In the 2nd qtr. they had a an operating loss of $6.3 billion but if you include the restructuring it was $15 billion($9.1 billion of predominantly non-cash special items.)
It named strikes, labor cutbacks, and actions to reduce vehicle output as main reasons for the loss..
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/01/news/companies/general_motors/?postversion=20080- - 80110
In the 3rd qtr they lost $39 billion (38.6 due to non cash tax deferment write off) but again only $1.6 billion excluding restructuring.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21661794/
So for 2008 first 3 quarters if you include structural cost we get $57 billion in losses but if you only look at actual operating losses it is $8.2 billion. Still a very high number but $1 billion in cuts will make a dent.
Remember GM needs to prove it can be viable in the future and cutting overhead and getting down to be profitable at a lower capacity. Cutting $1 billion in yearly cost is doing that.
CHICAGO -- The U.S. auto industry suffers from an abysmal public perception and must voluntarily undertake "revolutionary" change to pull itself out of the morass, said John Krafcik, acting CEO of Hyundai Motor America.
Subscribe to Automotive News
In a keynote speech today at the Chicago Auto Show, Krafcik said the industry must lead the way instead of dragging its feet on the issues of environment, safety and good business practices.
"Let's face it: Our reputation as an industry is horrible. In the U.S., we are viewed for the most part as a slow, dimwitted industry that is typically unresponsive to consumer and environmental needs," he said. "If that weren't bad enough, our executives are criticized for lavish compensation, abundant perks and unnecessary entitlements.
"We consistently damage our own brand reputations by resorting to costly discounts, rebates and desperate sales tactics to keep our plants running and to cover our fixed costs."
Krafcik called for ideas, such as a voluntary cap on executive compensation that uses a multiple of the average employee salary.
"What if our industry was the first to exercise a more inclusive form of capitalism that voluntarily restrained executive compensation to a reasonable multiple of average employee salary? And what if our industry adopted a uniform code of conduct regarding gifts, meals and business entertainment?
"It's time we exercised more discipline and more sensitivity in our approach to business. It's time to say goodbye to the days of overindulgence in auto shows, media launches, gift-giving, employee and dealer rewards, and executive compensation.
"There's a better way, a more modest and humble approach, that will help us move forward together through these revolutionary times."
Krafcik praised Volvo for its commitment to eliminating vehicle occupant fatalities by 2020. He said Hyundai's Assurance program, which guarantees the company will buy back a vehicle if the owner loses his or her job, as one that will build consumer confidence.
Regards,
OW
The Genesis coupe looked fantastic at the auto show.
I love their real deal warranty. I love the assurance program (though I'm not sure about the details - like do you have to put 75% down to take the car off the lot in the first place or other catches?)
Hyundai looks like they are trying to compete and win.
GM and Chrysler just look like they want to rip everybody off just one more time to get you to buy again just one more time.
Ford .... hmmm... not sure about them yet, but they look to be following in Hyundai's footsteps..... they should offer warranty like them as next step.
Another person here admiring Ford and Hyundai. Now if GM could only wake up. They are stirring but are not there yet by a long shot.
An executive at Ford Motor Co. said the nation's automobile industry is
beginning to stabilize, after months of freefalling sales which have
threatened the viability of some of the sector's biggest players.
Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing chief, said Wednesday that
seasonally adjusted retail sales demand has held steady for the past
four months. Meanwhile, the country's used car market has come "roaring
back" since January.
Who says the used cars are up in value?
Article Date Feb. 9th
Philadelphia is has an unbelievable supply of good cheap used cars. Right now several dealers are advertising 40%, 50%, even 60% off MSRP. This is possible on 1 to 2 year old Used Cars. The perception is much more beautiful than the reality and I’ll tell you why.
The Good:
If you want to buy a New Model Used Car you are going to save a lot of money.
The Bad:
If you bought a Newer Model Car in the last 3 years your car has lost a lot of value.
The Ugly:
If you don’t have the credit, or if you don’t have any money to put down, you won’t be able to take advantage of this buyers market.
Regards,
OW
Also Farley.
Regards,
OW
Unless you trade cars every 9 months, the people you should be relationship building with at this point are running the service counter. Taking them donuts helps.
Check out the Smart Shopper board and look for posts about the Bobst method. It's a good way to get the "best" deal without having to spend a lot of time dickering with the sales staff.
And you may be interested in Dealer Ratings & Reviews.
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan said the unintended consequence of the government's $13.4 billion bailout of GM in December could have resulted in a tax hit of up to $10 billion.
Stabenow told reporters language resolving the issue was in the bill.
"My goal consistently has been to offer serious help to the auto industry, once a plan is in place that ensures long-term viability and that we are not just kicking the can down the road," Obama said. "And so what the nature of that help ends up looking like, I think it's going to depend on the plan."
"We need an American auto industry," he said when asked if he agrees with his predecessor, George W. Bush, that the economy is too weak to survive a collapse of the domestic auto industry.
This will just make it harder for GM to negotiate with the UAW and bondholders. Now they see that Obama is ready to keep the car makers in business with more money. Now they can drag their heels.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090212/AUTO01/902120391
I feared this. That is why I keep posting that the bailout will meet expert opinion of approx. $100B. It's the spider web theory that just might take place.
C11 is so much cleaner. Difficult, yes. Unfortunately, the Government has changed in favor of spending our way out of the mess that was made by irresponsible decisions in the private and public sectors.
Oh well, what's afew billion dollars among friends, RIGHT?
Regards,
OW
I don't get from that and other statements that Obama will continue to throw good money after bad. At this time Toyota and Honda are about as American as GM, Ford and Chrysler. They are all global auto makers. I can see helping the ones that have a chance to be profitable. GM has not fit that picture in decades of wasteful management. Chrysler has just been a corporate Foosball. Ford is looking the most likely to succeed though nothing is for sure and we will probably see some serious problems before this recession turns around in 3-4 years. Every day more houses get listed as foreclosures and short sales here in San Diego. Even though San Diego has lower unemployment than the rest of the state or USA.
What W and Barry need to realize is the US Domestic auto makers have already collapsed. You can't give a GM vehicle away and for good reasons. Losing 1000 dealers amounts to more than 50,000 jobs lost last year. That is about the same number of GM workers. Why is it any worse for a UAW worker to lose his job than a janitor in a Chevy dealership. The janitor probably goes from paycheck to paycheck while the fat cat UAW worker makes enough to save half his paycheck and still live higher than the Janitor.
Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s global marketing chief, said Wednesday that seasonally adjusted retail sales demand has held steady for four months. Meanwhile, the country's used car market has come "roaring back" since January.
"That shows me that credit's available," he said, following a Ford presentation at the Chicago Auto Show. "When we're seeing the kind of growth in the used car market that we've seen in the last six weeks, that is a really important milestone for the bottoming out of the industry."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090212/AUTO01/902120346/1148- -
General Motors Corp., working to sell assets to help keep $13.4 billion in U.S. loans, has drawn interest in its Hummer brand from a Chinese company and a private-equity firm, people familiar with the talks said.
The pace of negotiations over the SUV unit has intensified in the past few weeks, said the people, who wouldn't name the suitors and asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. More meetings are scheduled this week, one person said.
"The Hummer review is progressing and an update is due by the end of the first quarter," said GM spokeswoman Joanne Krell, who wouldn't comment on any bidders.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090212/BUSINESS01/902120332/1014/BUSINESS01/Auto+- news+briefs++Hummer+draws+interest
http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/daily/?m=200902&cat=789 (feb 6)
Auto dealers and their allies had sought to make interest on auto loans and the sales and excise taxes on new-vehicle purchases deductible from federal taxes. Proponents say those measures are needed to boost showroom traffic and sales.
But the final stimulus bill -- a compromise between House and Senate negotiators -- makes only sales and excise taxes deductible. The loan interest provision was dropped, a spokeswoman for Sen. Barbara Mikulski confirmed today.
Sources said the trim in the tax break for new-vehicle purchases reduced its cost from about $11 billion to about $2 billion. Congressional negotiators sought to limit the cost of the stimulus bill to pacify lawmakers worried about spending.
Mikulski, D-Md., sponsored the original provision on vehicle purchases at the request of dealers. The spokeswoman said Mikulski considers the deduction for sales and excise taxes an important victory. ...
Regards,
OW
Unemployment will keep at 500,000 each week until at least April some economists predict. I hold little weight in the predictions of the D3 "experts" anymore. Used cars are up in sales because new cars are down. The cost of used cars is way down as well, hence the bump in sales. GM used cars are the cheapest after Chrysler, mostly due to the HUGE incentives on the new cars.
"There really is nowhere to hide in this economy," Moody's Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi says.
"If you lose your job, it's not clear where you should move to find one or even what training or education you need to retool yourself," he says. "The hallmark of the current downturn is that it is so broad-based across industries, occupations and regions of this economy."
Workers in some states certainly will be better off than others. Employers in six states — Washington, Texas, North Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico and Nebraska — and Washington, D.C., are expected to shed less than 1% of their workers this year.
At the same time, Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Connecticut, Hawaii and Michigan are forecast to lose the greatest proportions of their states' jobs. Michigan, hit hard by a rapid decline in the U.S. automotive industry, is expected to shed more than 175,000 jobs this year, a 4.3% decline, according to Moody's Economy.com.
Nationwide, employers are expected to cut 2.7 million jobs this year after eliminating more than 2 million positions in 2008, according to Moody's Economy.com.
The year is off to a bad start.
Firms cut 598,000 jobs in January, the most since 1974, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate rose to 7.6%, the highest in more than 16 years.
More than 11.6 million people were unemployed last month, up 54% from a year earlier and the most since December 1982.
Including people who were working part time even though they wanted full-time work, and those who had given up on finding a job, the rate of "underemployment" was 13.9% in January, up from 9% a year earlier and the highest since the Labor Department began tracking the number in 1994.
This month isn't looking much better. Already, household names such as Macy's, Electronic Arts and PNC Financial Services have announced thousands more layoffs.
Until the jobs market stabilizes, count sales under 10MM SAAR each month. You can prove me wrong as data comes available.
Regards,
OW
I'd guess that confidence comes mainly from knowing he never has to work another day in his life after having been paid so well for years.
GM, he says, is crouched and ready to pounce if the auto market begins to rebound. "We just need to get the storm over, and we're about ready to go,
Rick - reality check. We're not anywhere near out of the storm; and your boat would have sunk if not for the government Coast Guard boat keeping it afloat!
Most auto CEOs face similar problems, but the challenge are outsized for Wagoner because GM's size makes it hard to overhaul quickly,
Well if the size of their UAW contract is any indication; they've made their system so complicated ...
The reason for Wagoner's confident appearance is his unshakable belief that things will get better soon enough.
Hasn't he had this belief for many years, while GM's profit, marketshare, and reputation have gone downhill? Somehow this isn't very convincing.
"We're struggling now, but tomorrow is going to be a sunny day.' I've heard it so many times from so many companies for so many years, I guess I'm a little skeptical," says Jim Hossack, senior consultant at AutoPacific consultants.
Now everybody listen to Jim. He's telling you that one of the jobs of a CEO is to be a "cheerleader". No matter what the score really is.
Wagoner says the woman in the airport gives him hope that Americans are giving GM a second chance. "We're hearing that people are paying attention to us," says Mark LaNeve, GM's head of North American sales and marketing. "It's a great opportunity."
It's a great opportunity because there are so many people today who aren't buying GM products; compared to when they had 50% marketshare?
A large slice of Americans don't know for sure what brands GM makes. About 20% don't realize that GM makes GMC trucks, LaNeve says. And 40% think, incorrectly, that GM makes Chryslers.
And these are the type of people we want to buy new vehicles? or are GM's target customers? If they're that dumb, I'd hope they don't even have a license!
Wagoner says. "People think we haven't been able to put as much marketing resources behind each product as we need.
I liked last year's Pontiac marketing theme, "We are Car" - creative and brilliant, especially for their target customer?
Consumers' icy attitudes toward GM seem to be thawing, ever so slightly, according to the automaker's surveys
Feb. 17th is a few days away. Even if they get the rest of this money, that'll last a few months. (Note that they did their own biased survey, saving the money hiring a firm).
Even though more people also said they were aware of GM's Buick and Cadillac brands, the percentage who said they'd consider buying them dropped slightly as they learned more about the brands
So the more people know about GM's brands the less likely they are to buy them? Wow Rick, there's something else to smile about!
"We suffer on the perceptual gap because a lot of the media is on the coasts, and we don't do as well in those markets
So again if people learn more about the brands through the media, then they buy less of the brands?
"So if we could start penetrating Washington D.C., New York, L.A. with cars, that's going to help with the perceptual gap.
If people won't buy the vehicles, I suggest you try military airdrops; pushing them out the back of the cargo planes and parachuting them in.
Adds LaNeve, "If you can put one Buick into a Lexus neighborhood, that's worth every ad I run in a whole year."
Brilliant! Millions and millions spent on ads, and you sold 1 Buick!
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-02-11-GM-ceo-wagoner-interview_N.htm
There was no need for them to spend all that money on advertising. I would've bought that Buick anyway! :P
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-02-11-cash-strapped-condoms- _N.htm
Come on guys, this is a real softball.
That typifies GM's whole problem right there - GM "thinks" their Buick would be considered by any self-respecting Lexus owner - and they are so sadly mistaken.....
As a Lexus owner, I don't even give Cadillac a serious look, let alone Buick. Maybe Mercedes or BMW, but nothing GM makes even comes close.
Well, the Buick is much less expensive than most of Lexus' lineup save the ES350 which I thought was quite disappointing the last time I sat in it at the Philly Auto Show. It comes across more like a "Camry Deluxe" than a Lexus. I'd say Toyota's own Avalon is an arguably nicer car.
For the typical Lexus owner to buy a Buick, either Buick has to go way upscale where it would be competing against Cadillac or the Lexus owner is scaling back on his lifestyle. Still, I believe Buick is the most dependable car out there with a dash of comfort and luxury thrown in for good measure. It's certainly the most sensible choice from my experience. If I hadn't fallen in love with the Cadillac DTS, I'd have used my head and got the Buick Lucerne instead and saved a lot of money. I've had several Buick automobiles and they never let me down.
Mercedes and BMW? Oh, I might look at them as I would a hot beautiful woman who might give me the thrill of a lifetime but has a reputation for being a vicious golddigger and leave me destitute after a hostile divorce. I'd never get involved with any of them.
Totally agree with you there, the ES is quite the joke, not worthy of the Lexus line. The Avalon however, is on par with the Buick easily, in a blind ride test, one would be hard pressed to tell which he was riding in, the Lucerne or the Avalon, I believe.
Given the choice between the DTS and the Lucerne, I'll take the DTS anyday and pay the extra. It's much nicer, IMO. I realize they are similar under the hood.
At least in my mind they are almost like two different brands.
In looking at the Buick's the Enclave competes very well with the RX. And the new LaCrosse will be nicer than the ES.
The Avalon was tuned, as was the Camry, like Buicks. I have no doubt that the Buicks were in the Toyota development fleet. I know we compared the Camry directly with the old LaCrosse and the general public would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
It seems that the Toyota truck gets a free pass.
If Americans learn more about GM's they will like them less? With a constant flow of incorrect information from the media, they are not likely learning the truth. What ever posessed the article writer to even mention that the tundra was not tested? He blew the total BS story with his last 5 words tucked away in the bottom corner. Writer's assumption......Dumb Americans (like the ones who think GM is Chrysler) won't read the last 5 words. It also provides a handy disclaimer against bias accusations.
That's funny, the following information came from www.iihs.org, the testing organization. What link are you talking about, or are you just blowing smoke?:
Tundra photo: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/controls/image.ashx?rh=854&id=2
Silverado photo, with airbags: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/controls/image.ashx?rh=1092&id=2
Without side torso airbags, occupants are vulnerable: What's behind the lackluster performance? In the Silverado's case, it's a combination of a poor side structure plus the lack of side torso airbags. The truck's optional side curtain airbags are designed to protect occupants' heads, and these worked well. But occupants' upper bodies remain unprotected even with the optional side curtains.
"In the Silverado tests, there was a lot of intrusion into the occupant compartment. With no torso airbags to protect the driver and rear passenger, measures recorded on the test dummies showed that rib fractures and internal organ injuries would be likely in a real-world crash of similar severity," Zuby explains. "Chevy needs to improve the Silverado's side structure, as well as add padding or torso airbags to better protect its occupants."
How vehicles are evaluated: The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle's structural performance during the impact.
Great job, GM. :mad:
see cnn.money.com