GM

DEARBORN, Mich.--Electrification is the biggest change to hit the auto industry in decades. But with little clarity on how the technology will play out in the future, automakers are laying down multiple billion-dollar bets.

After years of talking about plug-in electric vehicles, automakers can finally point to actual products, actual customers, and the beginnings of a charging infrastructure.

Yet automakers still don't know which products will resonate with consumers. The result is a spate of all-electric cars and a spectrum of hybrids built around different-size batteries.

What combination of battery and gas engine will be most popular with … Read more

GM's autonomous pod could be coming to a megacity near you. The auto manufacturer announced that it has begun development of the next-generation EN-V, and is exploring pilot programs to test the concept in real-world scenarios.

The electric two-seater pod debuted at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and is designed to provide a safe, congestion reducing, zero-emissions transportation solution for dense urban environments. Estimates predict that 60 percent of the world's population will live in megacities by 2030, according to GM. … Read more

Chevrolet appears to be hedging its bets on the electric car market, announcing that it will produce an all-electric version of the Chevrolet Spark subcompact for the U.S. market in 2013.

The auto manufacturer has been preaching the benefits of its extended range electric power train as the best fit for American drivers who want to dip their toes in electric driving, but it has also been testing all-electric vehicles in Asia and India. Tests of those EVs, which were developed jointly by GM Daewoo, LG Chem, and LG Electronics, have proven successful, and parent company General Motors has decided to bring the all-electric platform to the U.S. in the Chevrolet Spark. … Read more

Even incumbent automakers think this car-sharing idea has some legs.

General Motors is expected announce a partnership tomorrow with start-up RelayRides that will allow GM vehicles owners to rent out their cars to other consumers using OnStar and a smart-phone. The service will first be offered in California starting by the end of the first quarter next year.

The auto giant is partnering with RelayRides to learn more about car sharing and offer OnStar customers a service to make revenue with their vehicles, said Stephen Girsky, vice chairman of corporate strategy and new business development at GM. It also gives … Read more

This probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, given that iOS 5 is arriving in consumers' hands next week, but Apple today gave developers a final copy of the software they can use to fine-tune their apps for compatibility.

Apple posted the gold master of the software on its developer site following this morning's announcements. Worth noting is that existing developers cannot install it as an over-the-air update, and they must use one of the recent developer betas of iTunes from the past two months.

The release today comes just after the date range predicted by … Read more

In preparation for Chevrolet's centennial celebration, set for November 3, 2011, GM Korea gathered 1,143 of its customers in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, to create the largest Chevrolet bow tie and set a new Guinness World Record.

The motorcar mosaic was made up of Spark, Aveo, Cruze, Orlando and Captiva models and measured 688 feet (209.9 meters) in length and 221 feet (67.6 meters). The design was recognized as the Largest Car Logo.

The Chevy brand launched in Korea on March 1, 2011, with a nationwide brand unveiling event in Seoul. Since then, GM Korea has introduced several … Read more

From the We-didn't-mean-it,-can-we-please-just-forget-about-it? department: OnStar announced it would not change its privacy policy on December 1.

CNET reported last week that OnStar would put a new privacy policy in effect on December 1, which would allow it to continue collecting data from cars even after a driver chose not to renew the OnStar service subscription. After what must have been a public relations nightmare, the company said today that the new privacy policy will not take effect, and that no data would be collected by OnStar from non-subscribers.

OnStar President Linda Marshall noted that "Maintaining the data … Read more

Automakers used to innovate slowly, but this year the race is on for integrating apps into the car, and it is moving at a whirlwind pace. Last year Ford kicked off this new era of car technology by integrating Pandora through its Sync AppLink system, and this year nine other automakers jumped on the bandwagon to some degree.

We were impressed to see both Toyota and GM, in the space of a single year, demonstrate and prepare to launch app integration in 2012 model year vehicles.

App integration means bringing services such as Pandora, Google search, and Twitter into the … Read more

Belgian design company Quinze & Milan will show a "creative reinterpretation of the new seven-seater" Chevy Orlando at the Superbrands London exhibition occurring September 22 to 25.

The seven-seater Orlando is no longer made for the U.S. market, but it was chosen be in the designers' showcase for the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet.

Making it look a bit like the Volkswagen Polo Harlequin, Quinze & Milan used its QM Foam product on the interior and exterior of the Chevy crossover. The design company said in a press release that the modded car demonstrates QM Foam's versatility … Read more