In these dark days of bankruptcy proceedings, ever-dwindling sales figures and decades of receding market share, General Motors' base of dealerships certainly has plenty of things to keep it up at night. You may be surprised to hear, though, that a dwindling supply of available inventory is one of the major problems some dealerships are currently reporting. We're not shocked to hear there's only a six-day supply of Chevrolet Camaro models on hand, but dealers are also seeking remedies for shortages of Buick Enclaves, GMC Yukon SUVs and extended-cab Sierra pickups, as well as limited supplies of Chevrolet Silverado trucks. For a company that has historically had an unhealthy attachment to high inventories across their brands, this is an unusual development indeed.

GM is aware of the shortages and Mark LaNeve, vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, tells Automotive News that the shortage is a normal part of the adjustment process from the old days of carrying a 120-day supply of vehicles to today's goal of a leaner 75-day supply. The General's messenger further suggests that dealers trade inventory with each other to bolster inventory until the automaker is ready to rekindle its assembly lines beginning on Monday, July 13 after the company's extended summer shutdown.



[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

General Motors has cleared a major hurdle to get out of bankruptcy quickly, as U.S. Judge Robert Gerbe has finally given the automaker the go-ahead to sell off its best assets to a newly formed company that analysts have been calling "New GM". The new GM will include assets like the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands, plus plants and production facilities that haven't scheduled for closure. The old GM will consist of soon-to-be shuttered plants, the Pontiac brand and mountains of debt and liabilities.

Judge Gerbe gave the go-ahead on Sunday because he felt not doing so would cause "immediate and irreparable harm" to the 100-year-old company. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Treasury Department was threatening to cut off funding to GM if the sale didn't go through by July 10. Hundreds of GM's debtors requested that the sale be rejected, but Judge Gerbe's ruling likely means that the affected parties won't see much, if any money owed.

GM entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1, and if New GM actually does emerge from bankruptcy this week, the fourth largest bankruptcy in this country's history will have been completed inside of just six weeks. The timeframe is very similar to that of the much smaller Chrysler, which needed only 42 days to exit bankruptcy.

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Photo by Hiroko Masuike/Getty]

It took General Motors eight years to sell one million Buicks in China, but the second million came in only three. Brisk auto sales in the land of the Great Wall are part of the reason for the increase, but the General has also stepped up its product lineup with new offerings, including the Regal, LaCrosse, and Park Avenue. Shanghai GM's two-millionth Buick was a red Regal, delivered to a customer in the southern city of Guangzhou.

While those vehicles have brought some high-end class to GM Shanghai's Buick operation, they haven't come close to the success of the smaller Excelle. Shanghai GM has sold 900,000 copies of the Excelle sedan, hatch, and wagon since 2003, and sales are still going strong with 94,000 units moved in the first five months of 2009.

While Buick has struggled as a brand here in the States, the marquee has enjoyed blockbuster success in China. Buick was a smash success in China in the 1930s, as provincial presidents and emperors chose the brand over more austere offerings from the likes of Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz, and it appears some of that goodwill has been projected into modern times.

Further proof that General Motors is readying a Opel Astra derivative for the Buick brand has just arrived in the form of spy shots showing a mid-size mule testing at Germany's Nürburgring. Somewhat obscured behind the excessive camo is Buick's trademark "waterfall" grille, however, the A-pillar and C-pillar survive the transition from Opel to Buick.

Inside, the badge engineering is markedly more apparent with what looks like an instrument panel, center console, and steering wheel directly ported over from the recently revealed 2010 Opel Astra. In all likelihood, the Buick version will be sold almost exclusively in the Chinese market and, although it would be built along side the Cruze at GM's Lordstown, OH plant, it's doubtful that the compact Buick will ever be sold in the States. But if it does, we'd suggest reviving the Skylark or Somerset moniker, because, hey... we know how well they went over before.

General Motors has announced that its new 2010 Buick LaCrosse will be available with its fuel-sipping 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder. Equipped with the direct injected engine and paired with the sedan's standard six-speed automatic, GM says the combination should deliver 30 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in town.

It will be interesting to see if the 182 horsepower, 172 pound-foot of torque inline-four will be able to effectively motivate a car of the LaCrosse's size, but either way, plugging the capable engine in the Buick ought to give GM a unique selling point against V6-only competitors like the Lincoln MKZ.

Buick says it expects about 25% of LaCrosse buyers will check the four-cylinder box at purchase time. Check out the official press verbiage after the jump.



[Source: General Motors]

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson held a web chat with journalists earlier today over at the automaker's Fastlane Blog. (Full transcript available here.) Now, despite persistent rumors to the contrary, it's been reported a few times over that GM has no intention of resurrecting the Aussie-built Pontiac G8 under a different division, even though variants of the G8's Holden Commodore source material are sold in foreign markets under both the Chevrolet and Buick nameplates. This is a lamentable course of action, to say the least, because the G8 is a really good car. In particular, the G8 GT and GXP models are downright excellent. Towards the end of the web proceedings, AutoWeek's Greg Migliore went to the well one last time on behalf of enthusiasts everywhere, asking Henderson if the G8 has any future under one of the "new" GM's remaining brands.

14:45 [Comment From Greg Migliore--AutoWeek]
Does the Pontiac G8 have any kind of future within General Motors as a re-badged model? What kinds of changes would need to be made to the car for it to be sold under another brand?

14:45 Fritz Henderson: I am not a fan of rebadging.

That's a terse, disappointing, answer – especially considering that of GM's four remaining divisions, GMC is made up almost exclusively of warmed-over Chevrolets. R.I.P. Pontiac G8. (Or new Chevy Impala. Or Buick Park Avenue...)



[Source: GM Fastlane via Motor Trend]

For all those weeping and gnashing their teeth over the loss of the 2-Mode Hybrid Saturn Vue, a ray of hope may be on the horizon from a seemingly unlikely source. According to a posting on GM-Volt.com, there's a possibility that an upcoming sub-Enclave crossover from Buick could be granted access to the sophisticated hybrid technology that GM had initially intended for the latest Saturn Vue.

The world may have gotten a sneak peek at the new Buick 'ute on a recent CBS News piece that featured an interview with GM design head Ed Welburn. As the rumors go, the new CUV will share the same platform as the soon-to-be-departing Saturn Vue, so it theoretically shouldn't be too difficult to port the technology over to Buick for a 2011 model year release. Of course, there still remains the possibility that the 2-Mode could also make an appearance in the latest Chevrolet Equinox or Cadillac SRX. Either way, you can check out the CBS News footage after the jump or read more about the possibility of a Buick 2-Mode at the link below.

[Sources: GM-Volt.com, CBS News]

Surviving the initial bankruptcy shakedown, yet still struggling to stay afloat, the Buick division of General Motors is introducing a new advertising campaign starting this weekend - adding to the handful of all-new campaigns it has launched since 2002. The new offensive, aimed directly at the intended audience of baby-boom drivers, carries the theme "Take a look at me now."

Before you start humming that familiar Phil Collins song, GM wants to assure all of us that we are heading down the wrong path. After all, Mr. Collins actually named his hit "Against All Odds" (and it served as the title song for an Eighties movie bearing that same name). This is a different agenda, unrelated to the song, conceptualized by the company's hired ad agency to drive traffic into the showrooms and get warm bodies behind the wheel. This campaign delivers a pointed approach, says GM. We'll buy it... until they tell us next year's ad campaign is "Take me home."

[Source: The New York Times]

Further bolstering rumors that the Buick brand is set to receive rebranded products from GM's European Opel division are reports from GM Inside News indicating that a small car based on the Astra platform – initially planned for the now-defunct Saturn brand – has been transferred to Buick's entry-level luxury division.

Assuming these rumors are true, we can expect to see the new Buick in North America in late 2011 as a 2012 model. At this point, nobody is sure if the car will show up as a hatchback or as a sedan or what the car will be named. Skylark anyone? No?

We're hardly convinced this is good news for Buick. While Buick-GMC dealerships that are about to lose the Pontiac brand might disagree with our take, we have to wonder if an entry-level Buick might compete with upper-level versions of the upcoming Chevy Cruze. Sound familiar to anyone else?

[Source: GM Inside News]

On Monday, we brought you live images of the Buick Business MPV that's currently on display at the Shanghai Motor Show. Judging from the comments from that post, this hauler for the Chinese market is a pretty polarizing design, but in a sea of boring and derivative shapes, we don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. In any case, these new shots and accompanying press release from the GM mothership show the new concept in much better detail.

One of the most controversial design elements are the shoulder-level dips about halfway into the rear sliding doors. These were reportedly added to give the MPV a distinctive look and to incorporate the rail guides for the power sliders. Up front is a large toothy grille done up in chrome that looks typical for a Chinese Buick.

Inside, dual second-row captain's chairs slide for and aft and are capable of swiveling 225 degrees. A power sliding center console houses a writing tablet or laptop computer and is accessible from both the second and third rows.

Under the short front hood sits 2.4-liter four cylinder engine mated up with a six-speed automatic transmission. This powertrain is equipped with the latest version of GM's belt-alternator-starter mild hybrid system, which reportedly improves fuel efficiency by up to 20%. Check out galleries below of both live shots and high-res images from GM, and click past the break for the official press release.