Satellite radio operator Sirius XM Radio Inc. has decided to offer purchasers of pre-owned vehicles a free three month subscription at more than 1,000 participating GM dealerships across the U.S regardless of the vehicle manufacturer.

There are trucks, and then there are TRUCKS. If you need a truck for those Sunday garage sale outings, to bring home that oversized wicker rocking chair, get yourself a GMC Canyon. Need to trailer a bass boat, or a pair of Jet Skis, or pick up some plywood at the local Home Depot, get a Sierra 1500. If you want a truck with some styling attitude that rides like a luxury car with luxury amenities, and yet can tow or haul some heavier items, get a Chevy Avalanche. But if you need to haul a load of gravel, or tow your 65-Ft. Cigarette Boat – or haul a load of fresh cut logs down to the sawmill, you get yourself the GMC Sierra 2500 4WD Crew Cab. This is an HD truck, and the HD stands for Heavy Duty, not High Definition. This is a work truck, and it is built to work hard.

The program including Chevrolet, Buick and GMC names will continue to offer the 12-month/12,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty as well as a five-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty with 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation. Other standard features will include a more thorough 172-point inspection improved from 117 points as well as reconditioning, free trials of OnStar and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.

Hitting the market back in 2007, the GMC, Buick and Chevy large crossover trio have continued with strong sales despite almost zero updates. That will change for the 2013 model year, with changes planned for all three of the Lambda machines, although you might not notice the changes at first glance.

The latest in a growing list of investments, General Motors has announced a $331 million cash infusion into its Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas.

Today, President Barack Obama opened a four-country, 6-day European tour. The President briefly visited the American Embassy in Dublin, where Michelle and Barack encountered an amusing hiccup in their trip. While Cadillac One (aka The Beast) was exiting the embassy driveway, the limo bottomed out and got stuck on a bump crippling the vehicle.

It is unclear whether the limo was a decoy or if Michelle and Barack were even inside the limo at the time but it is quite funny to watch especially with the crowd cheering. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Check out the video after the jump!

General Motors has announced the recall of 4,674 model year 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups for faulty windshield wipers that may fail in cold weather conditions.

Car owners are more satisfied with independent shops for maintenance, according to a latest Consumer Reports Annual Survey. The survey was based on more than 92,000 reports on service visits to independent mechanics and 230,000 service visits to new car dealerships.

The Ford F-Series pickup isn’t just the best selling truck in America, but the best selling vehicle and it has been that way for almost as long as anyone can remember. That, however, may change, especially if gas prices continue to stay high and jobless rates don’t decline.

General Motors has done a commendable job differentiating GMC and Chevrolet even though they share many of the same designs. As proof, one could compare the Terrain to the Equinox or the Acadia to the Traverse and see they share the same underpinnings yet each has a distinctive look.

MG Rover may have been able to retain much of its British character after being acquired by Chinese automaker SAIC, the company’s tie-in with General Motors may see the next generation MG Rover products use GM technologies, including platforms.

Federal regulators are investigating 865,000 General Motors SUVs, including the 2005-’07 Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Rainier,for faulty fuel gauges that are inaccurate. The 2005-’06 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, the 2005-’07 GMC Envoy, the 2005-’06 GMC Envoy XL and the 2005-’07 Saab 9-7X are also affected vehicles being investigated.

General Motors Co. may reduce production of pickup trucks after inventories rose last month. GM’s truck inventory rose to more than 275,000 at the end of April working out to about 111 days of supply, according to Don Johnson, GM’s vice president of U.S sales. GM dealers had about 264,000 trucks on their lots last month.

In this era of relatively high fuel prices, motorists are looking to save every last drop of gas they can. However, if they drive a General Motors SUV they might be carrying less fuel in their tanks than they actually  think.

Despite Ford’s aggressive marketing campaign for its new, more ‘fuel efficient’ engines in the 2011 F-series, along with currently high fuel prices, GM has said it has no plans to move up the launch of its updated full-size twins, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.

General Motors will idle their Arlington, Texas plant due to a parts shortage, although details were not given as to what the specific issue was.

A solid performer for GM, the GMC Terrain is poised to step up its game in the compact crossover segment with a host of new high-tech gadgets.

In its June issue; which hit newstands on Wednesday, March 30; Truck Trend magazine declared the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and it’s GMC counterpart, the 3/4 ton Sierra Heavy Duty; ‘Best in Class,’ when it came to work trucks.

General Motors has halted production at their Tonawanda, New York engine plant, due to a parts shortage that has affected another factory in Louisiana.

General Motors Shreveport, Louisiana factory that builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will face a production halt until March 21st due to supply chain issues stemming from Japan’s natural disasters.

General Motors has announced that it will be having a car giveaway sweepstakes through its OnStar division. From March 15 until May 31, if you have access to an OnStar equipped vehicle (that’s right, you don’t even need to be a subscriber), you can enter the contest, simply by pushing the OnStar button.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has bestowed their Top Safety Pick to the 2011 Honda Odyssey as well as the GM crossovers, which includes the Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse and GM Acadia.

Ever wonder where Pontiac owner’s are going shopping for new cars since the brand folded? Honestly, we hadn’t, until this new study came to our attention.

General Motors today announced its first full-year numbers after emerging from bankruptcy, posting a $4.7 billion profit after a massive bailout by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

A few months ago the Granite concept, the darling of GMC’s display at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, was slated to enter production. But GM internal management never confirmed it, and the matter was dropped. Now, the GMC Granite has been given the go-ahead for production…again.

Remember the Saturn Outlook? Well, soon you’ll be able to say the same about the GMC Acadia.

With the Ford Ranger having left the building, General Motors is capitalizing on the death of a legend by going full steam ahead with the development of their next compact pickups, which will replace the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

General Motors’ T800 series of full-size pickup trucks and SUVs, with specific reference to 1999-03 models of Chevy Silverado, Avalance, Suburban and Tahoe, as well as their GMC counterparts, Sierra and Yukon, have been subjected to an investigation regarding rusted brake lines.

At this year’s North American International Auto Show, General Motors teased truck lovers by unveiling the All-Terrain HD Concept, an off-road, pre-runner inspired vehicle in the SVT Raptor idom and derived from the current GMC Sierra HD.

Compared to the Ford Raptor, the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept is a T-Rex. Based on GM’s new Heavy Duty platform, this truck is in a whole other segment than the Raptor and was never meant to be a Baja machine.

With a planned debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week, GMC has released a new selection of photos of its overtly excessive Sierra All Terrain HD Concept. We first brought you coverage of this new truck several weeks back, but the new gallery of pics provides more angles and shows the big off-roader’s interior.

General Motors has announced two separate recalls for a total of five vehicles totaling 100,000 units in all. The majority of recalled vehicles are 2005-07 Cadillac CTS models where the passenger airbag could fail to inflate in a crash due to a possible broken connection with the sensor in the passenger seat. In total 95,927 vehicles are affected.

If you own a 2011 Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain or Cadillac SRX this is not a recall you want to miss. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been busy recalling everything from Bentley logos to Suzuki gloveboxes, this latest recall regards seat belts that could fail.

Among the many ‘new’ GM’s plans has been a more focused sales and marketing effort on each of its four remaining core brands.

Of all the domestic automakers, there’s something about the way General Motors can elicit an emotional reaction. And so on this Thanksgiving Day, the General has decided to run a rather touching commercial sharing its thanks for all that you, the American taxpayer, have done for it, its employees and more recently, its shareholders.

Silent of any voice, the ad shows iconic images of failure, followed by comeback and ends with the words, “We all fall down. Thank you for helping us get back up.”

See the video after the jump:

General Motors has announced that is recalling some 192,676 2004-11 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup regular and extended cab models (plus certain  2008-09 Isuzu i280/i370 trucks) fitted with 60/40 split front bench seats because of  tether issues for child seats.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently implemented a revised test procedure for it’s 5-star New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) vehicle safety rating system and now, has issued results conducted with four 2011 model year pickup trucks – the Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500,  Ram 1500 and Toyota Tacoma.

We regret to inform you that the subject matter behind the enticing title won’t live up to whatever thoughts are circulating in your head. Rather, Forbes’ list of “Americas Dirtiest Vehicles” has to do with pollution and gas mileage, and is mostly comprised of cars we ourselves would want to own.

Forbes used a variety of factors to determine what qualified for the list, with both carbon emissions and fuel consumption factoring in to the economy. “Heavy Duty” trucks were left off the list, as well performance cars that only get driven on special occasions, like the Ferrari 599 GTO (and, apparently, Mercedes’ AMG lineup).

Hit the jump to see the list for yourself

[Source: Forbes]

Want to see automotive line workers, drinking, smoking and slacking off? Unfortunately, you have to go to Chrysler for that. GM, on the other hand, will be offering tours of all 54 plants throughout 2011 in a pretty cool but transparent PR move designed to shore up public opinion after the company launched its IPO this past week.

Naturally, the emphasis will be on the thousands of jobs that GM provides – and that were saved thanks to the automotive bailout. GM’s Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky was the only GM plant that offered regular tours before this initiative.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

[Source: GM]

When General Motors first unveiled the all-new 2011 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra engineers and product planners made no excuses about how similar the trucks look to their previous generation counterparts. Tough times at GM made for limited budgets and so Chevy and GMC reps were somewhat proud to admit that while the truck might not look new, it’s because they decided to pour all their resources into an all new frame and engine/transmission combo, rather than on bling.

Almost a year ago GMC unveiled its surprising, and surprisingly cool, Granite crossover/MPV-thingy at the Detroit Auto Show. Fast forward 11 months and GMC once again is peaking the interest of not only traditional truck buyers, but also of compact crossover folks with the Granite CPU. The name itself stands for Compact Pick Up and it’s easy to see why with tiny dimensions and an innovative package that makes the CPU a capable truck, whether for work or play.

In the wake of its re-structuring last year, General Motors has re-directed its focus on just four core brands in the United States – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC. And that not only applies to marketing and retail sales, but now apparently servicing as well.

For all you lovers of body on frame chassis and four wheel drive, we bring you our favorite trucks of the 2010 SEMA Show.

How’s this for a little added incentive? In the hopes of attracting more consumers, OnStar is teaming up with auto insurance companies to offer subscribers discounts on their car policies.

It was perhaps inevitable, but GMC‘s Acadia crossover has become the latest to adopt the bucks-up Denali trim level. Shown as a concept at the Detroit Auto Show back in January; it’s now a fully-fledged production vehicle and on its way to dealers as you read this.

Americans still love their trucks. At least it appears that way when General Motors posted September sales figures for all core brands. Overall retail demand for GM vehicles rose by 39 percent and according to GM Vice President of US sales operations, Don Johnson “big pickups contributed significantly to overall sales improvements.”

General Motors, recently announced that is preparing to invest $483 million and create 483 new jobs at it’s Spring Hill, Tennesse Powertrain complex, which currently builds Ecotec four-cylinder engines. Providing that state and local officials are in agreement, the investment should provide a major shot in the arm for the General, the Spring Hill area and also the United Auto Workers’ union, since the new jobs will be filled by workers laid off, in accordance with the UAW/GM National Labor agreement.

Ever since it’s inception, the Federal Government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards program has never been far from controversy. With the proposed 35 miles per gallon standard less than a decade away; auto manufacturers are struggling to find ways of meeting these fleet average targets. Because light trucks as well as cars are now included in the targets, domestic automakers like Ford, GM and Chrysler are likely to find the new regulations particularly tough to deal with, since a great deal of their profit still rests on truck production. Now, thanks to a meeting in May, when President Obama called on the EPA and Department of Transportation to included medium and heavy-duty vehicles within the CAFE umbrella (under different and yet undisclosed fuel economy standards), things have become even more messy and complicated.

The Detroit-area wheel thieves have struck again, this time liberating the giant chrome 20″ rims off of Mayor Dave Bing’s GMC Yukon Denali.

Chevrolet’s Volt plug-in hybrid isn’t the only vehicle that will get its own smartphone app. The Chevrolet Cruze compact will also join the bandwagon with an OnStar-supported program that gives owners new access to various functions of their vehicle via a smartphone.

General Motors has just announced the filing of papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) that will see the company handed back over to investors and removed from government control.

Including in the filing are plans for preferred stock that carries with it both debt and equity and also has priority in a bankruptcy situation.

According to a Bloomberg report, GM hopes to generate $16 billion by the IPO, selling off roughly a fifth of the stock currently owned by the U.S. Treasury. This would then make the government a minority shareholder in General Motors and is likely to be followed by continued sell-offs until GM is entirely out of government hands. Currently the U.S. government owns a 61 percent stake in GM.

GM has already paid back the $6.7 billion in loans it received from the U.S. and Canadian governments, however, that amount is only a small portion of the almost $50 billion bailout GM received.

Official release after the jump:

Cadillac‘s SRX crossover will get a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 to replace the current 3.0L naturally aspirated V6 and the 2.8L twin-turbo V6 currently offered in the vehicle.

With all the talk of environmental concerns, energy dependence and air quality these days, many commercial fleet operators are looking to alternative solutions to power their vehicles and perhaps save a bit of money in the process. In North America, one of the cheapest and certainly most practical alternatives has been Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Taxi fleets have been using CNG fueled cars for years and increasingly other segments of the commercial vehicle sector are adopting it, including those that rely on pickups and vans for delivery or contract work.

They haven’t been on the market that long, but some customers have noted a problem with the hill start assist feature on the 2011 Heavy Duty Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. The hill-start assist, which is integrated with the trailer brake control function is designed to apply the brakes for an additional 1.5 seconds after the pedal is released, if the truck is parked on an incline of five percent or greater. However, there have been instances where it hasn’t engaged, instead the truck rolls as soon as brake pedal is released.

According to an official release from General Motors, total U.S. sales of vehicles from its four major brands in June 2010, stood at 194,828 units, marking the sixth straight month of increases. Many analysts cite recovering demand in the pickup and SUV markets as a prime factor in the sales increases and according to GM’s Vice President of Sales Operations Don Johnson (no, not that one), combined sales of the popular Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups, as well as the Chevy Avalanche were up 27 percent versus June 2009.

Since GM exited the medium duty market with its Chevy Kodiak and GMC TopKick trucks in 2009, a number of dealers have been feeling the pinch. Gordon Moore, from McCormick Motors in Nappanee, Indiana, says that the lack of any mid-duty product on his lots is causing would be customers to shop elsewhere. The problem is that both Ford and Ram offer both light and medium duty trucks, essentially allowing their commercial customers to do one stop shopping at their dealers for their specific needs. “The more simple and direct solution you can provide people for the range of vehicles they need, the better off, they’re going to be,” he says.

At a recent meeting regarding their proposed IPO, General Motors outlined their new product plans through the year 2014. According to GM’s plans,70 updates vehicles will be launched by 2012, but most of the vehicles will be for global export markets rather than North America.

The GMC Granite has been given the green light for production. No… wait… it hasn’t. According to a report by Motor Trend, a source at GM announced that the funky Scion xB-like urban MPV based on the Chevy Orlando will get the go ahead. After publishing the report, GM contacted MT to inform them that the production light is not green, but more yellow – if not downright red.

Several sketches of a pickup truck have been leaked from the U.S. Patent Office, showing what appears to be the next-generation Chevy Colorado. GM filed the design patent on November 23rd of last year and received confirmation from the office yesterday.