Finally, actual good news from GM!
 

I was looking for a newswire on the holden ute (none found) but I found this:

GM To Use More Magnesium, Aluminum To Lighten Cars
01/15 12:41 pm (ON)
Story 0626 (GM)
By John D. Stoll Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

DETROIT -(Dow Jones)- General Motors Corp. (GM) Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Tuesday that the company is pushing to maintain the size of the cars it builds for the U.S. market even as fuel-economy standards tighten.

Lutz, speaking during a roundtable interview on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show, said the company will use different materials, such as more magnesium and aluminum, to make its vehicles lighter, and therefore more fuel-efficient.

It will also install more diesel engines in trucks and SUVs. Diesels typically achieve significantly better fuel economy than gasoline engines.

GM, like other major auto makers, is pursuing various technologies to develop vehicles that are more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. Many of those technologies were prominently displayed at this year's auto show.


Auto makers have seen sales of large vehicles slide amid concerns about rising fuel costs, which have pushed consumers to cars that get better gas mileage. Companies also must take steps to comply with the terms of a recently passed energy bill that calls for auto makers to produce fleets that average 35 miles per gallon by 2020, up from the current target of about 25 miles per gallon.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Aluminum is already used pretty extensively in most GM vehicles, yet they are still heavy heffers.

They said more!

Well, with more that means more $$$.
Example. Cobalt is 3200lbs. The next heaviest car is either the VW Rabbit or the Mazda 3 at 2800lbs.
Corolla is 2600lbs...yes, thats 600lbs LIGHTER then the Cobalt. No wonder it gets good gas milage. If you could shave 600lbs off teh Cobalt, it could rpobably get 40mpg.
Im in the middle of writing a big editorial for GMI. Ill post it up here soon.

i coudl care less about the aluminum right now, they are bringing the UTE i want over finally!!!! :D

Forget rust now we can worry about intergranular corrosion too. :lol:

i highly doubt the next generation Norolla will remain 2600lbs. even the slobalt has better sound insulation and interior build quality than that thing. whats amazing to me is how honda managed to keep the civic at 2700lbs. that thing is pretty darn big and has a serious interior

yeah they were selling a elcamino on barrett jackson and they said that they just announced yesterday that the ute will be coming as a pontiac.......i wonder what trim levels will be coming

Welcome to the new & improved :cough cough cough: CAFE regulations.