Monthly Archives: August 2012

Back to School with Sonic Style

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Laptops, tablets and smart phones are among the key components of a student’s arsenal, but Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has given more recommendation for today’s school-year shopping to help parents and new shoppers alike find a car that fits a budget, is reliable, and looks great going down the road.

Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com listed the Top 10 Back-to-School Cars of 2012. KBB.com expert editors looked for the best cars under $16,000 that would fit today’s students. This is the second year a Chevrolet has made the list. Cruze made an appearance last year.

“Sporty design, vibrant colors, lots of space for friends and even that cool name make the Sonic hatchback and sedan attractive to younger drivers,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “Their parents, meanwhile, will be keen on this subcompact’s outward visibility, easy-to-drive manners, good fuel economy and eager (but not overwhelming) engines.”

The Sonic’s Ecotec 1.4L turbocharged engine delivers and EPA-estimated 40 mpg on the highway with 138 horsepower (103kW) — 18 horsepower (14kW) more than the Ford Fiesta – Which it makes it one of the most fun-to-drive in its class.

Coming later this fall, a new performance-inspired Sonic RS will hit the streets. The RS amplifies the Sonic’s youthful style and driving experience, with unique exterior and interior features. The Sonic RS also comes standard with a turbocharged engine, which is complimented by a stiffened performance suspension. Chevrolet’s MyLink also comes standard allowing today’s to enjoy simple, safe and personalized connectivity while their smart phone is safely stowed.

You can do your homework about the Chevrolet Sonic on our website and have a little fun by building your own. Going to back-to-school in a stylish, reliable car is everything that both parents and students are looking for.

OnStar Buttons Up its Look with Redesign

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Several exciting features will make their debut in 2013 General Motors models, including redesigned OnStar buttons.

“While the new buttons are cool, it’s what’s behind the button that is most impressive,” said Douglas McKibbon, engineering group manager, OnStar Hardware. “The buttons were changed for a few different reasons, but one was to better reflect the software updates that have gone into this current generation of OnStar.”

Voice Command Button

The button previously named the “Hands-Free Calling button” that was represented as a white phone with a circle around it, has been replaced with the “Voice Command button” featuring a general speech icon.

                                 

 The button changed to more accurately represent all of the functions that if offers.  In addition to allowing a driver to place or receive a phone call, the Voice Command button allows drivers to:

  • Access a previously saved route
  • Check Hands-Free Calling minutes
  • Access personalized traffic, weather and stock updates
  • Download directions to saved MapQuest destination

The Voice Command button better integrates with infotainment systems like Chevrolet MyLink, Cadillac CUE and Buick/GMC IntelliLink. These touch-screen infotainment systems offer access to OnStar’s voice command services by pressing the same logo featured on the Voice Command button. Pressing this logo on the infotainment screen or on the rearview mirror will access these service options on the screen or through voice commands.

Emergency Button

The Emergency button retains its original function to get a priority connection to a specially trained Emergency Advisor, but the featured logo has changed from a white cross embedded in a red circle to the internationally recognized “SOS” symbol.

          

This change is reflective of OnStar’s upcoming expansion into new global markets. The white cross does not represent an emergency in every country. OnStar and GM researched proposals across many different countries to identify the appropriate universal symbol.

“Emergency service is a staple of OnStar and that’s why we moved to a globally recognizable symbol,” said Terry Inch, vice president of Sales, Marketing and New Business Development.

OnStar Button

         

The blue OnStar button, which serves as the emblem for the 16-year-old telematics company, switched to the company’s new logo, which was introduced in late 2010 along with a pledge to focus on “responsible connectivity.” Some GM models and OnStar FMV already use the new logo. Push this button anytime you’d like to speak with an OnStar advisor.

Drivers of some 2013 Camaro models will have a frameless rearview mirror with touch-screen access to OnStar buttons, paying homage to both the classic Camaros and today’s tech-savvy driver. The buttons have electrochromic capabilities, allowing them to light up when touched and dim shortly afterwards. The mirror itself is also auto-dimming to compensate for the amount of light inside the vehicle.. It comes standard on the Camaro 2SS, 2LT, ZL1 coupe and convertible. GM will consider integrating the frameless mirror for other makes and models in the future.

Multiple research tests seeking the most attractive and most functional symbols that would be easily understood went into the logo redesign. Tests involved GM employees and owners of existing OnStar-equipped vehicles. Participants evaluated options on paper as well as in web-based and prototype clinics, where participants evaluated the logos on physical parts.

GM Furthers Participation in Real-World Vehicle Safety Programs

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General Motors continues to test emerging vehicle technology with their participation in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment Program. The program is a scientific research initiative that features a real-world implementation of connected vehicle safety technologies, applications and systems using everyday drivers.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority, and this research could save lives and prevent injuries across America,” U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said in a press release about the project. “With more than 30,000 people a year killed on our nation’s roads, we need to keep looking for new ways to improve safety and reduce fatalities.”

The initiative began on August 21 at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich. The transportation department selected the college town for the program due to its traffic mix, variety of roadway types and characteristics, seasonal weather, and proximity to vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. GM has provided eight specially equipped vehicles as part of a larger fleet of passenger cars, commercial trucks and transit vehicles. UMTRI will recruit and prepare volunteers for participating in the model deployment. The drivers will be split evenly by gender and age groups.

The program is designed to determine the effectiveness of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) safety technologies at reducing crashes. More specifically, it will test performance, evaluate human factors and usability, observe policies and processes, and collect empirical data to present a more accurate, detailed understanding of the potential safety benefits of these technologies. This combination of innovative technologies results in creating communications among vehicles and between vehicles and the infrastructure.

V2V communication allows vehicles to send and receive from each other basic information such as location, speed and direction of travel. V2I communication shares information about traffic signal phase, road attributes and surface conditions. Each technology has the potential to mitigate traffic collisions and congestion. Together, they can be integrated with active safety features, such as forward collision warning and side blind zone alert, already available on many production cars.

“Participating in this program will help GM and our research partners gain a more accurate, detailed understanding of V2V and V2I’s potential safety benefits,” said Nady Boules, GM Global R&D director of the Electrical and Control Systems Research Lab. “It is essential that common standards and security framework be established for V2V and V2I technologies so that vehicles from different automakers can communicate and interoperate with each other in a consistent manner.”

In late 2013, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) will use data collected by these vehicles to measure overall system benefits. Analysis of the data could result in a wide-scale deployment of V2V technology before the end of the decade.

Learn more about the program from this GM Research and Development video.

GM’s Transformation in Customer Experience and Product Quality

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Commentary offered by Alicia Boler-Davis following this year’s CAR seminar

In my new assignment as vice president of Global Quality and U.S. Customer Experience at General Motors, I recently had the privilege of representing GM at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminar, an annual gathering of more than 900 auto industry, academic, and government leaders addressing critical issues and emerging trends. It was an important moment for me because I was able to discuss how the people of GM are becoming ever more focused on product quality and customer experience. This is one of the reasons I believe this company has a bright future and I’d like to share some of these same thoughts with you.

Overall, GM is striving to move from good to great as a company. Achieving that goal depends largely on the way we interact with our customers and the strength and quality of our products. And we are currently in the early days of one of the biggest global product offensives in GM history. However, great products alone are not enough to take us where we ultimately want to be. We are taking an industry- unique approach by linking product quality with customer experience in order to transform GM into a customer-centric organization, providing exceptional and memorable ownership experiences.

For example, we have hired infotainment specialists to support dealers and customers with advanced new in-vehicle technology – an industry first. Every touch point with our valued customers is an opportunity to build strong relationships and an opportunity to exceed their expectations. We understand once again that GM exists for the customer and without the customer, we don’t exist at all.

Product quality plays a major role in all of this and we view it as the foundation for the overall customer experience. GM made a lot of progress in recent years improving product quality and is now considered to be among the best in the industry. But there is more to be done. It’s not just about getting our vehicles built right; it’s about getting everything right. From the way we design our vehicles so that they perform as you expect, to the way we engineer and manufacture them so that they are reliable and last a long time, to caring for our customers before, during and after the sale.  It is an enterprise-wide approach.

So as GM moves into the future, be assured we are listening to you to continue to improve in our efforts to provide the best overall experience in the automotive industry.

GM Fleet and Commercial Puts the Customer First

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Commentary provided by Jennifer Costabile, General Director of Used Vehicle Activities and Marketing, GM Fleet and Commercial Operations

Sales to business customers make up approximately 27 percent of GM’s overall business, and we at GM Fleet and Commercial know that winning in this growing market is dependent upon putting the customer first in all that we do.

In doing so, we’re making three key promises to customers:

-          Provide great products

-          Offer innovative business solutions to help solve customer challenges

-          Deliver an exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint

With those promises in mind – as well as GM’s expanded definition of customer experience – we’ve made a series of key improvements to our business, including: the creation of a new and more consistent brand identity, the development of more digitally-focused marketing efforts, and the total re-engineering of our website, GMFleet.com.

The new GM Fleet and Commercial logo

The first step in re-branding was to adopt the philosophy that in every customer touchpoint we must be as disciplined and consistent as GM’s four vehicle brands. As a result, our logo and visual identity has been contemporized to reflect our position as a key selling arm for GM and the brands.

The new GMFleet.com

Next was our online presence.  To be competitive in business today, we recognize the importance of an intuitive, easy-to-navigate and informative website. Our newly re-launched website, GMFleet.com, provides customers with improved shopping tools, functionality and resources. The complete design is entirely new, providing more intuitive and streamlined navigation, helping customers to find the information they need more quickly. It’s a direct reflection of what our GM Fleet and Commercial customers requested, and it’s proof we’re putting them first.

Our goal was to create the best OEM fleet website out there. Have we succeeded? Time will tell, but I can say that we are proud of the result.

City of Rock Hill print advertisement

Lastly, we believe our “Stories from the Road” advertising campaign best captures our refreshed marketing efforts and commitment to being our customers’ best professional partners.  In this case, we’ve put them first by focusing on their successes and allowing them to tell their stories: City of Rock Hill, SC, Meals on Wheels, Gateway Services and Pacific Gas & Electric.

And, with the launch of this digitally-focused campaign, we’ve already seen exponential growth of our GM Fleet and Commercial YouTube channel.

Whether we’re selling to a government, large fleet, or small business consumer, we know that listening and fulfilling our promises to the customer is our utmost priority. Putting customers first is the only way GM and our customers will be successful. As we like to say here at GM Fleet and Commercial, “Your success. It’s how we measure ours.”