Chevrolet « California Lemon Law blog

Hybrid cars today are typically a combination of gasoline and a battery powered engine. The following is a list of some of the current hybrid cars plus some that will become available in 2010 and 2011.

Currently available Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Lexus HS 250h, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Lexus RX 450h, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Lexus RX 400h, Lexus GS 450h, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, Lexus LS 600h L, GMC Sierra Hybrid, GMC Yukon Hybrid, Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, and Dodge Durango Hybrid.

Those that will become available in 2010 or 2011 are Mercedes ML 450 Hybrid, Honda Global Subcompact Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Saturn Vue Green Line Two Mode, Hyundai Accent Hybrid, BMW X6 Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, Honda Fit Hybrid, Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid, Dodge Ram Hybrid, Honda CR-Z, Volkswagen and Touareg Hybrid.

If you think your hybrid is a lemon, call the California Lemon Law Firm, Delsack and Associates for a free consultation. The toll free number is 1-888-Ex-Lemon (1-888-395-3666).

On July 11, 2009 GM emerged from bankruptcy as a new company called General Motors Company. The old GM sold its best assets to the new company which will be primarily owned by the American and Canadian governments which collectively will hold 72.5%. The Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, a union health care trust, will hold 17.5% with the remaining 10% held by the old GM.

The old GM will remain in bankruptcy and its factories, brands, and other operations will eventually be liquidated. The old GM will now be called Motors Liquidation Company. Shares in the old GM will likely be worthless and it is contemplated that the Treasury Department will eventually make a public offering for the new GM stock sometime in 2010.

The new GM will retain the GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac brands. It will no longer offer the Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer and Saab brands. Nevertheless, GM’s remaining dealers will continue to honor warranties for those vehicles. The new GM is planning on closing approximately 1,100 over 6,000 dealerships and eventually hopes to pare down to 3,600 dealers by the close of 2010. Additionally, GM’s present 47 plants, manufacturing engines, transmissions, and stamping and assembly plants will be reduced to only 34. And the number of employees will likewise be reduced from the present 91,000 at the end of 2008 to only 64,000 by the end of 2009. GM is also expected to reduce American executives by 35%, and overall administrative white-collar employees by 20% by the end of this year.

At the New York 2008 Auto Show Pontiac had announced the G8 Sport Truck which was a sort of evolution of the Chevrolet El Camino. The El Camino had been built on and off by Chevrolet from 1959 through the late 80s. Like the El Camino the G8 was half car, half pick-up with a 6-liter 361-horsepower version of Corvette’s V8. It was to have a 3,500 pound towing capacity with a 74 inch cargo bed designed for a small, select audience with projected sales of approximately 5,000 units per year.

John Harris, director of the National El Camino Owners Association, was quoted as saying that “You could not fit a sheet of plywood in the bed,” which is “sort of a litmus test for what was always supposed to be a working man’s vehicle.” Now with the end of the Pontiac line so too is the end of the plans for the production of the G8 Sport Truck.

Having problems with your vehicle or you think your vehicle may be a lemon. Call the Law Offices of Delsack and Associates in California with your California Lemon Law Questions at 888-Ex-Lemon (888-395-3666).

Under a plan proposed by General Motors and the federal government GM will assume responsibility for future product liability claims filed after the new GM company emerges from bankruptcy. More than a dozen state attorneys general have voiced objections to GM’s plan to sell off its desirable assets to a new corporate entity. These could have upset GM’s plan for rapid completion of the bankruptcy process.

This decision will resolve the potential problem of whether customers who have claims regarding their existing GM products, but who have not yet filed lawsuits, can sue GM in state courts. Bankruptcy case law is unclear on this issue, therefore GM and the government’s auto task force chose to assume the liability rather than risk a possible delay in emerging as a new company.

Previously filed product liability lawsuits may be left behind to be handled by the old GM thereby allowing the new GM to emerge with a clean legal slate. Because of its large size, however, GM has instead chosen to assume the legal liability. Last year GM had budgeted more than $900 million for product lawsuits. A committee representing numerous consumer plaintiffs claims to represent $1.25 billion in potential personal injury claims and has objected to GM’s plan to leave such cases with the old GM.

In the meantime, GM has continued to process lemon law claims from California consumers, and presumably those of other states, and honor its obligations to such consumers under existing state lemon law statutes.

Earlier this month General Motors started a new advertising campaign to acquire a larger share of the California market. Californians tend to buy more hybrids and those in other states and are more environmentally conscious. Chrysler, too, wants to grab a share of California’s penchant for small, fuel-efficient car sales which it hopes to fulfill with its partner Italian automaker Fiat. GM has already gotten rid of its high fuel consumption lines of vehicles, in particular Hummer and instead will now focus on more fuel-efficient Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles. Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC already have gas-electric hybrids in their current 2009 product lines, which include the Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Silverado, Cadillac Escalade, and GMC Yukon.

The main focus of GM’s green strategy will be the Chevrolet Volt, an electric hybrid designed to travel 40 miles on one charge, and thereafter have a three cylinder gas engine take over to recharge its lithium-Ion battery pack. The car will be offered for sale in the 2010 model year.

California, in 2008, represented 24.2% of America’s hybrid market which is more than two times the state’s historical share of new vehicle sales in this past decade. Although GM has been steadily losing ground to Toyota and Honda it was still ahead of Ford and Chrysler. In 2008 GM had a 14.2% share of new car sales whereas Ford had an 11.4%, and Chrysler’s was 7.5%. These were significantly less than Toyota’s 25.6% share and Honda’s 13.4% share.

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Category Archives: Chevrolet

Hybrid Car List

A Summary of the New GM Called General Motors Company

The Pontiac Pickup That Won’t Be

GM to Accept Legal Responsibility for Future Liability Claims

Success in California Market Critical to GM’s Future

Free Lemon Law Case Review

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