GM FYI Blog

A while back we posted a video of some Pontiac G8s to the GMblogs YouTube channel. Shortly thereafter we started to receive messages from one individual who was particularly excited about the G8. To make a long story short, this individual ended up buying a G8 and sent out the following message - Adam Denison, GM Social Media

Dear GM Blogs:

The G8’s have finally arrived and I picked up my fully loaded G8 GT a month ago, the day after arriving at my dealership.

I just wanted to let you know that the G8 is doing great, with no initial problems in the first 700 miles. Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing did a great job and build quality is excellent, one of the best cars I have had out the door at 700 miles. My past cars were both Japanese marks (including Acura and Lexus) and German marks, with plenty of problems that would have showed up by now, by far this is the best initial build quality car I have had. I also wanted to mention that this is my very first new domestic car purchase, congratulations to GM for a conquest buyer.

The car I just came out of was a BMW 530i sport package, which I held onto for an extra year just to get the G8 GT, and I am happy to report that I am really pleased with the GT and have no regrets with my decision.

I am getting lots of compliments and stares from people on the street, in parking lots, and at gas stations. It has received lots of comparisons to German cars (is that a new Audi, BMW, etc), and complements of what a great stance the car has. Cars on the roadway even slowdown to take a look and give a “thumbs up” of approval as they drive by.

Friends, family, and others on the street can’t believe it is a Pontiac (or GM for that matter) and most think it is European at first. The folks at Holden have done a great job along with those at Pontiac who have integrated the Commodore into the American market.

It looks like Pontiac and General Motors, have a real winner on their hands. Fit and finish on the car are great, body panel gaps are minimal and even.

Read the rest of this entry »

Check out this video of Project Driveway participants in Washington, D.C. receiving the keys to the Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicles they’ll be driving as part of the program. It’s nice to see drivers so excited about taking part in this groundbreaking project. — Will Stewart, blog editor

Cal Navin
GM Design Staff, Design Sculptor

This year’s 2008 ImaginAide event was held at the MGM Grand Detroit ballroom. Featured were live and silent auctions of the artwork that designers, sculptors from GM, Ford, Chrysler and artists from around Detroit had donated for the cause. The ballroom was really beautiful, very classy and yet casual and comfortable at the same time. There was plenty of space to browse the art work, and the food was pretty good too.

The theme of the show this year was “Everyone Deserves a Home”. This is my sixth year with the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) as a donating artist. It seems to me that with each year the caliber of work seems to improve. Here at GM the artists take this event very seriously, and look forward to the opportunity to be involved with COTS. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak with other artists and patrons that continually support the event. It’s also nice to meet the folks that purchase your work and to understand how the piece spoke to them.

One year I received a letter from one of the patrons in which he stated that his life was spent making the almighty dollar. He said he was a slave to the corporate structure, and that he had recently had an epiphany that life is what you give and not what you make. Although, he found work a means to his end, his end had changed. He indicated to me that my work supported that vision. He said, if he could have created a picture of what motivates him and what he wanted his life to be, it would be my art. He said it now sits on his desk as a reminder of why he does what he does and why his philanthropic efforts are so very important.

This is an image of that piece:

I couldn’t possibly know the same experience as being homeless, but by creating work that might just remind us about homelessness is one step in the right direction of viewing the world from their point of view. I think in the future we will see a new face to homelessness, real and intelligent people, as our economic picture gets bleaker. My works often deal with the human aspects of life. I touch on human frailty, suffering and redemption. Art has become for me a kind of psychological language I create to express and open a dialog into that language. If by creating a piece changes someone’s mindset, I as an artist, have achieved something great and achieved my goal. The letter I received from the gentleman is really a treasure to me.

All in all I thought the event was a success, it was a pleasant evening and I enjoyed myself immensely.

Last week, we featured a blog post St. Catherines, Ontario and local GM involvement in a world-class competitive robotics challenge. This week - another FIRST post, this time from Milford, Michigan, where Engineer Adam Freeman works with the ‘Heroes of Tomorrow.’ - Rick Crooks, GM Social Media

The Heroes of Tomorrow (HOT) team is composed of GM employees from the Milford Proving Grounds and also teachers and students from the Huron Valley School district.

I started working with the HOT team, in 2005. The goal when I started was to assist a co-worker of mine, Jim Meyer, with design and engineering of the robot. In the four seasons that I have participated in this program, I have held multiple positions. I consider myself as a utility player for the team, ready to jump into and help wherever it is needed. My main positions on the team are Assistant Chief Engineer during the six week design and build period and Head of Scouting and Strategy during the competition season.

There are many exciting experiences associated with the FIRST robotics program. All of them pale in comparison to inspiring the students in science and engineering. Watching as students emerge from quiet freshman to senior leaders on of the team, knowing they will be going on to future endeavors confident from what they have learned in this program is the most rewarding.

The HOT Team (#67) just completed its 12th year in the FIRST program, finishing as World Championship Finalists in the Atlanta Georgia Dome.

In 2005 the team won FIRST ’s most prestigious award, the Championship Chairman’s Award. By winning this award we were inducted into the FIRST Hall of Fame and serve as role models to other teams. Overall the team has won 9 regional competitions, 1 regional Chairman’s Award, 3 Championship divisions, multiple design awards, and were the 2005 World Championship Winner.

Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Enjoy April’s Flickr calendar. Download the large size over at Flickr.

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors’ archives. This week’s featured photo is an Opel automobile from 1899, the first year Opel manufactured cars.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

Steve Rourke is Director of Engineering at the St. Catherine’s Powertrain facility in Ontario, Canada. Steve also spends countless hours away from the job - with other team members and team mentors - helping local high-school students compete in an international robotics competition, FIRST. Steve sent us the following post describing how their team fared this year. - Will Stewart, blog editor

For me, inspiring young people to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology has never been more fun, exciting, and rewarding.

It has been a five-year journey, led by the dedicated teachers and mentors of Simbotics to develop the people, the processes, and the passion to consistently field a top level high school robotics team that can compete with the best in the world. Winning 10 regional competitions in the past five years was capped this year with an exciting and dramatic championship victory by Simbotics in the Georgia Dome on April 19th in front of a crowd of 17,000 screaming enthusiasts.

In the 1,500-team annual competition, GM-mentored high school teams consistently come out on top each year.

And be sure to check out the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Web site for more information, or go here for competition videos and match results.

As she winds down her 35-day road trip around the U.S., blogger Bossy just got another new Saturn to take her from town to town as she meets with fellow bloggers. Check out her post today to see her new, red Astra, which replaces the blue Aura she’s been driving since last week in San Francisco. It’s clear that Bossy loves her Saturns. Saturn is providing Bossy with cars from its fleet during her adventure. – Will Stewart, blog editor

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors’ archives. This week’s featured photo is of a 1929 Chevrolet L.Q. Express Body truck.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.

The author poses with a Cadillac XLR and some of the event’s design students.

By Tim Kozub
Cadillac Design Manager

Car designers often turn to design trends in clothing, premium accessories, and jewelry for inspiration. That is why, when given the chance to attend the 10th annual Miami Fashion Week, I jumped at it. And, with the showcasing designers representing countries from around the world (Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Columbia, Chile, Panama, and Ecuador, just to name a few), the show at downtown Miami’s SoHo Studios did not disappoint. The collections presented offered rich, unique perspectives – representative of the designers’ diverse backgrounds.

On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of industrial design students from the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University. It was great to talk with these up-and-coming designers and be there as they experienced this different category of design. For many of the students, it was the first time they had attended such an event.

Finally, on Sunday, I was honored to present the Cadillac Style Award for best local designer to Julian Chang.

Also among the fashionable crowd gathered at Miami Fashion Week this weekend were several Cadillac vehicles. Demonstrating Cadillac’s bold, dramatic design cues, the XLR, Escalade and CTS fit right in. I’ve worked on the Cadillac brand for two years and just as the colors, lines, and textures in a collection make a statement about its designer, we want Cadillac’s aggressive front grille and sculpted shape to make a statement about its owners.

Design is an art that can be interpreted and presented in numerous ways. However, whether the medium is cars, buildings or clothing, all designs have one thing in common: they’re only as good as the passion of the designer behind them. It was exciting to see that they are as passionate about fashion as I am about car design.

A fun video from GM Europe takes a lighthearted look at an old question: how do I look in my car? And wouldn’t it be nice to know this before you drive off the showroom lot? Maybe this is an idea whose time has come … - Will Stewart, blog editor

By Will Stewart
Blog Editor

Thanks for your requests for photos from General Motors’ archives. This week’s featured photo is an artist’s rendering of the 1964 Chevrolet Impala.

Keep checking back as we post more of the photos you asked for. And keep those requests coming.