GM FYI Blog

General Motors sells the only vehicles in the world built in a facility with Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Soon, customers may be able to buy those vehicles in one of the nation’s first LEED-certified automotive dealerships: the LaFontaine Automotive Group’s new $15-million Buick-Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac dealership in Highland, Mich.

The 63,000-square-foot facility incorporates key principles of sustainable design that enable it to qualify for LEED certification under the Council’s Green Building Rating System. When the LaFontaine operation achieves the designation, it will be the first dealership in Michigan and among the first in the nation to do so.

See what makes the facility different in this video tour, as well as these photos over on Flickr.

-Alicia Dorset, 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 1962 Buick Invicta Convertible.

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

Pontiac Communications Manager Jim Hopson has been travelling around the country introducing the new Pontiac G8. Here are his thoughts on his recent encounters. - Nicole Burguess, blog editor

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time at various race tracks around the country driving the Pontiac G8 with members of the automotive media.

In addition to some kind words about Pontiac’s new performance sedan, the vast majority of the journalists think that GM is on the right path. Vehicles like the Chevy Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, and G8 are getting a lot of positive ink and are being favorably compared to Toyota, Honda, Lexus, and BMW products. Here are some of those articles:

Pontiac’s Return to Oz, Wall Street Journal

2008 Pontiac G8 Preview, Mother Proof

2008 Pontiac G8 V6, Velocity Automotive Journal

But, those high-level accolades are a two-edged sword. While, at least in the minds of some of our biggest critics, we are now producing cars truly worthy of consideration, the bar has been set higher than ever before. The fit of every material and part, powertrain, and interior bit of plastic is under a bigger magnifying glass. We’ve proven we can build world-class cars and now we’re expected to excel.

At no time in the past 20 years has the North American car market been this competitive, but I personally believe that we have the people and the products necessary to meet the challenge. Just like on the track, we’ve got look at where we want to be, not where we are, and steer toward that goal.

Check out this cool video featuring two generations former Buick executives, father and son Lloyd and Mark Reuss, discussing their family’s history with the brand and their thoughts on its future. Will Stewart, blog editor

By Alicia Dorset
Blog editor

This week’s find from the GM Media Archive is a photo of a 1970 Buick GSX.

Thanks to everyone who suggested photos to find and stories to write about on our last archive find. We’re working on those requests right now! Make sure to check back to FYI regularly for those posts.