At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show today, GMC lifted the wraps off its facelifted Acadia crossover that enters the new model year with a retouched exterior, higher quality materials inside and new safety features.

The exterior redesign brings a new front end with a more prominent and upright grille with three-bars that was previewed by GMC's recent concept models like the Sierra HD All-Terrain, along with LED running lamps, and new headlamp and bumper designs.

At the back, we find new taillamps, a re-sculptured bumper, a wrap-around rear glass and a new rear spoiler, while GMC also introduced a fresh set of 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheels.

According to GMC, the interior benefits from upgraded soft-touch materials, with French stitching and a red ambient light that flows across the dashboard.

General Motors' efforts to revitalize its Buick passenger and GMC truck divisions are not only limited to updating each brands vehicle lineup but also extend to refreshing their joint dealerships across the country.

The program includes a new exterior façade with updated signage, brighter and more comfortable showrooms with a customer greeting station as well as a lounge with free WiFi, while some dealers plan to go the extra mile and add a café or salon into the mix.

With the press days over at the Tokyo Motor Show, automakers are now turning their focus on the next big automotive event, which is the 2012 North International Auto Show that takes place in Detroit from January 10 to 23.

Today, we learned that General Motors is planning four world premieres but for now, the company will only tell us about one of the vehicles it will bring to Detroit, the 2013 Cadillac ATS, which is aimed squarely at the entry-level premium sedan segment rivaling the likes of the new BMW 3-Series and the Lexus IS.

What’s worse; being charged with DUI or with second- and fourth-degree child abuse? Shawn Weimer was too drunk to know he couldn’t drive, but not to realize the serious difference between the two.

Detroit police arrested Weimer last week after watching a surveillance video of the 39-year-old man making his 9-year-old daughter drive his GMC Safari to the local gas station at...3 a.m. in the morning.

“I got, I got a designated driver. Nine Years old. Nine! Dad’s drinking. Listen, we’re leaving and she’s driving. She drove all the way here” said Weimer, who already has prior convictions, while the little girl add “And I parked!”

General Motors will soon increase its commercial offerings of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) models with the addition of a new bi-fuel pickup truck that is scheduled for launch early in the fourth quarter of 2012. Read more »

Someone once said that in the future, the inner works of our vehicles after a crash will look like a balloon party – sans the bright colors. And true enough, after the front, side, roof, knee, rear curtain and seat-belt airbags, automakers have now discovered another area of the car that can be fitted with an inflatable bag for our protection: the center.

Following Toyota's presentation of the first production rear-seat center airbag on the Japanese domestic market Crown Majesta in 2009, General Motors is introducing the automotive industry's first front center air bag, designed to protect the driver and front passenger in far-side impact crashes.

General Motors announced that it will temporarily halt production at its Fort Wayne plant in Indiana for the week starting November 7, in order to reduce its inventory of pickup trucks models.

This is not the first time that GM has stopped production at the plant where the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are manufactured. Even though pickup sales in the US have increased from January until August by 9% to 1.1 million units, compared to the same period last year, GM seems to have badly misjudged demand for its models, resulting in an inventory of 122-days.

With the notable exceptions of the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, most of the hybrids on sale today are merely spin-offs of existing ICE models with gas / electric powertrains fitted; take the hybridized Chevy Tahoe, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic for instance.

According to automotive statistics website Polk online, in the first seven months of 2011, sales of non-dedicated hybrid models dipped 1.5% compared to last year. Analyst Tom Libby blames the sales slump on the lack of distinct styling; hybrid buyers want their cars to stand out from the crowd.

A GM representative declined to provide further information, saying that the company will not comment on its future products, however, the most likely candidates for the pickup truck model are the successors to the Chevrolet Colorado or the GMC Canyon.

Since its introduction in 1955, Chevrolet’s Small Block V-8 has carved itself a niche that could otherwise never be filled. Affordable, lightweight and offering great performance for its size, the Small Block is to the automotive world what the Apple iPad is to tech-heads.

Now, with ever-hardening CAFE regulations and overinflated fuel prices, one would think the Small Block’s time had finally come. Not so, according to Mark Damico, GM’s small-block design system engineer.

Though there’s been no official confirmation from GM itself, Mr. Damico swears that the fifth generation Chevy Small Block is currently under development. In fact, Mr. Damico claims that as much as US$890 million is being spent on its development.

No matter the age, a petrol head like Bob Lutz can't stay away too long from the car industry. In fact, even though GM's former vice president and product czar had retired in the May 2010, the 79-year-old has been providing advice to the firm's executives without pay ever since.

Now, GM decided to formally hire Lutz as an advisor to provide counsel to the senior leadership team of the company.

General Motors is cutting back on production at its Ford Wayne, Indiana plant that builds the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks, due to reduced demand and high inventories.

According to the UAQ Local 2209 site, the Detroit automaker has cancelled Saturday shifts at its plant. A person familiar with the plan told Autonews that Saturday shifts had been cut in half since the beginning of 2011