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Buick reveals wild GL8 minivan concept and Smart Pod concept in China

Buick, being the hit in China that it is, decided to unveil a couple of concept vehicles at the Guangzhou Auto Show. One is the GL8 Flagship Concept, and the other is the Smart Pod Concept. Since an actual minivan is far more interesting than any “Smart Pod,” weÂ’ll start with the GL8 Flagship Concept. The exterior is meant to be luxurious and “dynamic” looking with its mix of colors, glass canopy roof, wing-shaped headlights and highly-sculpted body. ThereÂ’s hardly a piece on the car that isnÂ’t making a statement, and the highlights continue when you open the doors. It becomes fairly clear right away that this minivan is not one for family use, as itÂ’s only rocking four seats. That said, everybody in those four seats is guaranteed to be comfortable. Buick says itÂ’s using “zero gravity” lounge seats inside, and the cabin as a whole is inspired by Chinese mountain and water landscapes. That could explain the multi-color floor, as the blue section looks like it could be the water at the base of a mountain, surrounded by a beach. Features include a tea tray, 30-inch driver display, touchscreen on the steering wheel, full windshield-width head-up display and a new audio system that features speakers in the headrests. Buick says all of the carÂ’s functions can be controlled by voice, too. Beyond the obviously futuristic touches, this Buick minivan is just plain gorgeous. Its gold, blue and cream color combo and various materials used throughout look like top-notch luxury. WeÂ’d love to see some of this attention to detail and luxury trickle down into some of BuickÂ’s production cars. Smart Pod Concept Buick Smart Pod Concept View 17 Photos Unlike the GL8, the Smart Pod was designed in the U.S. It uses the electric Ultium platform and what Buick is calling the VIP electric architecture. The exterior design is basically what Buick has called it — a pod. Its lights use micro-LED tech to make them as sleek as possible. On the inside, Buick designed the Pod to be as spacious and airy as can be. It has a glass roof, a fully reclining and dedicated sleep seat and a modular seating layout. Other features include deployable tables, noise-cancelation  tech, an air purifying system and a 50-inch LED screen. It is powered by an AI assistant that employs voice commands, eye-tracking technology, integration with your mobile devices and machine learning to adapt to the user.

General Motors shaking up its marketing... again

One of the things that dogs the full comeback of General Motors is the instability of its marketing. That part of the automaker got yet another big shakeup today when GM confirmed what I have been tweeting for a few days - strong rumors that the Chevrolet and Cadillac ad accounts are walking to new ad agencies.
Cadillac, GM's luxury brand, is going into review from Fallon Worldwide, Minneapolis and the indications are that Campbell-Ewald, Chevy's old ad shop, will end up with most or all of it. C-E just announced that it was moving from its long-time home in Warren, MI to a new downtown Detroit office next to Ford Field, just blocks from GM.
The other shoe to drop shortly will be the shift of GM's most important brand, Chevy, from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners of San Francisco to McCann-Erickson of Troy, MI. McCann used to be the agency for Buick and GMC, as well as GM's corporate advertising, and has retained some pieces of business over the last few years. Sources have even told us that it was McCann that did a lot of the creative work on Chevy's new ad platform, Find New Roads. (Not to be confused with a former McCann tagline for Saab, "Find Your Own Road.")

GM posts $4 billion third-quarter profit thanks to trucks and SUVs

DETROIT — General Motors is posting huge third quarter numbers, pulling in $4 billion in profit over three months after losing money due to the virus outbreak. GM's adjusted earnings were $2.83 per share, easily outpacing Wall Street's per-share projections of $1.43, according to a survey by FactSet. Revenue of $35.5 billion also edged out most expectations. Shares jumped almost 6% before the opening bell Thursday. The company swung back from a $806 million loss in the second quarter, when it was restarting factories shuttered for safety during the early stages of the pandemic. The Detroit automaker joined most global automakers in reporting better-than-expected earnings from July through September as sales across the globe started to rebound from coronavirus lockdowns, especially in China. GM sales in China jumped 12% in the third quarter, with sales of its Buick and Cadillac brands both rising more than 25%. In the U.S., GMÂ’s most profitable market, sales fell 9.9% in the third quarter compared with a year ago, but were a dramatic improvement over the 34% drop in the second quarter. Sales improved sequentially each month, the automaker said, an encouraging trend. GMÂ’s profit was boosted by higher-priced pickup trucks and large SUVs, which have seen strong sales in the U.S. through the pandemic. It was the best quarter on record for GM's Chevrolet Blazer. Sales of the Cadillac XT6 spiked 45% in the U.S. over last year. Large pickups also sold well. GM also said it was pumping $2 billion into its Spring Hill, Tennessee manufacturing plant to push its transition to produce electric vehicles. Last week, crosstown rivals Fiat Chrysler and Ford reported strong third-quarter net income. FCA said it made $1.4 billion for the period, while Ford earned $2.39 billion. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC