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NHTSA approves hybrid rearview mirror display in Cadillac CT6, Bolt EV

The Chevy Bolt EV prototype doesn't just have a fancy new all-electric powertrain. Just outside the driver's line of sight is a newfangled rearview mirror, one that can turn into a screen that shows a moving image from the rear-facing camera. Speaking to NPR's Robert Siegel yesterday, Department of Transportation secretary Anthony Foxx said that NHTSA has now approved this type of mirror/screen for use in vehicles. According to a letter from NHTSA to General Motors, GM will likely use this Full Display Mirror first in the 2016 Cadillac CT6 before coming to the Bolt. In its letter to GM, NHTSA said that the Full Display Mirror will only qualify as a standard rearview mirror as long as there are normal side mirrors in place. In other words, don't expect to see cameras and screens replacing all the mirrors in a motor vehicle just yet. @AutoblogGreen @NPR - #NHTSA has OK'd GM rear-view system that can switch between mirror & camera views. pic.twitter.com/6CBeIit10v — Anthony Foxx (@SecretaryFoxx) February 22, 2016 The Full Display Mirror was developed by Gentex, which has long worked with GM. The FDM debuted in 2014 and some people hoped it would also make its way into the Tesla Model X. Gentex, which also makes auto-dimming mirrors, says that it has "set out to develop the technologies and core competencies necessary to manage this evolution of the rearview mirror." The Chevy Bolt EV will start at $37,500, before incentives. The 200-mile EV will go into production late this year for likely sale in early 2017. Related Video:

GM outlines strategy for new products, growth in China

"Our strategic plan is a pathway to earn customers for life and create significant shareholder value in the process." - Mary Barra
General Motors laid out ambitious plans on Wednesday to become the world's "most valued automotive company," a goal it says it can reach by strengthening its business in China, rebuilding the Cadillac luxury brand and fixing the foundering GM Europe operations.

GM lays off 450 at Lansing Grand River Assembly

General Motors will lay off 450 employees at its Lansing Grand River factory, The Detroit News reports, which is 100 more than the company said it'd be letting go last month. Lansing Grand River Assembly currently builds the Cadillac ATS and CTS, both of which have suffered sluggish sales, with the smaller sedan down 20 percent through last month and the larger model down 2.3 percent, The Detroit News reports. "We are adjusting plant production capacity to better align with market demand. Beginning in January 2015, the plant will operate on a single shift," a GM statement read, before explaining that not all the laid off Grand River employees will be jobless. Of the employees that have been laid off to make room for the single work shift, around 200 will transfer to the Lansing Delta Township factory, home of the Lambda-platform crossovers, GM's statement confirmed. The News expects this one-shift arrangement to continue until at least late next year, when the Alpha-platform Chevy Camaro transitions from General Motors' Oshawa, Ontario factory to Lansing. Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said at last month's LA Auto Show, "It may not necessarily be permanent, a time may come when we've gained momentum and we can reinstate it. But for now, the adjustment to production capacity is in alignment with our plans for 2015."