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GM marks 500 million vehicles

General Motors is marking a major global milestone, as 500 million vehicles have rolled off its assembly lines since the company's founding in 1908. To mark the occasion, the automaker is continuing to invest in production and offering a one-time discount to some customers. GM North America boss Alan Batey used the festivities to announce the Fairfax Assembly factory in Kansas as one of the sites earmarked for the company's $5.4 billion in upcoming investments. The plant will get $174 million of that money for new equipment and technology to build the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Among the upgrades will be a shake-and-rattle booth that will simulate road conditions to find squeaks. To commemorate both the production milestone and the Fairfax plant, Batey and company CEO Mary Barra also gave away a 2016 Malibu to a wounded Iraqi war veteran, and the two execs announced that in the third week in May all GM employees can share a one-time customer appreciation discount with friends to help get them into the automaker's products. Barra also gave a speech to the workers there about some of the other milestone's in the company's history, which you can read below. Innovation on the Line: GM Manufacturing Milestones Many of General Motors' most important innovations have occurred behind the scenes, in its manufacturing facilities. Concepts such as changeover, flexible assembly, automation, computer simulation, machine vision and robotics were developed at GM. Over the decades these innovations have helped enable improvements in vehicle quality, efficiency and competitiveness. 1901: Ransom Olds' famous Curved Dash Oldsmobile, designed with simplicity, reliability and value in mind, was the first American car built in a factory designed specifically for automobiles and in standardized volume production. GM acquired Oldsmobile in 1908. 1908: Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy, Europe's most prestigious award for precision and excellence in manufacturing, by demonstrating the auto industry's highest standards for precision and interchangeability of parts by disassembling three Cadillacs and mixing the parts randomly before reassembling and driving them before a contingent of judges. 1922: GM hires William Knudsen to lead Chevrolet's turnaround. Knudsen implements flexible mass production, which helps Chevrolet incorporate annual styling changes and take market share from Ford.

Is Buick's surprise Detroit concept a Camaro-sized coupe?

Tomorrow night marks the unofficial start of the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Keep your eyes peeled for a number of reveals, including a surprise debut from Buick. Yes, Buick. And we think it's going to be something really hot. According to a report from Bloomberg, the Tri-Shield's secret car could be a Camaro-sized sport coupe concept. As Bloomberg explains, it'd certainly gel with the impression the company is trying to put out – that it's no longer a brand for those with one foot in the grave. Introducing a sports coupe, even as a concept, could certainly reinforce that message. And if it happens to make production – which is not a certainty, Bloomberg's secret source says – it could certainly help Buick drive its average buyer age down from 59. Bloomberg doesn't offer any speculation on Buick's new coupe, but we have no problem making educated guesses. Our most reliable conjecture is this: it will ride on General Motors' Alpha platform, which underpins both the Camaro and the Cadillac ATS. And with a certain twin-turbocharged V6 in the GM stable, we've got an idea of what kind of engine could be shown. That speculation will have to suffice for now. But don't worry, we'll have official details, live images, and video tomorrow when Buick unveils its new concept in Detroit's Eastern Market.

Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.