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Opel pulls out of Russia, GM to focus on Cadillac, 'iconic' Chevys

General Motors is going to realign its priorities in the struggling Russian marketplace, withdrawing its Opel brand and pulling out mainstream Chevrolet models. Instead, the General will take aim at Russia's well-established oligarchy, pushing Cadillac as well as "iconic" Chevrolet models, like the Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. "This change in our business model in Russia is part of our global strategy to ensure long-term sustainability in markets where we operate," GM president Dan Ammann said in a statement. "This decision avoids significant investment into a market that has very challenging long-term prospects." Russian customers interested in an Opel or mainstream Chevys like the Spark, Aveo (the US market Sonic), Cobalt (shown above), Cruze, Orlando and the like have until December to snap up a car before the brands are pulled. "We do not have the appropriate localization level for important vehicles built in Russia and the market environment does not justify a major investment to further localize." Opel Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann said. GM will continue to offer service to customers in Russia. "We can assure our customers that we will continue to provide warranty, parts and services for their Chevrolet and Opel vehicles," Neumann said. Beyond realigning its brands in Russia, GM also announced that it would also be idling the company's factory in the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg. This is the second time the St. Petersburg factory has been in the news – GM announced that it'd be idled for roughly two months back in February. Scroll down for the official press release from GM. GM to Change Business Model in Russia 2015-03-18 Focus on Cadillac and iconic Chevrolet vehicles Wind down Opel brand and sale of mainstream Chevrolet cars Idle GM Auto manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg Part of GM's strategy to ensure long-term sustainability in global markets DETROIT – General Motors today announced plans to change its business model in Russia. GM will focus on the premium segment of the Russian market with Cadillac and U.S.-built iconic Chevrolet products such as the Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. The Chevrolet brand will minimize its presence in Russia and the Opel brand will leave the market by December 2015. "This change in our business model in Russia is part of our global strategy to ensure long-term sustainability in markets where we operate," said GM President Dan Ammann.

Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota FCV Rally Car To Compete, Barra bullish on Chevy Volt

The Toyota FCV will compete in the last stage of the 2014 Japanese Rally Championship. The sport-tuned hydrogen-powered car will tackle the 177-mile Shinshiro Rally on November 1 and 2, emitting no greenhouse gases in the process. The rally course will help prove the safety of the vehicle before it goes on sale in Japan in the next several months. The Toyota FCV, rumored to be called "Mirai" in Japan, will begin sales there before April, according to Toyota, and in the summer in the US and Europe. Read more in the press release below. Carsharing is becoming more popular, and more visible, throughout the world, including the US. According to WardsAuto columnist John McElroy, 18 percent of US drivers have used some sort of carsharing service. Additionally, he says 60 percent of Americans are familiar with Zipcar and Uber. Mercedes' Harald Kroeger says promotions like free parking for carshares in Stuttgart are encouraging growth for Daimler's carsharing service, Car2go. Read more at WardsAuto. Ethanol is being help up by rail transport, according to ethanol producer Green Plains. More and more stations are carrying E15 blend gasoline, but grain producers have complained that crude oil is given higher priority by the rail lines shipping it, which rail companies deny. Union Pacific and BNSF Railway say they are stepping up service to make sure that ethanol can be shipped reliably to customers. Read more at Omaha World-Herald. General Motors "has placed a significant bet [on] the electrification of the automobile," says CEO Mary Barra. In a speech to the Detroit Economic Club this week, she spoke about the Chevrolet Volt, and its importance to GM's future. While Barra admits the Volt's success has been "not everything we wanted," it has provided experience, and shows that EVs have "an important role in the future of GM." The new Volt is more refined, stores more energy, has longer range, uses less fuel and is a big investment for Michigan. She announced that the new Volt's electric drive system will be built in Warren, and that all of its major components will be made in Michigan. "Silicon Valley doesn't have a corner on the market for innovation, creativity and drive," says Barra. "These qualities exist here – in this region – as well." See the speech's highlight video and read more in the transcript below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Chevy recalls 73k Cobalts for side airbag non-deployment

Chevrolet is recalling 73,424 examples of the 2010 Cobalt in the US and Canada because the driver's side curtain airbag might not deploy in a crash. These vehicles carry build dates between January 4 and June 23, 2010, and, specifically, 59,474 of them are in the US. "GM is aware of one crash with one injury that may be related to this condition," the company said in a statement. The problem occurs because of improper routing of the side-impact sensor wiring harness in the driver's door, and there can be a short circuit causing the curtain airbag not to deploy. The campaign to fix the issue will begin on August 26. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and will repair the issue on any affected examples. Related Video: GM Statement: General Motors is recalling 59,474 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt sedans in the U.S. because some of them may have been built with improper side impact sensor wire routing in the left front door. Dealers will inspect all suspect vehicles and any found with the condition will be repaired free of charge to the customer. GM is aware of one crash with one injury that may be related to this condition. Including vehicles sold in Canada, the total recall population is 73,424. RECALL Subject : Improperly Routed Side Impact Wire Harness Report Receipt Date: AUG 10, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V500000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 59,474 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) CHEVROLET COBALT 2010 Details Manufacturer: General Motors LLC SUMMARY: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles manufactured January 4, 2010, to June 23, 2010. The affected vehicles may be equipped with an improperly routed Side-Impact Sensor (SIS) wiring harness in the driver side front door. The misrouted wiring harness could cause an electrical short that disables the driver side curtain air bag. CONSEQUENCE: A disabled driver side roof-rail air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of that air bag, increasing the risk of injury to the driver. REMEDY: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the sensor's wiring in the driver's door and make repairs as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 26, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15075.