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GM seeks national mandate for zero-emissions cars

DETROIT — General Motors says it will ask the federal government for one national gas mileage standard, including a requirement that a percentage of auto companies' sales be zero-emissions vehicles. Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of product development, said the company will propose that a certain percentage of nationwide sales be made up of vehicles that run on electricity or hydrogen fuel cells. GM says a nationwide program modeled on such a requirement in California could result in 7 million electric vehicles, or EVs, on U.S. roads by 2030. California wants 15.4 percent of vehicle sales by 2025 to be EVs or other zero emission vehicles. Nine other states, including Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, have adopted those requirements. In January, California Governor Jerry Brown set a target of 5 million zero-emission vehicles in California by 2030. The Trump administration criticizes California's ZEV mandate, saying it requires automakers to spend tens of billions of dollars developing vehicles that most consumers do not want, only to sell them at a loss. Reuss told reporters that governments and industries in Asia and Europe "are working together to enact policies now to hasten the shift to an all-electric future. It's very simple: America has the opportunity to lead in the technologies of the future." A national mandate also would create jobs and reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and "make EVs more affordable," Reuss added. GM, the nation's largest automaker, will spell out the request Friday in written comments on a Trump administration proposal to roll back Obama-era fuel economy and emissions standards, freezing them at 2020 levels instead of gradually making them tougher. Under a regulation finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency at the end of the Obama administration, the fleet of new automobiles would have to get 36 miles per gallon by 2025, 10 mpg higher than the current requirement. But the Trump administration's preferred plan is to freeze the standards starting in 2021. Administration officials say waiving the tougher fuel efficiency requirements would make vehicles more affordable, which would get safer cars into consumer hands more quickly. GM on Thursday said it doesn't support the freeze, but wants flexibility to deal with consumers' shift from cars to less-efficient SUVs and trucks.

2025 Buick Enclave revealed with new looks, technology

The 2025 Buick Enclave has been revealed, and as expected it combines Buick's current corporate styling with the new-generation three-row SUV platform shared with the Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia. It also gets plenty of standard features and technology, along with the first Buick implementation of Super Cruise. The design of the Enclave is much more boxy and upright than the extra-curvy model that precedes it. Even the wheel arches have been squared-up. It's coupled with the shark-nose front fascia taken from the Wildcat concept that has adorned every other vehicle in Buick's lineup. The whole thing is slightly larger than before, too, though Buick didn't specify by how much. And as is the case with most Buicks, there's a base Preferred model, as well as Sport Touring (ST) and Avenir trims that receive appearance tweaks in addition to different feature sets. The ST adopts black trim, including in the grille, whereas the Avenir uses bright metal trim and body color wheel arches, plus larger 22-inch wheels (Preferred and ST have 20-inch wheels). The interior is the biggest upgrade by far, though. Immediately obvious is the standard 30-inch combination instrument and infotainment display. It has a curvy, inverted trapezoid shape that has a slight retro-futurism vibe. It sits atop a low, wide and gently curved dashboard, one with a small set of physical short-cut buttons above the center air vents. A "floating" center console rises to meet the dash, though stops short of connecting to it. Adjustable ambient lighting is standard in here, along with power, heated seats, wireless device charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a 12-speaker Bose sound system. Avenir upgrades the sound system to 16 speakers, adds a panoramic sunroof, front seat ventilation and massage function, rear seat heating and a head-up display. Mechanically, the Enclave is basically the same as the Traverse and Acadia. It uses the new platform and also gets the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder as the sole engine option. In the Enclave, it makes 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque, the same as the GMC, and a tad more than the Chevy. An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission offering, though both front- and all-wheel drive are available. Towing capacity is again mirrored at 5,000 pounds, and Super Cruise is available, making Enclave the first Buick with the hands-free driving assist system.

GM earnings rise 1% as buyers pay more for popular pickups

DETROIT — General Motors said Thursday that higher prices for popular pickup trucks and SUVs helped overcome slowing global sales and profit rose by 1% in the second quarter. The Detroit automaker said it made $2.42 billion, or $1.66 per share, from April through June. Adjusting for restructuring costs, GM made $1.64 per share, blowing by analyst estimates of $1.44. Quarterly revenue fell 2% to $36.06 billion, but still beat estimates. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $35.97 billion. Global sales fell 6% to 1.94 million vehicles led by declines in North America and Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The company says sales in China were weak, and it expects that to continue through the year. In the United States, customers paid an average of $41,461 for a GM vehicle during the quarter, an increase of 2.2%, as buyers went for loaded-out pickups and SUVs, according to the Edmunds.com auto pricing site. The U.S. is GM's most profitable market. Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara said she expects the strong pricing to continue, especially as GM rolls out a diesel pickup and new heavy-duty trucks in the second half of the year. "We think the fundamentals do remain strong, especially in the truck market," she said, adding that strength in the overall economy and aging trucks now on the road should help keep the trend going. Light trucks accounted for 83.1% of GM's sales in the quarter, and pickup truck sales rose 8.5% as GM transitioned to new models of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, according to Edmunds, which provides content to The Associated Press. As usual, GM made most of its money in North America, reporting $3 billion in pretax earnings. International operations including China broke even, while the company spent $300 million on its GM Cruise automated vehicle unit. Its financial arm made $500 million in pretax income. Suryadevara said GM saw $700 million in savings during the quarter from restructuring actions announced late last year that included cutting about 8,000 white-collar workers through layoffs, buyouts and early retirements. The company also announced plans to close five North American factories, shedding another 6,000 jobs. About 3,000 factory workers in the U.S. whose jobs were eliminated at four plants will be placed at other factories, but they could have to relocate. GM expects the restructuring to generate $2 billion to $2.5 billion in annual cost savings by the end of this year.