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GM's labor deal with UAW union on verge of ratification

Nov 15 (Reuters) - General Motors' tentative labor deal with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union closed in on ratification as the votes were counted on Wednesday. Following the approval earlier in the day by more than 60% of union members at the Detroit automaker's large Arlington, Texas, assembly plant, additional votes in favor have the deal close to clinching majority approval. The number of union locals, most of which are smaller, still to report vote totals is not large. After several large assembly plants voted against the deal earlier on Wednesday, some media had reported the deal was heading toward failure. But Arlington's support, followed by strong voting in favor by smaller warehouse and parts facilities, has put the deal on the brink of approval. This would mark the first ratification of a deal, which runs through April 2028, with one of the Detroit Three automakers. Ford and Stellantis voting is still under way, and workers at both companies were favoring ratification by comfortable margins. The UAW's GM vote tracking site currently shows approval of the contract leading by a 54% to 46% margin with almost 32,000 workers having cast votes out of about 46,000 UAW-represented GM workers. The Arlington plant, with about 5,000 UAW members, has the most of any GM plant. Voting officially ends on Thursday at 4 p.m. EST, although most votes will be cast on Wednesday. The UAW went on strike for more than six weeks against the Detroit Three, seeking better wages, working conditions and cost-of-living adjustments. All three companies agreed to tentative agreements about two weeks ago. Workers at other GM assembly plants voted against the deal, including 60% of workers at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, truck plant, 53% at its Wentzville, Missouri, plant, 58% of workers at GM's Lansing Grand River plant and 61% of workers at the Lansing Delta Township plant. Seven of GM's 11 assembly plants rejected the deal. In addition to Arlington, workers at plants in Detroit, Fairfax, Kansas; and Lake Orion, Michigan; approved the agreement. Only nine facilities are still listed without vote totals on the UAW vote tracker, including GM's Lockport, New York, components plant with about 1,200 members. Those voting in favor of the agreement have a lead of almost 2,500 and many of the facilities still to come include workers who stand to receive large pay increases upon ratification.

Reuss says GM diesel plans are still on pace

General Motors is not going to let Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal ruin its plans for a new line of efficient, torquey oil-burners, the company's Executive Vice President Mark Reuss said at a recent press event. "No way," Reuss responded when asked about cancelling the upcoming diesel-powered Chevrolet Cruze and other vehicles. "The Cruze Diesel is too good not to do it." Slated for 2017, the compact is just the latest member of a diesel offensive that initially kicked off with the first Cruze Diesel and most recently saw the introduction of the oil-burning Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. Reuss also reassured those in attendance that there was "no delay" in development of Cadillac's diesel lineup. Cadillac is working on a line of four- and six-cylinder turbodiesels for Europe. They'd make their way into the US market, too, eventually. "It's a question of timing," Reuss said, according to Car and Driver. Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal has caused automakers across the globe to at least reanalyze their diesel strategy. Jaguar Land Rover, which is preparing several diesel-powered models for the US market, went on record late last month to reaffirm its commitment to diesel. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Turbo Diesel: Quick Spin View 14 Photos News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Seyth Miersma / AOL Green Cadillac Chevrolet GM Diesel Vehicles

GM 6.2L V8 claims most powerful light-duty truck engine title

General Motors has officially captured the horsepower crown for mainstream pickup trucks with its 6.2-liter V8. The big mill, available in both the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, comes to market with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, handily outdoing its two cross-town competitors, Ram (5.7-liter V8, 395 ponies and 407 lb-ft) and Ford (6.2-liter V8, 411 hp and 434 lb-ft).
The new GM 6.2 will take a bit of an investment, though. Those that want the extra thrust will need to go with either the LTZ or High Country trims from the Chevy, or the SLT and Denali trims from GMC, which are the two highest trim levels for the respective vehicles. Trim levels aside, if you're in the business of towing, GM has you covered. Optioned with the 6.2-liter V8 and the Max Trailering Package, owners will be able to pull 12,000 pounds, a hugely impressive figure.
We still aren't certain as to what sort of economy the new engine will get, but it'll probably be a bad bet for the fuel conscious. As for availability, expect to see the 6.2-liter trucks in showrooms later in the fall.