GM Brands Reach Historic High In Quality Dependability Ranking

General Motors News Release

DETROIT – For the first time, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac all rank in the top 10 among brands in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.

"GM’s customer-driven approach to quality and dependability is breaking through," said Grace Lieblein, vice president, Global Quality. "Dependability is a top purchase consideration and key to customer loyalty. These awards reflect our commitment to provide customers with the best overall experience in the industry."

The 2015 study tracks 2012 model year vehicles in their third year of ownership.

Buick ranks second among all brands, Cadillac ranks fourth with Chevrolet and GMC ranking 10th (in a tie.)

Chevrolet ranks higher than before in this study, led by Malibu as the segment leader in the highly competitive Midsize Car segment. For the third year in a row, the Chevrolet Camaro ranks highest in the Midsize Sporty Car segment.

The GMC Sierra LD and Chevrolet Silverado LD rank first and second in the Large Light Duty Pickup segment. The Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD rank first and second in the Large Heavy Duty Pickup segment.

GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban all rank in the top three of the Large SUV segment. These models also filled the top three positions in the Large SUV segment in the 2014 JD Power Initial Quality Study, in which the 2014 Chevrolet Suburban and 2014 GMC Yukon ranked highest in a tie, along with the 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Model Highlights by Brand

Chevrolet

Malibu – Segment Award, Midsize Car

Camaro – Segment Award, Midsize Sporty Car (third consecutive year)

Silverado HD – Segment Award, Large Heavy Duty Pickup

Tahoe – Ranks Second, Large SUV

Suburban – Ranks Third, Large SUV

Silverado LD – Ranks Second, Large Light Duty Pickup

Buick

LaCrosse – Segment Award, Large Car

Enclave – Ranks Second, Midsize SUV

GMC

Sierra LD – Segment Award, Large Light Duty Pickup (second consecutive year)

Yukon – Segment Award, Large SUV (second consecutive year)

Terrain – Segment Award, Compact SUV

Sierra HD – Ranks Second, Large Heavy Duty Pickup

Cadillac

SRX – Ranks Third, Midsize Premium SUV

Thank You, Mr. Michelin, For Adding Value To GM, Hendrick Durham Auto Mall Inventory

Thank you, Mr. Michelin - and happy birthday.

On this date 162 years ago - Jan. 16, 1853 - Andre Michelin was born in Paris, France. In 1888, at age 35, he founded with his brother the Michelin Tire Company, which invented the pneumatic tire found today on many vehicles at the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall.

Michelin is one of the three largest tire manufacturers in the world, along with Bridgestone and Goodyear. In addition to the Michelin brand, the company also owns the BF Goodrich tire brand.

Hendrick Durham Auto Mall sells a complete General Motors product line that includes Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicles. Adding to the value of those brands - all of which enjoyed historic success in 2014 - is the fact that they can be equipped with Michelin tires, considered the premier tire brand in America.

Buick vehicles are known for their luxury, which includes available Michelin tires.

The Michelin company announced two months ago - November of 2014 - that it had plans to open a plant in North America dedicated to the manufacture of airless tires called "Tweels."

A punctured tire can cause a bad, not to mention expensive, day for many vehicle owners and drivers. Michelin's proposed $50 million plant will be used to make the Michelin X Tweel Airless Radial Tire and others for commercial and agricultural applications - a move toward eliminating the possibility of tires that puncture.

Ingenuity Helps Improved Sales Numbers For GM, Hendrick Durham Auto Mall

A higher level of ingenuity at General Motors has contributed to a higher level of sales of GM vehicles, perhaps setting the stage for a record-seting 2015 for America's top automaker and the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall.

General Motors and its dealerships nationwide, which includes the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, enjoyed their best December for sales in seven years last month.

An item commonly found on an infant’s changing table contributed to that result.

The baby diaper helped GM engineers simulate snow year-round, ensuring that heating systems in cars like the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze can warm their interiors quickly and efficiently.

Packed snow can prevent air from entering the inlet panel at the bottom of the windshield, obstructing the flow of air into the heating system and reducing the amount of air it can push out. This can lead to less-efficient warming of the car’s interior and windshield defrosting.

"The last thing anyone wants to do when it’s freezing cold out is scrape their windshield," said Nicholas Jahn, GM Vehicle Thermal Systems engineer. "The testing we perform on the Chevrolet Cruze with the diaper material allows us to maximize the car's heating capabilities."

According to a news release from General Motors, Jahn stumbled upon his diaper-based testing method in the middle of summer, during a swim with his daughter. He noticed that when her diaper came into contact with water, it multiplied in size.

Turns out that sodium polyacrylate – the absorbent material found in diapers – starts as a powder but turns into a snow-like substance when saturated.

In Jahn’s test, according to the GM news release, he sprinkled the reusable snow onto the air inlet vents along the bottom of the Cruze's windshield, then started the car and let it idle. After a few minutes, he removed the inlet panel and inspected how much "snow" was sucked into the system and how much of the intake vents remained blocked.

Before discovering the material, Jahn had to rely on Mother Nature to provide snow, or find a schedule opening at one of GM’s state-of-the-art climatic wind tunnels. Just submerging a diaper in water solved that dilemma.

A more efficient heating system is particularly important and beneficial for those who use the OnStar Remote Key Fob services, which allow drivers to remotely start their car from anywhere with a cellular connection. As part of the OnStar Basic Plan, Remote Key Fob services - remote start, lock, unlock and activate horn and lights – is free for five years on all new, properly equipped GM vehicles.

The benefits of Onstar as well as sales of the heat-efficient Cruze helped GM dealers nationwide record retail sales figures last month that were up 23 percent compared to December of 2013.

The Cruze was among seven GM vehicles - along with the Chevy Equinox, Sonic and Spark, the GMC Terrain, and the Buick Enclave and Encore – that posted their best annual sales total in 2014.

GM’s unique three-pickup strategy – with new models spanning the light-duty, heavy-duty and mid-size segments – drove combined deliveries to a 43-percent increase over December of 2013. It marked the best December for the Silverado since 2005.

Five GM vehicles – the Chevrolet Corvette and Spark, the Buick Enclave and Encore, and the GMC Sierra – had their highest December sales in history.

Chevrolet, Buick and GMC retail deliveries were up 25 percent, 28 percent and 29 percent, respectively, compared with a 10 percent increase for the industry as a whole.

Chevrolet had its best December retail sales since 2005. Buick and GMC, meanwhile had their best December retail sales result since 2004.

Every Buick car and crossover posted a sales increase, with the largest gains posted by the Enclave, up 53 percent, for its best month in history.

All that leads to 2015, in which General Motors and the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall expect to continue to upward trend of sales.

In Durham, a brand-new, state-of-the art facility in a new location across the street from the Streets of Southpoint - among the busiest retail shopping malls in the Southeast - continued ingenuity and product development by GM engineers, improved inventory and a favorable economy all combine to present much excitement and expectation for the new year.

New Years Eve May Be Best Day To Buy Vehicle

(CBS) – Today is New Year’s Eve. But before popping the bubbly, you may consider buying a car.

Experts tell CBS that today is the best day of the year to get a deal.

As the hours of 2014 dwindle down to a precious few, car dealers are scrambling to meet year-end sales quotas and sell off inventories to save on taxes.

As they are about to close the door on the old year, they are creating what experts say is the best time of the year to trade up.

"Everything comes together," said John Webb of the Chicago Auto Trade Association. "Manufacturers are aggressive. Dealers are being aggressive. I think the customers have some either Christmas bonus money or what have you flowing through their pocket."

At Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, the deals are really flowing. The sense of urgency is high on the showroom floor as the GM dealer closes in on 200 sales for the month.

The savings can be as much as 25 percent off sticker price on certain vehicles. So, as the closk winds down toward 2015, the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall inventory of Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet is dwindling by the minute.

Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, General Motors To Carry Momentum Into New Facility, New Year

As the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall prepares to move to its spectacular new facility next to The Streets of Southpoint Mall and General Motors continues to move back into prominence as an automaker, the stage is set for 2015 to be an outstanding year for those two entities locally.

Less than 10 years removed from a record plunge that saw GM stock reach a 20-year-low of $18.33 a share, the manufacturer recently has been mentioned on the list of Forbes' top-10 favorite stocks in 2015. As of Dec. 29, 2014, GM stock prices were up to $34.51 a share.

That's great news for fans and followers of GM and the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, which sells and services the entire line of GM vehicles, including Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2015, the dealership will be conducting business out of its spacious new, state-of-the art location that will feature not one, but two service drives and a regular shuttle service to and from the busy mall across the street. This facility was designed and built with our incredible Hendrick customers in mind, and will be a great benefit to our customers.

The new facility has been in the works for some time, which is a good thing given how brisk business has been in 2014.

The success of the dealership has mirrored the 2014 success of General Motors. Widely publicized recalls have done little to diminish sales or service volume at the dealership's current downtown Durham location. The recalls actually have given us an opportunity to reconnect with many of our customers. We feel like this interaction has built a lot of value with our customers, both in our company, and the GM brands that we represent.

We think that most of our consumers have seen our excellent customer service, and GM’s commitment to them.

An outstanding new product line, a visionary executive branch of leadership, an emphasis on an impeccable business process, reputation management and accountability all have combined to propel the national GM resurgence. Add to that mix unprecedented sales discounts and incentives, as well as strong communication with and resources for its local dealers, the success only can continue.

At the Hendrick Durham Auto Mall, its employees are its greatest asset.

"It's all about the people," said Rick Hendrick, owner of the Durham dealership and its parent Hendrick Automotive Group - a network of nearly 100 dealerships nationwide. "I don't care what you're doing or what your business is; it's all about the people. They have to be able to work together, believe in each other and be able to share information. They have to be motivated to come in and go through it every day."

Mr. Hendrick also requires of the dealership a high-level of transparency, accountability at all levels, and commitments to customer enthusiasm and continuous improvement. In a time of change at General Motors in particular and the automotive industry in general, those Hendrick hallmarks will continue to make both the Durham dealership and its flagship manufacturer standouts in their field.

Furthermore, Mr. Hendrick rarely has a conversation in which he does not stress the importance of our customers. We are here to serve our customers, whether it be from our current location or at the new place.