Not only was this hatchback a highlight, but it was designed beautifully and with so many different features that it truly makes it feel like it was designed exactly for you.  Take the flip back seat and the flip front passenger seat – these can all be flipped down so that you have more room.

You can actually carry a full mountain-sized bike inside of it, which to me … is pretty damn awesome!

As many of you may have heard, one piece of news is that General Motors will be launching an astonishing twenty five new models within the coming two years, models which will encompass GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick.

But that ain’t all, kids.

The biggest tidbit revealed by Henderson had to do with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Thanks to the EPA’s new methodology used for calculated draft fuel economy standards, the Volt is expected to have perhaps the most astounding composite urban fuel economy rating ever. 230 miles per gallon. Yeah, you read that right. That “0″ is supposed to be there.

The Volt will be the first car to ever achieve a three digit rating for fuel economy. So what’s your take? Too good to be true?

Well, as I was reading more and more jobs are going to be getting cut and for once, it is not going to be of the blue-collar nature, but of the white-collar nature.  About 6,000 jobs are going to be cut loose and while I know that, that is terrible, it feels pretty good to know that GM is actually taking this serious now.  They are no longer the untouchable company.

Another thing that they are doing is actually letting go of a lot of their dealership as well as a lot of their car labels, like Cadillac, Saab and many others.  They are selling them off in order to get even more out of debt.  Good for you GM!

More GM Auto news right here at gmautoblog.com!

The federal government has released around $80 billion of funds to help the car manufacturers and suppliers survive the recession and preserve jobs. There is also a big question whether the taxpayers should be shouldering the problems of the car makers.

The Obama administration defended the move saying that the people have a high potential of earning profits through the investment. With the bankruptcy of the car makers, the government declares that it will no longer be allocating a bailout fund for them. The possibility of helping the industry though during extreme circumstances has not been ruled out.

With the investments in GM and Chrysler, the government is a bit hesitant to take the shots for the firms but is also very eager to see it succeed. The automotive task force explained that the government’s role as a major stakeholder in the companies will depend on how the market will recover.

The White House is very firm on its decision that without the bailout the failure of the car manufacturers will have a very negative effect on the U.S. economy. One of eight jobs in the United States is connected to the car manufacturing industry.

Fiat walked away from the meeting with the government and GM set in Germany. The Italian automaker complained that they were not given full access to the books of Opel and cannot decide on possible effects of the potential merger.

Fiat CEO revealed that the company may be subjected to unwarranted and unnecessary risks if they will be required to supply emergency funds for Opel while the German government sets up the loan as promised.

Despite the turnout, Fiat still expresses their interest with the stakes at Opel.

With the sour development on the Fiat-Opel deal, the buzz of a Magna-Saturn-Opel merger is getting louder. The companies are said to be working on a tentative agreement. GM helps out in the negotiation for $2.1 billion in funding to keep Opel afloat.

Magna is favored as it is willing to take the risk of providing a bridge financing amounting to $770 million to $905 million while waiting for the help being set up by the German government which is a potential $2.1 billion.

The framework of the deal has been established and the negotiating teams aim to strengthen the foundation of this before meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the signing of the memorandum.

Related reading: Fiat Car Blog – GM Auto Blog – Auto Industry News

HCCI or homogenous charge compression ignition is designed to have lesser emissions and saving about 15% more of your fuel. This is all made possible by making use of a combustion process used in diesel engines.

General Motors carries on with the research which if successful can be used on a wide array of engine builds and be combined with other fuel saving technologies. HCCI will also help GM meet the stricter emission and mileage proposals of the federal government.

When this new technology will be implemented does not have a clear cut schedule. It may come before the advantages of using the fuel cells and definitely after the Volt of Chevrolet. Other car manufacturers like Volkswagen and Daimler are also investing money and expertise to develop the new technology.

HCCI works by igniting the fuel inside the cylinder of the engine without making use of any spark produced flame. HCCI works on E85 or regular gasoline fuel. The process aimed to be perfected will be using more air to generate the same power of a regular engine but with much better fuel efficiency.

General Motors faces a great hurdle to make the technology work while the engine is on idle. The top speed of the engine has also been improved to 60 mph from 55 mph. Other concerns will be operating such engine in high altitudes and extreme temperatures. The engine will also need the usual spark ignition to start the engine when operated in cold weather.