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GM Opens New Racing Center
G
eneral Motors recently opened the doors
to its all-new GM Powertrain Performance
and Racing Center in Pontiac — a state-of-
the-art facility designed to enhance the development
processes for the company’s diverse racing engine
programs.
The new, 111,420-square-foot facility is connected
to GM’s Global Powertrain Engineering Center and is
part of a $200-million investment at the Pontiac cam-
pus. It relocates the Racing center from Wixom to the
Pontiac Powertrain Campus, bringing together under
one roof an additional team of nearly 100 engine
builders, engineers and other support staff.
The Performance and Racing team is responsible
for developing engines for NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar,
IMSA and other racing series.
“We race to win and learn,” said Dan Nicholson,
vice president, General Motors Global Powertrain.
“This new facility offers unprecedented opportuni-
ties to connect our racing engineers and powertrain
engineers, integrating their knowledge to give our
racers an edge on the track and our customers better
vehicles on the road.”
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FORD TO ADD FOUR NEW SUV NAMEPLATES
Ford will add four new nameplates
to its global SUV lineup in the next
four years in segments in which the
company does not currently compete.
Together, millennials and baby boom-
ers give Ford 160 million good reasons
to expect the surge in SUV sales will
continue into the next decade.
Growth in SUV sales is expected
to continue — not only in the United
States, but around the world.
“As members of the 80-million-
strong millennial age group enter
their prime child-rearing years, a
leading indicator of more SUV sales,
nearly 80 million aging baby boomers
continue to prefer their SUVs,” said
Mark LaNeve, Ford Motor Company
vice president of Marketing, Sales and
Service. “It’s a demographic double
whammy and it all points to one thing
— more SUVs for the foreseeable
future.”
While low gas prices have contrib-
uted to the growth in SUVs in recent
times, much-improved fuel efficiency
in the latest generation of utility vehi-
cles leads Ford to believe a potential
rise in gas prices wouldn’t push con-
sumers back to passenger cars.
“Some SUVs now rival the fuel
efficiency of V6-powered midsize
sedans from only a few years ago,”
said LaNeve, “and as baby boom-
ers grew up with much less capable,
much less-efficient vehicles, they tend
to appreciate the efficiency of Ford’s
newest SUVs.”
Even if gas prices go up, he added,
refueling costs for owners of modern
SUVs will be much less than they
were during the last SUV boom.
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AUTORAMA COMES TO DETROIT
Autorama, America’s “greatest hot
rod show,” is coming to the Cobo
Center in Detroit Feb. 26-28. General
admission is $19, children 6-12, $6,
kids 5 and under are free. Discount
tickets are available at O’Reilly Auto
Parts, presenting sponsor of the event.
Information about special guests and
events can be found at autorama.com/
attend/detroit.
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continued on page 34
Michigan’s Number 1 Audi Retailer,
Audi of Rochester Hills,
now offering up to $3,000.00 in Conquest Discounts off
certain Audi models, to owner’s/lessee’s of 2001 or newer
BMW’s, Lexus’, Mercedes, Acura’s, Infiniti’s or Toyota’s.
Contact Sandy for details on this outstanding promotion
currently offered now through March 31st.
Sanford “Sandy” Greenberg
Certified Audi Brand Specialist, Elite
248-997-7438-Direct
Sandy.Greenberg@edmotorgroup.com
AudiofRochesterHills.com
248-997-7400-main
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