General Motors Provides Comprehensive Updates for 2009 Products

For model year 2009, General Motors has decided to offer a barrage of improvements across its domestic brands.

One
feature that’s been missing from GM’s offering, from a technological
standpoint, is Bluetooth connectivity for cell phones. For the longest
time, GM offered handsfree calling via OnStar, however, this required
that owners be connected to the service and would require the purchase
of minutes. Now, General Motors will add Bluetooth practically across
the board, so you won’t need to be a Cadillac owner to indulge in
handsfree dialing. Up until now, only one GM vehicle was offered with
Bluetooth, Cadillac’s range-topping sedan, the STS.

The
Lambda platform may only be a year old, but these fast-selling large
crossovers have been a hit. The major upgrade for ‘09 is a mild
increase in performance and economy thanks to the adaptation of
gasoline direct injection; horsepower increases to 290. The 3.6 VVT DI
first debuted on the Chevrolet Traverse at this year’s Chicago Auto
Show.

Six is the number of speeds that
most GM vehicles will have in their automatic transmission starting
next year. In addition to those vehicles equipped with the 3.6-liter
engine and the 6.2-liter OHV V8, GM will be offering a six-speed
automatic on a variety of four-cylinder cars including the Malibu, Aura
and G6. Most vehicles based on the GMT900 platform, including the
half-ton pickup trucks (Sierra 1500/Silverado 1500), Avalanche, Yukon
XL and Suburban will gain two speeds, improving performance and
acceleration.