Photo: Opel
GM Europe is nothing more than a shadow of its former self. Restructured after the 2008 financial crisis, the European division then sold Opel and Vauxhall to Groupe PSA in 2017 because neither brand was turning a profit for General Motors.
To sum things up as simply as possible, General Motors failed in this part of the world. Even more worrying is that the higher-ups in Michigan decided to wind down Holden in Australia, morphing it into General Motors Special Vehicles.
Now we’ll turn our attention back to the Old Continent, namely to the city of Turin in Italy. The Big G is running an engineering center there – General Motors Propulsion Systems, which was formerly known as GM Powertrain Europe. This is the place where the U.S. manufacturer researched and developed the 1.6- and 3.0-liter turbo diesels powering the North American versions of the Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado 1500 pickup truck, as well as the all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade.
General Motors’ employees in Turin will soon work for the Punch Group, which has acquired the company for an undisclosed amount of euros. An agreement between the two parties will ensure the smooth transition to Punch while GM will be able to utilize the Italian center’s engineering ops until the end of 2021.
“The work will continue to support our global operations and allow us to focus our internal efforts on long-term solutions,” said GM executive vice president Doug Parks. Reading between the lines, the Detroit-based automaker decided to focus on electrified powertrains instead of pouring money into turbo diesels.
General Motors has high hopes in this regard, having recently confirmed the return of the Hummer as a GMC-branded electric truck. There’s talk about Cadillac electrifying the Escalade as well in addition to the already confirmed three-row SUV.
“The focus of this business will be to deliver world-class engineering services to GM and new clients," said Punch Group head honcho Guido Dumarey. "This includes developing engine applications for new segments, supporting the manufacturing of engines, and providing both engine and transmission solutions in markets worldwide.”
Now we’ll turn our attention back to the Old Continent, namely to the city of Turin in Italy. The Big G is running an engineering center there – General Motors Propulsion Systems, which was formerly known as GM Powertrain Europe. This is the place where the U.S. manufacturer researched and developed the 1.6- and 3.0-liter turbo diesels powering the North American versions of the Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado 1500 pickup truck, as well as the all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade.
General Motors’ employees in Turin will soon work for the Punch Group, which has acquired the company for an undisclosed amount of euros. An agreement between the two parties will ensure the smooth transition to Punch while GM will be able to utilize the Italian center’s engineering ops until the end of 2021.
“The work will continue to support our global operations and allow us to focus our internal efforts on long-term solutions,” said GM executive vice president Doug Parks. Reading between the lines, the Detroit-based automaker decided to focus on electrified powertrains instead of pouring money into turbo diesels.
General Motors has high hopes in this regard, having recently confirmed the return of the Hummer as a GMC-branded electric truck. There’s talk about Cadillac electrifying the Escalade as well in addition to the already confirmed three-row SUV.
“The focus of this business will be to deliver world-class engineering services to GM and new clients," said Punch Group head honcho Guido Dumarey. "This includes developing engine applications for new segments, supporting the manufacturing of engines, and providing both engine and transmission solutions in markets worldwide.”
Google News