First U.S. automaker to achieve mark in EPA highway test cycle

DETROIT – General Motors is the first U.S. automaker to sell more than 1 million vehicles in its home market in a single year that get an EPA-estimated 30 mpg or better on the highway test cycle.

“Our investments in advanced powertrains are clearly paying off, and our smaller vehicles are resonating with customers,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “In 2013, we’ll introduce new diesel, eAssist and plug-in vehicles in the United States and expand the availability of turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

“This will give us the most technologically diverse range of fuel-efficient cars and crossovers in the industry.”

Thirteen GM vehicles have at least one high-volume model that achieves 30 mpg highway or more.

• Four Chevrolet cars – the Spark, Cruze, Sonic and Volt – achieve 30 mpg or better in EPA combined city and highway driving.
• Combined 2012 sales of GM’s mini, small and compact cars are expected to be up about 39 percent, driven by the launches of the Spark and Buick Verano, and the ongoing success of the Chevrolet Sonic, Cruze and Volt.
• About 40 percent of GM’s vehicles by sales volume are powered by fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines – 10 percentage points higher than in 2010.
• GM’s two highest fuel-economy four-cylinder models are the 42-mpg Chevrolet Cruze Eco and the 40-mpg Chevrolet Sonic, both of which are powered by a turbocharged 1.4L ECOTEC engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
• Chevrolet and Buick dealers delivered more than 50,000 vehicles that use advanced lithium-ion battery technology. Chevrolet Volt sales totaled more than 23,000 units, making the car the country’s best-selling plug-in vehicle.
• Combined sales of the Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Regal and Buick LaCrosse powered by eAssist, which delivers EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of up to 37 mpg, totaled more than 30,000 units.

In 2013, Buick will launch the 33-mpg Buick Encore crossover, Cadillac will introduce the ELR extended-range electric vehicle and Chevrolet will expand availability of eAssist to include the all-new Impala. Chevrolet will also introduce a 2.0-liter clean diesel powertrain for the Chevrolet Cruze and a full-electric powertrain for the Spark.

The launch of the Spark EV will make GM the first company to build a complete electric motor and drive unit for a modern electric vehicle in the United States.  By 2017, GM will have up to 500,000 vehicles on the road with some form of electrification, with a focus on plug-in technology.

GM will release its December 2012 sales today at 10 a.m. EST.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets.  GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release and in related comments by our management, our use of the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “possible,” “potential,” “target,” “believe,” “commit,” “intend,” “continue,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “project,” “projected,” “positioned” or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: our ability to realize production efficiencies and to achieve reductions in costs as a result of our restructuring initiatives and labor modifications; our ability to maintain quality control over our vehicles and avoid material vehicle recalls; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt, including as required to fund our planned significant investment in new technology; the ability of our suppliers to timely deliver parts, components and systems; our ability to realize successful vehicle applications of new technology; and our ability to continue to attract new customers, particularly for our new products. GM’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q provides information about these and other factors, which we may revise or supplement in future reports to the SEC.