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D-day for General Motors: GM files for bankruptcy

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 02 June 2009 06:57 General Motors today faces the humiliation of collapsing into bankruptcy. It marks the 1 June deadline imposed by US president Barack Obama for the General to sort out its business – or seek protection from creditors in the bankruptcy courts. As we’re all too painfully aware, GM has been unable to perform miracles, triggering one of the greatest industrial collapses seen in American corporate history.

OnStar 'ignition block' disables stolen vehicles

OnStar, General Motors' in-vehicle safety and communications system, has launched a service to keep car thieves from starting a vehicle that has been reported stolen. As of July 20, three stolen cars had been disabled by the technology, called "remote ignition block." The feature is available on select 2009 and 2010 GM models. Subscribers must report their vehicles stolen to police officials and request assistance from OnStar, which then sends a signal that prevents the car from restarting.

Mercury dies off, Lincoln to benefit

Ford's brand portfolio is set to get smaller by the end of the year. Following the sale of Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and most recently Volvo (to Chinese automaker Geely), the Blue Oval has now announced the demise of its 'middle of the range' Mercury brand, with production of the last vehicles set to cease at the end of 2010. In a statement released to media, Ford announced that the shuttering of the 71-year old Mercury brand was in the interest of focusing on Lincoln, the automaker's only remaining premium brand.