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The 99-year-old company is elbowing its way back into the highly competitive auto game with new vehicles such as the Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers, the Saturn Vue small SUV, Cadillac CTS midsize sedan and the Malibu.

It's too early for General Motors to declare "mission accomplished." The company still has a long way to go in its expensive, product-intensive turnaround. There are obstacles aplenty, including a credit-crunched national economy that could slip into recession and crush new-vehicle sales. And competitors, of course, aren't sitting still while GM forges ahead. But there is a discernible note of confidence in the voices of GM's top executives today. And there are smiles on the faces of the company...

As spring arrived, the Big 3 vehicle makers raised their truck prices a sales-weighted average of $171, while their cars climbed $144, according to an Automotive News analysis.

Ron Zarrella arrived in December 1994 on a mission to shake up General Motors' stodgy culture with a dose of brand management. Seven years later, the president of GM North America has resigned, and brand management has left only a modest mark on the company. Brand managers became mid-level executives at GM, with limited clout in marketing and product decisions.

Dave Smith heads the Saturn studio at 37 and is excited about trying to revitalize the struggling GM brand. "Saturn is trying to get back to its roots," said Smith. "You're going to start to see a different type of product coming from Saturn."

GM says it plans to introduce seven youth-oriented vehicles in the next two to three years. To lead the effort, GM formed a team called iSYS -- for innovative smart youth strategy. The Pontiac Vibe and the Saturn VUE mini sport-utility vehicle will debut first.

How many customers are automakers catching in their Net? Chevrolet attracted the most browsers to its site in the first quarter of 2002.

How did Cadillac, which usually attracts 62-year-old white guys, create a truck that almost every black rap artist and rookie professional athlete wants to buy? It appears to be pure luck, and it took Cadillac by surprise.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reports about 2.5 million tiyres would be supplied annually for use on GM's remodeled Saturn Ion and Chevrolet Malibu.

For years, GM executives overlooked the explosion in the truck market. Ford caught up and passed GM in truck sales. Now the situation's reversed again — GM is number one in trucks and its competitors.

Key aspects of the organization as it undergoes a major transformation. The competitive environment is tougher than ever, but the company has the opportunity to maintain its position through improved products, processes, technologies—and managerial positioning and decision-making.

General Motors has restructured its design and product development team to speed up pre-production decision making. Mark Hogan, most recently president of e-GM, on Thursday was named to GM's newly created role of group vice president of advanced vehicle development.

GM plans to bolster its Saturn line of cars by adding two new models and spending $1.5 billion to expand the Saturn factory in Spring Hill, TN. GM also said a future Saturn model would be the first GM product to use a Honda engine, and that all Saturns would get more stylish exteriors.

General Motors' top market researcher said the automaker must continue to use generous incentives and aggressive marketing to overcome consumer perceptions that the automaker's quality still lags rivals.

Evoking one of his favorite athletic metaphors, Chairman Rick Wagoner didn’t equivocate: It’s halftime in the high-stakes game to become the world’s dominant automaker, he said, and GM is in danger of losing to Toyota, the Japanese juggernaut that is making more money and selling more cars and trucks every year, everywhere.