GM PLANS TRUCK-HEAVY SPATE OF VEHICLE LAUNCHES

By Mike Colias, Automotive News - General Motors is readying an onslaught of new redesigned cars and trucks, many of which were snagged by GM's 2009 bankruptcy.

By the end of 2013, 70 percent of GM's nameplates will be new, redesigned or refreshed, the company says.

In the 2014 model year alone, nameplates that represent 52 percent of GM's U.S. sales volume will be redesigned or refreshed. Bank of America analyst John Murphy says. That's the highest percentage among major automakers. (Toyota Motor Corp. is second at 40 percent.)

By early 2013, 70 percent of GM's nameplates will be new, redesigned or refreshed, the company says.

GM's full-sized pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, are due by late spring, to be followed by the next generation of its large SUVs: the Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.

The product draught ends for Cadillac dealers, who have seen their lineup trimmed to just three vehicles: the CTS sedan, Escalade and SRX crossover.

In August, Cadillac will start selling the ATS compact sedan. A redesigned CTS should follow in 2013.