Yet another part of GM’s fire sale to get rid of non-core brands has collapsed. A deal by GM to sell Hummer to China-based Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery has been cancelled after months of negotiations.

The Chevrolet Cruze is one of 10 finalists for the World Car of the Year award, as selected by a jury of 59 international automotive journalists, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The jury members constitute a balance of representation from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, as well as other parts of the world including South Africa.

The Big Block. Rat Motor. Call it what you will, we can now officially add a final epitaph to the long-running engine’s gravestone: R.I.P. The final L18 big block rolled down the assembly line at General Motors’ Tonawanda plant in New York last week, and that engine was signed by all the workers at the plant and is on its way to the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

General Motors’ UK arm Vauxhall is celebrating the retail launch of the all-new 2010 Astra today as the first customers who placed their orders soon after the model went on sale in September received the keys to their cars.

Chevrolet’s European arm is expanding its German lineup with the introduction of three special edition packages for the Aveo supermini, Cruze sedan and Captiva SUV.