Excitement in Detroit

January 16, 2026Newsletter Archives

Detroit is the beating heart of General Motors. It’s been that way since GM's original Detroit home on Woodward Avenue opened in 1911. This week, we launched a bold new era for General Motors with a return to Woodward Avenue: Introducing the brand-new GM global headquarters at Hudson’s Detroit.

Our new global headquarters at Hudson’s Detroit is more than an office building. It’s a symbol of our relentless drive forward. Inspired by more than a century of automotive innovation and motivated by the undefeated spirit of the resurgent city of Detroit, this cutting-edge space was crafted to inspire, empower, and propel us into an extraordinary automotive future.

In creating this new landmark facility, GM Design created a collection of design details throughout our Hudson’s Detroit space that pay tribute to GM’s history and inspire the next hundred years of innovation. These features reflect the past, present, and future of General Motors, celebrating a legacy of craftsmanship and innovation, and you can ogle them all on GM News.

For an exhilarating example of that Detroit spirit, look no further than the Chevrolet Corvette. This week, we revealed that the Corvette ZR1X is America’s quickest production car. On a prepped drag-racing surface, the ZR1X completed the quarter mile in 8.675 seconds at 159 mph1, on pump gas, using standard-equipment tires and production 50-state street-legal engine calibration, and achieving a 0-60 mph time of 1.68 seconds1 on the same run. The ZR1X blasted to 60 mph in less than 100 feet, generating a peak of 1.75G of acceleration force. 

I got to ride in the passenger seat during a drag-strip run. You can see it on my face in this video: This was the ride of a lifetime. 

The critics agree: GM is on a roll. This week, Road & Track Magazine honored the Corvette ZR1 as the 2026 Performance Car of the Year. And for the 11th consecutive year, General Motors won the award for “Overall Manufacturer Loyalty” from S&P Global Mobility -- meaning that when customers choose a GM brand, they overwhelmingly stay in the family for their next purchase.

Elsewhere on GM News, we evaluated GM’s economic impact in Michigan and across the United States – contributing nearly $50 billion directly to the U.S. GDP in 2024. We celebrated the reveal of the Cadillac Formula 1® Team’s Special Edition testing livery, which will appear on the racetrack at the all-team Shakedown Week in Barcelona, Spain. And we got a sneak peek at the Cadillac Racing IMSA GTP cars that will compete in the 2026 racing season. 

That’s what I call excitement, Detroit style. 

-- Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News