The Chevrolet Volt got a clean bill of health, last Friday, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closing its investigation into potential problems with the plug-in hybrid’s battery pack – but that doesn’t mean General Motors’ problems with the Volt are over, as a Congressional hearing is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

The Volt controversy stems from a fire that occurred last spring, weeks after one of the battery cars went through a federal crash test. A second Volt battery pack caught fire after being tested in November. That triggered an investigation by the NHTSA – as well as hearings by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, California Republican and committee chairman Darryl Issa contending that the government agency initially tried to cover up the original fire.

General Motors Co said it is recalling almost 20,000 Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles, mostly in China and the United States, due to potential transmission defects.

GM’s Chinese joint venture, Shanghai GM, is recalling 9,862 of the compact luxury SUVs in that country, while GM is recalling 8,789 in the United States. A small number in 20 other countries are also affected, a GM spokesman said.

Shanghai GM is a joint venture between GM and SAIC Motor Corp.

The vehicles affected in the recall are from the 2010 and 2011 model years, and were built at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.

FORTUNE — General Motors is nearing its long-term goal of making OnStar, its high-tech telematics service, a compelling reason for consumers to buy its cars. That means OnStar is also quickly becoming a valuable asset that could help the auto maker raise capital.

Founded in 1995, OnStar was GM’s (GM) bid to bring mobile communications to the driver’s seat. Unlike traditional in-dash GPS units, OnStar relies on a cellular network that drivers can use to contact representatives for emergency services or directions. Over the years, the company added features such as the ability to open locked doors remotely and even track stolen vehicles.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — American car buyers were out in force in November, with U.S. automakers posting solid sales in what is expected to be the best month for auto sales since 2009′s “Cash for Clunkers” program.

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) reported sales up 6.9% from a year earlier, while Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) sales jumped 13.3%. Chrysler Group sales soared 45%.

GM’s retail sales to consumers were much stronger than its overall gain, up 15% from a year ago. Fleet sales, which are typically less profitable, fell 14%, driven by a drop twice that large in sales to rental car companies.

Ford said its retail sales jumped 20%, while Chrysler said its retail sales were 51% above a year ago.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — General Motors said Monday it will loan cars to any owner of its electric-powered Chevrolet Volt who is worried about the risk of a battery fire after a crash.

The automaker, which reasserted the overall safety of the car, had no estimates about how many loaners might be requested or how long the Volt owners will be able to use the loaner.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Friday that it had launched a formal investigation into the risk of a fire in Volts after two Volt batteries caught on fire one to three weeks following crash tests, apparently due to damage to the battery.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — General Motors, maker of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, will sell a small totally electric car beginning in 2013, the automaker announced Wednesday.

The Chevy Spark EV will be sold in limited markets in the U.S. and other countries, GM said.

Smaller than a typical subcompact, the Spark is a so-called minicar. It’s a couple of inches shorter than a Mini Cooper.

A gasoline-powered version of the Spark is expected to go on sale here early next year.

Strong demand for full-size pickups and SUVs drove up General Motors’ U.S. sales last month, the automaker said Monday.

GM reported total sales of 207,145 vehicles in September — a 20 percent increase over the same month a year ago. Truck sales, which include full-size pickups and SUVs, jumped 34 percent, while sales of passenger cars rose 12 percent over September 2010.

“For GM, all of the factors that say this is a good time to buy a new vehicle outweigh the bad news that appears to be slowing down the broader economic recovery,” said Don Johnson, vice president for U.S. sales.

By a 2-to-1 margin, unionized workers have approved a new four-year contract with General Motors that includes a $5,000 signing bonus and raises entry-level wages.

The contract, which is effective immediately, covers 48,000 members of the United Auto Workers union. The union said the new contract would result in 6,400 new U.S. jobs at GM plants plus thousands more at suppliers and related businesses.

Jobs — and not necessarily cash, or new benefits — have proved to be the centerpiece of the new four-year contract agreed between the United Auto Workers union and General Motors.

That’s not to say the deal doesn’t include some financial benefits designed to salve the frustrations of GM workers, who have made major concessions over the past four years to help revive the long-troubled automaker.

Among other things, the union has revealed, the new, four-year agreement includes a $5,000 signing bonus, $4,000 in “inflation protection” and another $3 an hour for second-tier employees earning half as much as veteran line workers.

DETROIT (AP) — Gas prices hit a sweet spot for automakers last month. They fell far enough to spur pickup truck sales, yet remained so high that small cars sold well, sometimes just hours after reaching dealers’ lots.

That made June a good month for General Motors and Ford, which have traditionally relied on truck sales and now have strong line-ups of smaller, fuel-efficient models as well.

Toyota and Honda couldn’t take advantage, however. Their sales plummet more than 20 percent each as they ran short of cars because of the ongoing problems from the March earthquake in Japan.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Ford will soon produce a competitor to General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt.

The new van-like compact car, due out next year, will be available in the U.S. in two hybrid versions. One of those, the C-Max Energi, will be a plug-in hybrid with capabilities similar to those of GM’s (GM, Fortune 500) Volt but with a much longer total driving range. The other version, the C-Max Hybrid, will be a standard hybrid, similar to the Toyota (TOYOF) Prius or Ford’s (F, Fortune 500) Escape Hybrid.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — General Motors posted its best operating results in 11 years in the first quarter, lifted by a jump in sales and strong pricing.

With rivals Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) and Chrysler Group also posting profits in the first quarter, this the first time since 2004 that all of Detroit’s Big 3 automakers have been in the black at the same time.