The AUTOMOTIVE landscape has significantly evolved over the last couple of years. With skyrocketing oil prices, consumers are demanding more and more fuel-efficient cars. As a result, they are moving away from American manufacturers, which are all recording substantial sales drops in the process.

Yesterday, General Motors announced that four truck and SUV plants in North America will soon shut down. Meanwhile, the vehicle portfolio will keep changing and diversifying, with more attractive and more competitive models, especially in the passenger car and crossover segments.

All-new or fully-redesigned vehicles like the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac Vibe and Buick Enclave have been selling strongly. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that 18 of the next 19 new GM products for the U.S. will be cars or crossovers.

A next-generation Chevy Aveo is scheduled for 2010, reportedly offering segment-leading fuel economy.

Elsewhere, a new Chevy compact will set value and safety benchmarks upon its market release, in mid-2010. Production will take place at GM’s Lordstown plant, in Ohio. The car will be powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine which, is far more fuel-efficient than the one currently found in the Cobalt/G5.