GM To Slash In Half Number Of Platforms - Start Building Cadillacs In China

General Motors Co will drastically streamline its global operations, cut the number of vehicle platforms by half over the next decade and consolidate the number of engines used in its cars and trucks worldwide, top executives said Tuesday.

By 2018, they said, GM hopes build 90 percent of its vehicles on 14 platforms — half the number now — in an effort to boost manufacturing efficiency by 40 percent. About one-third of its globally-sold vehicles now share the same underpinnings.