2005 Chevrolet Silverado Ls 3500 2wd Crew Cab Diesel Hodges Bed Car Hauler on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chevrolet Silverado reportedly getting the GMC Sierra's MultiPro tailgate

GMC reinvented the pickup tailgate when it added a six-way option named MultiPro to the current-generation Sierra it introduced in 2019. It kept this clever feature to itself as a way to differentiate the Sierra from the Chevrolet Silverado, but a recent report claims it will begin sharing it in the not-too-distant future. Enthusiast website GM Authority learned from anonymous sources familiar with Chevrolet's product plans that the Silverado will soon receive its own version of the MultiPro tailgate. It will be called either MultiFlex or Multi-Flex, a name Chevrolet has already trademarked, and it was initially scheduled to make its debut for the 2021 model year. Its arrival might be delayed until the 2022 model year due to the coronavirus pandemic, however. Chevrolet's Silverado and GMC's Sierra are nearly identical under the sheet metal, so adding the latter's six-way tailgate to the former will be a relatively straightforward and cost-effective process. Interestingly, GM Authority wrote engineers could add a seventh function to the tailgate, though it didn't reveal what they have in store. It's also not sure whether both trucks will get the new feature, or if it will exclusively be offered on the Chevrolet. 2022 will bring major updates to the Silverado and the Sierra, potentially including — as we've previously reported — an independent rear suspension. Interior upgrades will allegedly be part of the mid-cycle changes, too, but we still don't know if the Silverado will receive the tough carbon fiber cargo box available in the Sierra. In the meantime, motorists in the market for a Sierra will temporarily have fewer options to choose from. GMC has asked its dealers to stop taking orders for the regular- and double-cab variants of the truck, according to a separate report from GM Authority. Putting the slower-selling regular- and double-cab trucks on hiatus will allow dealers to build up their inventory of crew-cabs, which sell far better and are in relatively short supply. These restrictions will remain in effect until the 2021 model year, which starts on September 14 for double- and crew-cab models and on September 21 for regular-cab trucks. All three body styles will be available in 2021. Related Video:

GM to invest $150 million in Flint to boost heavy-duty pickup production

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors President Mark Reuss said on Wednesday that the automaker is investing about $150 million at its Flint Assembly plant in Michigan to boost production of heavy duty trucks by another 40,000 vehicles a year. Reuss announced the investment at the Flint truck assembly plant wearing a United Auto Workers pin. The Detroit automaker had announced back in February it was adding 1,000 jobs in Flint to build a new generation of heavy-duty pickup trucks. GM did not say that the latest investment would add more jobs at the plant, but Reuss said there could be opportunities to add workers as the launch of the automaker's new trucks progresses. GM has been under pressure from President Donald Trump and lawmakers of both parties to add jobs in the United States after it said last November it would idle the Chevy Cruze assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and likewise had no new products for three other U.S. manufacturing plants. The Flint investment will include upgrades to the plant's conveyors and other new tooling, and will be completed in the first half of 2020. GM has invested more than $1.6 billion in the plant since 2013. Last month, GM said it would invest $24 million to increase truck production at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which makes Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models. Sales of heavy-duty pickups in the United States have grown to more than 600,000 vehicles a year, up more than 20 percent since 2013, according to industry data. Prices for luxury models can easily top $70,000. GM's Chevrolet and GMC brands have long trailed Ford's F-series heavy duty trucks in the lucrative segment. The new Chevrolet and GMC heavy duty trucks have been re-engineered to tow heavier trailers, and keep pace in what has become an arms race among the Detroit Three automakers to claim superior torque and towing capability. Related: Silverado HD vs. 2019 Ram, Ford heavy duty trucks: How they compare on paper

GM will stop reporting monthly U.S. vehicle sales

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it will stop reporting monthly U.S. vehicle sales, saying the 30-day snapshot does not accurately reflect the market, and will instead issue quarterly sales. GM will also no longer report monthly sales in China, its largest market, and Brazil. GM will provide monthly data to the U.S. Federal Reserve, industry associations and government agencies across the globe, but that data is not made public. Analysts and investors rely on monthly U.S. vehicle sales not just to track the performance of individual automakers, but as a barometer of the health of the world's second-largest auto market and as an indicator of consumer confidence in the U.S. economy overall. GM and its Detroit rivals Ford and Fiat Chrysler have relied heavily on sales of high-margin pickup truck and SUV sales to boost profits. GM's total U.S. sales, its second-largest market, are down 3.2 percent for the first two months of 2018, reflecting a 6.8 percent drop in retail sales to individual customers, the company reported last month. GM executives have expressed frustration that comparisons of monthly U.S. sales results among rival automakers are distorted by short-term discount programs, and by differences in strategy for selling vehicles in bulk to rental car fleets. "Thirty days is not enough time to separate real sales trends from short-term fluctuations in a very dynamic, highly competitive market," Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president for sales operations said in a statement. GM's actions could prompt other automakers to also switch to quarterly U.S. sales reports. Major automakers will report March U.S. new vehicle sales on Tuesday. Until the early 1990s, most U.S. automakers released sales results every 10 days. The former Chrysler Corp. stopped reporting sales on a 10-day basis in 1990, and rivals followed suit over the next three years. GM executives are betting that investors will quickly adapt to receiving U.S. sales data every three months, as investors in other retail sectors already have. Retailers such as Walmart report sales on a quarterly basis. Reporting by Joe WhiteRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Earnings/Financials Green Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC US