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2019 GMC Sierra carbon fiber bed: How it's made

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The redesigned 2019 GMC Sierra has some pretty nifty features, and the one that has had the most attention is the MultiPro flipping and folding tailgate. But the Sierra also features the first-of-its-kind carbon fiber truck bed. It's interesting, of course, for its capabilities, such as being 62 pounds lighter than the all-steel box. It even adds more cargo volume since the material can be assembled and shaped differently from steel. As it turns out, the assembly process is cool, too, which we learned when GMC invited us to see the beds being made. Every GMC carbon fiber bed starts out as perfectly flat sheets of thermoplastic carbon fiber. The sheets consist of a mix of fibers and resins, a bit like the molded carbon fiber parts Lamborghini uses. The sheets are manufactured by Japanese company Teijin, which collaborated with GMC to develop the bed. They're all delivered to Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) in Fort Wayne, Ind., for construction into the actual bed. The company, a subsidiary of Teijin, makes a wide variety of composite and plastic parts for the car industry, including body panels for the C7 Chevy Corvette. The rectangular sheets are cut to shape and stacked up at a giant stamping press. Robots pick up sheets and slide them onto a conveyor that goes into a large oven. The heat softens the parts so they can be stamped. The large primary bed parts such as the base are stamped by CSP's enormous 3,600-ton press, and the smaller ones go through a 1,000-ton press. Each press can do different parts using different stamping dies, and CSP switches between dies to produce different batches of parts. After stamping, the parts roll out mostly ready for assembly, but there are rough edges that are trimmed off by water-jet cutters. These cutting machines also create holes for fasteners and for parts such as tie-down hooks and lights. The stamping process also provides the carbon fiber bed with a unique Easter egg. On the bottom of the base of the bed, there are two words: "Connors Way." This is a tribute to Tim Connors, who was the chief engineer of manufacturing at GM and a strong proponent of the carbon fiber bed. He was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash a few years ago. The words were added to honor him, and they were fortunately approved for production. There are some components to the bed that aren't stamped from the flat sheets of material.

Watch this GMC Sierra pickup slide down a boat launch into a lake

Turns out, the GMC Sierra doesn’t float. In case you were wondering about experimenting, some folks in Illinois already have that covered. You can see the video from WICS ABC NewsChannel 20 above. The only reason this mishap was caught on video is because the news station was running a short standup segment at the boat launch. The truck slowly slips out of view, and eventually, the reporter turns around to see that the real story is taking place behind him. The white pickup and owners were in the process of launching a boat into Lake Springfield when the truck began to slowly make its way too far back with nobody around to save it. Local news and the police reported that nobody was inside the pickup when it submerged itself into the lake. Plus, there were no injuries to speak of. It appears that this is just a good ol' fashioned case of improper boat launching. One minute, thereÂ’s a shiny, new Sierra pickup. Just 30-40 seconds later, and the truck is fully underwater. The camera operator trains in on the folks attempting to launch the boat (that did successfully make it into the water), and predictably, they donÂ’t look pleased. Be safe out there, folks. And if youÂ’re going to drive your vehicle into the water, make sure itÂ’s an Amphicar. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2024 GMC Sierra HD unveiled with new design and more powerful turbodiesel V8

The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD made its debut in September 2022, so it was only a matter of time before the GMC Sierra HD received a similar round of updates. Unveiled online, the truck gains a new-look design and a more powerful turbodiesel V8, among other changes. GMC developed the Sierra HD primarily for towing and hauling so the most significant changes are found under the hood. The available 6.6-liter turbodiesel Duramax V8 engine now develops 470 horsepower at 2,800 rpm and 975 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm, figures that represent increases of 25 and 65, respectively, over the 2023 model and that match the 2024 Silverado HD's. GMC notes it increased low-end torque by about 25% by fitting a new turbocharger. The V8 spins the rear or the four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.  On the gasoline side of the spectrum, the 6.6-liter V8's output stays flat at 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque. It's now bolted to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and replacing the 2023 truck's six-speed lets the engine run closer to its peak power for longer periods. Here again, rear-wheel-drive comes standard and a part-time four-wheel-drive system is available across the entire line-up. Properly equipped, the 2024 Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab can tow up to 21,900 pounds. The standard 2500 HD's towing capacity checks in at 22,500 pounds (a 4,000-pound improvement), and the 3500 HD is capable of towing up to 36,000 pounds — that's nearly 13 Subaru BRZs. Buyers have a dizzying selection of trim levels and body styles to choose from. The range includes Regular, Extended, and Crew cabs as well as seven trim levels called Pro, SLE, SLT, AT4, AT4X, Denali, and Denali Ultimate, respectively. The AT4X variant will not be available at launch, and the Denali Ultimate is new for the 2024 model year. Additionally, 3500 HD models can be ordered with dual rear wheels. What the truck looks like depends on the trim level. Broadly speaking, designers drew a more angular front end with a new-look grille, sharper-looking lights, and a redesigned bumper. New wheels are part of the update as well; the 3500 HD dually gets 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, and 22-inch units are optional on single-rear-wheel trucks. Finally, the color palette grows with six optional shades called Titanium Rush Metallic, Sterling Metallic, Volcanic Red Tintcoat, Redwood Metallic, Meteorite Metallic, and Downpour Metallic, respectively.