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GMC teases rugged 2021 Canyon AT4 pickup

GMC promised every model in its lineup would get the AT4 treatment by 2021. Having introduced AT4 versions of the Sierra, Acadia and Sierra HD already, that leaves the Canyon, Terrain and Yukon waiting their turn for the procedure. During a press even for the Sierra HD in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, GMC teased Canyon AT4 as next in line to receive upgraded off-road chops. The automaker had a camo'ed prototype Canyon AT4 in a trailer hooked up to a Sierra HD. When Sierra occupants pulled up the feed from the trailer-mounted camera on the infotainment screen, said occupants got a view of the masked midsize pickup between two walls reading, "The first ever Canyon AT4" and "Coming early 2020." The main mysteries are how extensive the pickup's AT4 transformation will be, and when it will go on sale. The AT4 kit changes depending on model. The Sierra AT4 upgraded performance and looks, with features like a two-speed transfer case, locking rear differential, a two-inch lift and Rancho monotube shock absorbers, skid plating, black-chrome grille and body-colored grill surround. The 2020 Acadia AT4 is mostly about looks, pairing standard all-wheel drive with black trim and wheels, and all-terrain tires. The Canyon's expected to weigh in on the Sierra end of the overhaul, and slide into the lineup between the SLT and top-tier Denali trims. The mods will put it beyond the current All Terrain trim being phased out across the lineup, but leave space between the Canyon AT4 and its Chevrolet sibling, the Colorado ZR2. GMC VP Duncan Aldred said, "They’re going to have different capability levels. The ZR2 is extreme capability. AT4 isnÂ’t positioned as extremeÂ… not intended to rival the ZR2." And the Colorado gets the even chunkier Bison version on top of that. The Canyon AT4 is predicted to join the lineup for the 2021 model year, so although it's "coming early 2020," it might not go on sale until much later in the year. GM's midsized pickup twins will be endowed with changes so mild that neither brand will classify the work with the term "midcycle enhancement." Figure a refining around the grille and lights and a few minor fillips otherwise. Next-generation models of the Canyon and Colorado aren't due until 2023, and there's apparently debate inside GM about an interior refresh for both trucks before then. The Terrain should mirror changes to the Acadia, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see the all-new Yukon also due in early 2020 get serious off-road teeth.

What the electric Hummer's size and weight means for its efficiency

The 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. Tim Levin/Insider If you think driving a pint-sized Nissan Leaf is as good for the planet as driving a huge electric Hummer, think again.  The GMC Hummer EV uses significantly more electricity than other EVs, meaning it produces more pollution upstream.  The electric Hummer weighs 9,000 pounds and its battery weighs as much as a Honda Civic. The new electric Hummer rolls through town without a deafening engine rumble or a cloud of toxic fumes, but it doesn't exactly tread lightly.  The colossal truck weighs an astonishing 9,000 pounds. (Think two Toyota Tacomas, three Honda Civics, or 24 Shaquille O'Neals.) Moreover, the GMC Hummer EV is in many ways a supersized gas guzzler for a new era. It repackages many of the same flaws of hulking SUVs and trucks of years past — and proves not all zero-emission cars are created equal. EVs can be energy guzzlers too On the whole, electric cars use less energy than gas-powered ones. But they aren't all equally efficient.  No surprise here: The Hummer needs more electricity than any other EV on the market to move its elephantine frame. The Environmental Protection Agency rates the pickup at 47 MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent). For comparison, the Tesla Model 3 sedan is nearly three times as efficient, earning a rating of 132 MPGe. The Ford F-150 Lightning, another electric truck, gets 70 MPGe.  This has real consequences: Since the US gets 61% of its energy from oil, coal, and natural gas, the more electricity a car needs, the more pollution it creates upstream.  As the Union of Concerned Scientists put it: "Both EV cars and trucks are much cleaner than their gasoline counterparts, but electric trucks are responsible for more global warming emissions than electric cars simply because trucks are larger and heavier."  The 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1. Tim Levin/Insider The Hummer EV is also resource-intensive to manufacture, requiring a ginormous (and weighty) battery to give people the 300-plus miles of range they desire. You could produce three Chevrolet Bolts with the same battery cells consumed by one Hummer.

GM able to add diesel to half-ton pickups if market demands it

A few years ago, the trend in half-ton pickup trucks was ultra-luxurious trims, often with the words "limited" or "platinum" tacked on after the model name. That was well and good, but we like this latest fad a lot more - diesel engines. First, Ram came to bat with a 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel for the 1500, then Nissan announced that the next-generation Titan would be getting an eight-cylinder Cummins diesel.
Now, word is coming in from AutoGuide that General Motors can, if it so chooses, drop a diesel engine into its light-duty trucks. The plot thickens, though, as it turns out that said diesel would be the same one Ram is using for its truck. According to AG, that engine comes from VM Motori, which GM owns a sizable chunk of. Therefore, GM can snag the 3.0-liter, V6 diesel for its trucks just as easily, if not more easily, than Ram.
If it's so easy for the Detroit-based manufacturer to access the engines, why not offer the a diesel-powered Sierra and Silverado from the start, then? According to GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson, The General doesn't seem so confident in a diesel pickup outside of its HD offerings. According to Wilkinson, the cost-benefit ratio doesn't line up for customers, thanks to both the impact on the truck's sticker price and the higher price of diesel, in general (the national average for a gallon of diesel is 43 cents more than a gallon of 87-octane unleaded).