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Chevy Trax engineer says GMC version possible

The Buick Encore is doing so well and its platform-mate the Chevrolet Trax has such good reviewer vibes going for it already, that a GMC version hasn't been ruled out. During the recent press launch, Automotive News asked lead engineer Al Manzor if the Trax could wear a GMC-branded suit, to which Manzor replied, "I think that is certainly possible." That's a long way from telling us anything about the probability of a GMC version of the Trax, and a legion of questions would need to be answered before it could happen. How would a GMC version be priced to leave room for the $26,465 GMC Terrain but not eat into sales of the $20,995 Trax or the $24,035 Encore? Or would that matter? Could it primarily be considered to encourage a new faction of The Yukon Set at the compact end, GMC buyers being famously committed to the marque? And of course, would there be a Denali version? It'll probably be a long while before we have any kind of answers, but if you want to see it happen, the door to your campaign of persuasion is at least ajar.

GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.

2021 GMC Canyon Denali shows its new grille

GMC showed us its new 2021 Canyon AT4 pickup at the beginning of the year. We got a few details on the "more upmarket" top-tier Denali trim coming next year, but we've been missing good photos of the article until now. The more upmarket part rings true when it comes to the front fascia of the the 2021 Canyon Denali, achieved at the cost of a busyness compared to the 2020 model. That's because designers bent the set-square lines on the current trim into angles and flared edges from top to bottom, adding more prominent textures along the way. The comparison shot in the gallery above reveals all,  the "exclusive heroic grille design" — really, that's GM's name for it — the heart of "a more distinctive and sophisticated design that has become synonymous with Denali," according to Holt Ware, the brand's head of exterior design. Inside, the luxury trim offers a new and exclusive open pore ash wood for accents, a Cocoa/Dark interior treatment, heated and cooled front seats, aluminum trim, and embroidered headrests. There's wholesale change coming for the entire Canyon lineup, but we need to wait for GM to officially announce the 2021 pickup to codify everything properly. The trim walk has changed, from Canyon, SLE, All Terrain, SLT, and Denali to Elevation Standard, Elevation, AT4, and Denali, and we're still wondering what this might to do the $650 Elevation Edition cosmetic package. The bargain basement models have also gone away, putting the new MSRP floor $4,200 above the 2020 model to go along with other price increases dotted throughout the lineup. GM Authority says Canyon production won't be delayed by the coronavirus lockdown, so production should begin n Wentzville, Missouri, in a few months. Related Video: