1981 Gmc Sierra 1500 Sierra on 2040-cars

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GMC rules out subcompact crossover to go premium, focus on trucks

Don't wait for GMC's on-again, off-again baby crossover any longer. The company confirmed it has no plans to enter the growing car-based subcompact crossover segment in the near future because the expansion wouldn't fit its image. "I'm going to give you a definitive no on that one," answered Mark Alger, a regional marketing manager for GMC's Canadian division, when asked about the entry-level segment by GM Authority. "We want to position GMC as a premium brand, focus on our trucks, and capitalize on the AT4 name," he added. Positioning GMC as a premium brand wouldn't prevent officials from giving an entry-level the green light; Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all sell cars priced in the vicinity of $30,000. Focusing on trucks like the Sierra and the Canyon makes sense, however, because they compete in a bigger segment of the market where profit margins are much wider. It helps that GMC doesn't have to worry about markets outside of North America; it's not concerned about its sales and image in, say, Spain. We've heard speculation about GMC's entry-level model since the Granite concept (pictured above) made its debut during the 2010 Detroit auto show. It was approved for production in 2010, approved again the following year (complete with rear suicide doors), and canceled in 2012, but the reports never went away. The segment's popularity added credibility to the recent murmurs describing a born-again Granite aimed at the Honda HR-V and the Toyota C-HR, among others. The Chevy Trax and Buick Encore are both GM vehicles that compete in this segment.  GMC also canceled a body-on-frame, Bronco-taming SUV, according to a recent report. The truck-focused automaker promised every nameplate in its range will receive the rugged AT4 treatment by 2021, however, and it announced plans to show the off-road-ready Canyon in early 2020.

2024 GMC Acadia drops lowest trim, entry price starts at $43,995

GMC unveiled the third-generation Acadia at last summer's Detroit Auto Show, loading as many instances of "More" as it could. The all-new midsizer is longer, taller, with more room for occupants and cargo, more standard features, and a more powerful engine with a higher tow rating. The exterior dimensions return the Acadia a footprint closer to the SUV's first-gen proportions, that SUV about 201 inches long. For the 2024 version, overall length stretched another 10.6 inches to 205 inches, swallowing a wheelbase that grew 8.4 inches to nearly match that of the related Chevrolet Traverse, and overall height climbed 3.2 inches — except on the AT4 trim, which sits another inch higher thanks to a suspension lift. Plumping the exterior makes more room for occupants and cargo, GMC saying second-row passengers enjoy 27% more seat room while cargo gets 80% more space, 12.8 cubic feet formerly compared to nearly 23 cubes now. The new engine is a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 328 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, outdoing the 2023 Acadia's retired, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that made 228 hp and 258 lb-ft, and the retired 3.6-liter six-cylinder that made 310 hp and 270 lb-ft. It shifts through an eight-speed automatic, a loss of one cog compared to the 2023 Acadia transmission. The additional gumption means gains for the tow rating, now maxed at 5,000 pounds. That's anywhere from 1,000 to 1,700 pounds more than before. The new Acadia also comes standard with new ADAS features like enhanced lane keep assist, front pedestrian and bicyclist braking, and rear park assist, and offers Super Cruise. Early pricing info reveals that "More" extends to the window sticker, which should surprise no one. These aren't minor bumps, either. Assuming destination holds steady at $1,395, MSRPs for the 2024 Acadia and their differences from 2023 are: Elevation: $43,995 (New trim) AT4: $51,395 ($6,600) Denali: $55,695 ($6,195) Some small print: These figures pay for front-wheel drive except on the AT4, which is AWD only. Getting AWD on those other trims costs $2,000, same as now. The 2023 Acadia started with an entry-level SLE trim that cost $38,195, and that's been booted from the lineup, so too the SLT trim that started at $42,495. The 2024 Acadia Elevation brings GMC's familiar trim name into the Acadia ranks, its MSRP representing a $5,800 rise over the former entry price for the Acadia line.

Watch GM's new pickup crash its way to five-star NHTSA ratings

General Motors has just scored a big win with its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, acing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration New Car Assessment Program. The two full-size trucks had already netted a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in their crew-cab variants, but the new testing certifies them as five-star trucks in both regular and double-cab bodystyles, so GM's trucks offer top ratings across the board.
"Our incredibly capable trucks have been engineered to be some of the safest," Gay Kent, GM's general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness said. "We've designed the vehicle structure, strategically placed high-strength steel and developed the occupant restraint system to achieve high levels of safety performance."
The scores mark the Silverado and Sierra as the first pickups to net five-star scores since NHTSA beefed up their testing regime in 2011, a nice feather in GM's cap as it continues to slug out the pickup truck wars with crosstown rivals Ford and Ram.