2014 Gmc Sierra 1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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GM pickup truck plant in Flint to add 1,000 assembly workers

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors said Tuesday it will add 1,000 workers to build new heavy-duty pickup trucks at its plant in Flint, Michigan, and will give priority to GM workers who were laid off elsewhere. The announcement comes the day after GM said it was starting to hand pink slips to about 4,000 salaried workers in the latest round of a restructuring announced in late November that will ultimately shrink its white-collar workforce in North America by 15 percent out of 54,000. GM has come under fire from U.S. President Donald Trump and Midwestern lawmakers for its plans to stop production at five North American factories and cut up to 15,000 jobs in all. The automaker has said it is trying to find new jobs for 1,500 U.S. hourly workers at the affected plants. Flint's truck plant could be a haven for many of these employees. 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 on Tuesday will celebrate the launch of a new generation of heavy-duty GMC and Chevrolet pickups at the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, that is now building all such trucks for the company. Elsewhere in the company on Monday, two people briefed on the cuts in the white-collar salaried workforce said GM is cutting hundreds of jobs at its information technology centers in Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Michigan and more than 1,000 jobs at its Warren, Michigan Tech Center. GM is filing new required mass layoff notices with state agencies and disclosed the cuts to lawmakers. The largest U.S. automaker announced in November it would cut a total of about 15,000 jobs and end production at five North American plants. The cuts include eliminating about 8,000 salaried workers, or about 15 percent. GM cut about 1,500 contract workers in December and said 2,300 salaried workers accepted buyouts, officials said. "These actions are necessary to secure the future of the company, including preserving thousands of jobs in the U.S. and globally. We are taking action now while the overall economy and job market are strong, increasing the ability of impacted employees to continue to advance in their careers, should they choose to do so," GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said, adding the bulk of the cuts should be completed in the next two weeks. Morrissey said GM would provide salaried workers with severance packages and job placement services.

GM, Pilot will build EVgo fast chargers at 500 truck stops across U.S.

All of our maps showing electric vehicle charging stations across the U.S. are going to need an update. Today, General Motors, Pilot and EVgo announced plans to work together on a nationwide DC fast charging network. The plan calls for 2,000 charging stalls that can deliver up to 350 kW to be installed at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers in the U.S. The goal is to have DC fast chargers available in 50-mile intervals across the country. The new charging stations will feature GM's "Ultium Charge 360" branding and "Pilot Flying J" logos but will not be limited to drivers of GM EVs. The plugs will use CCS connectors and be available to anyone. GM EV owners can take advantage of benefits, including the ability to make exclusive reservations, get discounts on charging costs and streamline the charging process with Plug and Charge and in-vehicle apps that can provide real-time charger availability. The first installation phase will take place in 2023, and "the bulk of the installations" should be completed by 2025, EVgo CEO Kathy Zoi said during a conference call with reporters announcing the plan. "We're gonna get going immediately and commence all of that engineering and planning stuff," she said. "We've got a pretty orderly plan." Pilot CEO Shameek Konar said the company expects the new EV charging stations to coexist with the current fuel infrastructure. "An average Pilot Flying J location is about 10 acres," Konar said. "This will be in addition to all of our gas pumps. The way I think about it is, this is a new source of energy that is going to coexist with gas for quite some time. We can debate how long, but we need to serve both groups of customers." Installing DC fast chargers at hundreds of Pilot's travel centers — aka truck stops — means there should be food, drinks, restrooms, WiFi and even showers available while you wait for an EV to charge. Pilot recently announced its “New Horizons” plan that will invest $1 billion in upgrading Pilot travel centers with more premium amenities, including expanded seating and lounge areas. While the exact amount of time it will take to charge an EV using these new stations will vary on the EV and its current state of charge, most EVs can refill from a low state of charge to around 80 percent in 20-30 minutes on a fast charger. The new stations are future-proofed to deliver up to 350 kW, a charge rate that few EVs today can handle.

2021 GMC Sierra adds towing tech, new HD Black Diamond Edition

Trailer towing is the focus of several new technologies coming to the 2021 GMC Sierra pickup, with the new features available both on the Sierra 1500 and the Sierra HD. The 2021 Sierra also sees expanded availability of GMC's MultiPro tailgate, a price cut for the available 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel six, and a new Black Diamond Edition of the Sierra HD. Pickup truck makers are engaged in a trailering-technology arms race. Already, the GMC Sierra offers its ProGrade Trailering package that features a "Transparent Trailer" virtual camera view and a Rear Trailer View that uses an auxiliary camera mounted on the back of the trailer. To that, GMC is adding a Trailer Length Indicator that can alert drivers of another vehicle in the adjoining lane during a signaled lane-change. A new Jack-Knife Alert warns the driver if the front of the trailer approaches the rear of the tow vehicle. The warning appears in the center screen and can also trigger a seat vibration. The previous Rear Side View split-screen now also works when reversing and adjusts for the angle of the trailer. The Cargo Bed View now includes a zoom feature and hitch guidance for connecting gooseneck trailers. Finally, the previous Rear Trailer View adds a trailer-angle indicator and dynamic guidelines. In other equipment news, the six-position MultiPro tailgate is newly available on the Sierra 1500 SEL and Elevation trims and standard on the Sierra HD SLE. The fancy Sierra HD Denali adds Surround Vision and Bed View cameras to the standard-equipment list. Standard and optional engine choices for the Sierra are unchanged for 2021, but the price of the optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine in the Sierra 1500 is reduced by $1,500. For 2021, on models where the 5.3-liter V8 is standard (SLT, AT4, and Denali), the upcharge will be $995. For the SLE and Elevation, where the 2.7-liter V6 is standard, the cost to upgrade to the diesel is now $2,390, again a decrease of $1,500. Lastly, the Sierra HD adds a Denali Black Diamond Edition. It includes 20-inch gloss-black wheels, power-retractable side steps, premium audio by Kicker, an Auxiliary Trailer Camera, trailer tire-pressure monitor sensors, and premium floor mats with removable carpet inserts. It comes in any color you want so long as it's Ebony Twilight Metallic. The Black Diamond Edition is pictured above. Related Video: