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GM considering new powertrain options for large SUVs

Aside from the new General Motors offerings, there's not a whole lot of action going on in the fullsize SUV segment. That doesn't seem to be stopping GM from pushing the envelope in the market as Automotive News is reporting that the automaker is looking to introduce some new powertrain options into the Chevy Tahoe (and Suburban), GMC Yukon (and Yukon XL) and the Cadillac Escalade - all have been redesigned for the 2015 model year.
Now, we already know that GM and Ford are collaborating on nine- and ten-speed transmissions for a broad range of applications (including the big SUVs), but this new report says that GM is also considering other options as a way to one-up the competition and, of course, to optimize fuel economy. AN quotes Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for GM trucks, as saying that "interesting powertrain technologies" are coming including a return of a hybrid SUV and possibly even a diesel engine. Although it sounds like the latter could come down to how customers respond to the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel.

GM to offer 2 years free maintance on most 2014 models

A day after Ford announced it was scaling back the complimentary maintenance program for its Lincoln brand, General Motors has gone in the completely opposite direction, offering most of its 2014 lineup with free maintenance. Since 2011, Cadillac models have all come with a four-year/50,000-mile complimentary maintenance program, but Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles will now come standard with free maintenance for two years or 24,000 miles for the 2014 model year.
The program will give vehicle owners and lessees free oil changes, tire rotations and 27-point inspections following the recommended maintenance schedule laid out in each vehicle's owner's manual. We contacted GM to see which vehicles were eligible for the program, and a spokesperson got back to us with the following comment:
"All 2014 models are eligible, it's just that the included services vary by model, e.g., Spark EV would not need oil changes, Corvettes don't recommend tire rotations."

GMC Terrain's first generation could get recalled for headlights

According to Car Sales Base, GMC sold 745,454 Terrain crossovers from the end of 2009 to the end of 2017, all but a few of them representing the first-generation model years of 2010 to 2017. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the carmaker will need to recall almost all, due to a problem with excessively bright headlight reflections. NHTSA takes issue with the fact that federal motor vehicle regulations stipulate how bright headlight reflections are allowed to be within a certain arc of the headlight beam axis. In a certain area of the arc, the Terrain throws two small spots of light that are about 450 to 470 candela strong where the legal maximum at that point is 125 candela — one candela being equivalent to the light from one candle. The NHTSA wants the headlights replaced for being close to four times over this reflective limit, alleging this can cause "glare to other motorists driving in proximity." GM discovered the noncompliance in 2019, then filed a notice of noncompliance that requested an exemption from having to recall the crossover. GM's counterpoint to NHTSA was that the two areas of illegality were 80 degrees outboard of the headlight and 45 degrees up. You'd have to be Slenderman or a giraffe standing on the side of the road — our words, not GM's — to be blinded by the light. The automaker hadn't heard of any incidents nor complaints over the issue. The only customer feedback GM received was a Terrain driver saying the "left headlamp seems to have a portion of the light that shines up in the trees at near a 45-degree angle." Note, that's the left headlight, so the tree in question would likely be on the other side of the road. GM said oncoming traffic wasn't impaired by the excessive brightness. Due to these these mitigating factors, GM asked for an exemption from recalling the Terrains.    This week, NHTSA denied GM's petition.