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GMC Hummer EV coming to Extreme E with Chip Ganassi Racing

The electric off-road racing series Extreme E is getting another famous face. This time it's not a person, but rather a vehicle: the GMC Hummer EV. GMC announced that it will be the main sponsor for the Chip Ganassi Racing Extreme E team. With the sponsorship, GMC gets to tweak the Extreme E Odyssey 21 race SUV to look more like the Hummer EV pickup and SUV that starts production late this year. The changes are subtle but effective, with the nose getting a full-width light-bar motif. Of course the race SUV is vastly more rounded than the road-going truck. It also features a standardized chassis from Spark Racing and a battery pack from Williams. The team is able to provide its own electric motor, though, which the series limits to 550 horsepower. The GMC Hummer EV race SUV will make its competition debut alongside several other pedigree teams at the first Extreme E event in Saudi Arabia this April. Three teams are operated by Formula One drivers including Sir Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, the latter of whom will be driving. Andretti United will also field a team, a familiar competitor to Chip Ganassi in other racing series such as IndyCar. As for drivers, two World Rally Championship champions will compete: Carlos Sainz and nine-time consecutive champion Sebastien Loeb. The series will feature five races and with the way the competition is shaping up, they should be very interesting to watch. Related video:

2017 GMC Acadia starts at $29,995

The 2017 GMC Acadia has a lower price in addition to its smaller size and 700-pound weight loss. The latest model starts at $29,995 (including $925 destination) when it arrives at dealers this spring, which is $1,905 less than last year's base version. That low price is just for the front-wheel-drive only SL trim, but there are savings throughout the 2017 lineup. The least expensive all-wheel drive version comes on the SLE model for $35,375, versus $37,100 last year (after $925 destination). The top-spec all-wheel drive Denali now costs $47,845, compared to $50,815 for the 2016 version. You can check out the MSRP for each trim in the release below. The new All Terrain model costs $40,040 and gets a more sophisticated all-wheel drive system with an active twin clutch. GMC claims the layout improves performance in wet, snowy and icy conditions. However, the trim is only available in five-passenger configuration, and storage bins in the floor replace the third-row seat. The 2017 Acadia price is also competitive with some challengers in the segment. For example, a base 2016 Honda Pilot is more expensive at $31,045 (after $900 destination), and the top Elite is $47,470, which is barely cheaper than the Denali. A base 2016 Ford Explorer is more costly at $31,995 (after $945 destination), and the Platinum for $53,915 is several thousand more than a Denali. The latest Acadia offers customers a bounty of tech and efficient powertrains. The IntelliLink infotainment system has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there're available safety systems like front pedestrian braking and a surround view camera. Most models come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which GMC estimates gets 22 miles per gallon city and 28 mpg highway with front-wheel drive. A 310-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 offers an estimated 25 mpg highway for front-wheel drive models. Both powertrains use a six-speed automatic. Related Video: 2017 GMC Acadia starting at $29,995 Drives to heart of midsize SUV segment with lower starting price, more features DETROIT – GMC announced today pricing for the all-new 2017 Acadia will start at $29,995 when it goes on sale this spring. The base price is $1,905 less than the 2016 base model and the new Acadia offers more standard equipment, including a new IntelliLink system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility (User interfaces are products of Apple and Google and their terms and privacy statements apply.

GM plans to sell the Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade in China

General Motors Co plans to sell full-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV) models in China for the first time, and will import a range of models to beef up its product lineup into the world's biggest car market, its China chief told Reuters. The plan would mark a change of tack for GM, which currently produces all of the vehicles it sells in China within the country, which is set to be the only major economy to grow this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. GM, China's second-biggest foreign automaker, is aiming to offer four models as it looks to improve its brand image and support a sales recovery: Chevrolet's Tahoe and Suburban, Cadillac's Escalade and the GMC Yukon Denali. The Detroit-based company is showcasing those models at the China International Import Expo, or CIIE, an annual import show in Shanghai which started on Wednesday and runs into next week. "Our intention is to get customer reaction and find a way to sell these cars in China," said GM's China chief Julian Blissett. The automaker sees opportunities for such vehicles, partly because Chinese families are expanding, he added. "We are looking into a variety of market sales plans for these vehicles, including online sales, leasing and others," he said, declining to give a detailed timeframe for the plan. GM's Buick and Cadillac mid-size SUVs helped the group's Chinese sales grow 12% in the third quarter this year, the first quarterly growth in the past two years. But it does not have full-size SUV models, which usually have a third row of seats and has room for six or seven people. BATTLEGROUND China, where over 25 million vehicles were sold last year, is a crucial battleground for global automakers including Volkswagen AG, the biggest foreign player by sales volumes, GM and Toyota, as well as local leaders Geely and Great Wall. The country has seen auto sales pick up in recent months following a COVID-19-induced slump, and authorities say they have largely brought the epidemic under control following its emergence in the central city of Wuhan at the end of last year. The expansion plan would also mark GM's first official sales in China of GMC vehicles, a premium brand in the group. Previously GMC vehicles were only sold in the country via unofficial grey importers. The imports will, however, not change GM's basic production strategy in China. It will still mostly sell vehicles made in China - for now, at least. "Depending on however we go we might make other decisions," Blissett said.