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2019 GMC Sierra carbon fiber bed: How it's made

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The redesigned 2019 GMC Sierra has some pretty nifty features, and the one that has had the most attention is the MultiPro flipping and folding tailgate. But the Sierra also features the first-of-its-kind carbon fiber truck bed. It's interesting, of course, for its capabilities, such as being 62 pounds lighter than the all-steel box. It even adds more cargo volume since the material can be assembled and shaped differently from steel. As it turns out, the assembly process is cool, too, which we learned when GMC invited us to see the beds being made. Every GMC carbon fiber bed starts out as perfectly flat sheets of thermoplastic carbon fiber. The sheets consist of a mix of fibers and resins, a bit like the molded carbon fiber parts Lamborghini uses. The sheets are manufactured by Japanese company Teijin, which collaborated with GMC to develop the bed. They're all delivered to Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) in Fort Wayne, Ind., for construction into the actual bed. The company, a subsidiary of Teijin, makes a wide variety of composite and plastic parts for the car industry, including body panels for the C7 Chevy Corvette. The rectangular sheets are cut to shape and stacked up at a giant stamping press. Robots pick up sheets and slide them onto a conveyor that goes into a large oven. The heat softens the parts so they can be stamped. The large primary bed parts such as the base are stamped by CSP's enormous 3,600-ton press, and the smaller ones go through a 1,000-ton press. Each press can do different parts using different stamping dies, and CSP switches between dies to produce different batches of parts. After stamping, the parts roll out mostly ready for assembly, but there are rough edges that are trimmed off by water-jet cutters. These cutting machines also create holes for fasteners and for parts such as tie-down hooks and lights. The stamping process also provides the carbon fiber bed with a unique Easter egg. On the bottom of the base of the bed, there are two words: "Connors Way." This is a tribute to Tim Connors, who was the chief engineer of manufacturing at GM and a strong proponent of the carbon fiber bed. He was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash a few years ago. The words were added to honor him, and they were fortunately approved for production. There are some components to the bed that aren't stamped from the flat sheets of material.

Next-generation GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado spied together

With the debut of the next-generation GMC Canyon coming in a couple of months (in off-road-ready AT4 guise no less), it's no surprise that both it and the Chevy Colorado are out testing without the heavy coverings of early prototypes. One of our spy photographers caught examples of both trucks with close-fitting vinyl wraps. This gives us a great opportunity to see each pickup more clearly, but also to compare and contrast the designs. From the front, the GMC features a narrower, but seemingly taller grille. At the top are slender lamps. They seem to be daytime running lights, though, and below them are much larger units that will function as the actual headlights. The prototype shown seems to be one of the AT4 variants, based on the lack of a lower air dam and the opened up corners of each bumper. Small fog lights show up in the lower bumper, too. As for the Chevy, its grille is wider, and it blends into the headlights. The lights are at the top of the grille, and they seem to incorporate the actual headlights, not just running lamps. The grille mesh has some interesting detailing, and there are auxiliary lights below the main headlights. This one seems to be a more mainstream Colorado model since it still has a front air dam, possibly a Z71 model, considering the chunky tires. Not surprisingly, the two trucks are very similar from the sides and the rear. They have cabins that look lower, longer and more squared-off than the current models. The fenders look more punched out and aggressive, too. The main differentiator between the Chevy and GMC are the wheel openings. The GMC has sharp corners and the Chevy has more rounded ones, as is the case with the full-size trucks. As previously mentioned, the GMC Canyon AT4 will be revealed this summer, so likely in just a month or two. The Colorado will likely be revealed this summer, too. It's expected that it will use the turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder shared with the Silverado. Naturally, it will be available with two- and four-wheel drive and a variety of trim levels including the AT4 and ZR2 off-road versions. Related video:

2024 GMC Hummer EV pickup gets a price hike - with a catch

Watching auto industry MSRPs move around is like watching the Vegas big board for odds, the numbers almost always going against the folks laying down the money. In yet another sign of the times, a few trims of the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUT — that's the pickup — are seeing additional price increases. A little more than a year ago, GMC increased prices by $6,250 for the EV2, EV2X, and EV3X trims due to the rising costs of parts. Those joining the lengthy reservation list also found the automaker also increased the destination charge from $1,995 to $2,295. The 2024 Hummer EV configurator doesn't list the EV2 yet, so its $86,245 suggested sticker price may yet hold up. The MSRPs for the rest, and their changes from the most recent pricing, are: EV2X: $98,845 ($1,600) EV3X: $106,945 ($700) EV3X Omega Edition: $150,295 ($300)  Taking a longer view back to December 2021 reveals just how far the bar has moved. At that time, the EV2 was predicted to cost $79,995, the EV2X was going to go for $89,995, and the EV3X for $99,995. The 2024 Hummer EV3X now costs more than the 2022 Hummer EV Edition 1, which started at $112,595 after destination. The Edition 1 came with the 24-module extended-range Ultium battery pack that's now a $9,995 option on the EV3X; the price above is for a 20-module pack, one of the new features for 2024. The EV3X Omega Edition and its Neptune Blue paint not only blows everything else out of the water price-wise, its feature set could make even Edition 1 buyers blue with either sadness or envy.   The good news? GMC is offering discounts for early reservations. Per the GMC configurator, at the moment, buyers who reserve an EV2X will get an $8,150 instant discount, buyers wanting an EV3X will get a $6,250 discount. These effectively wipe out the new price rises and last year's price increases, taking the 2X down to $90,695 and the EV3X down to $100,695. The savings could be enticements to get people in the reservation line. With tens of thousands of reservations already in the books and threads on forums like Hummerchat wondering if anyone's seen the EV2X trim that was due earlier this year, it might be a while yet before an order turns into a Hummer EV.  Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.