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GM to invest $150 million in Flint to boost heavy-duty pickup production

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors President Mark Reuss said on Wednesday that the automaker is investing about $150 million at its Flint Assembly plant in Michigan to boost production of heavy duty trucks by another 40,000 vehicles a year. Reuss announced the investment at the Flint truck assembly plant wearing a United Auto Workers pin. The Detroit automaker had announced back in February it was adding 1,000 jobs in Flint to build a new generation of heavy-duty pickup trucks. GM did not say that the latest investment would add more jobs at the plant, but Reuss said there could be opportunities to add workers as the launch of the automaker's new trucks progresses. GM has been under pressure from President Donald Trump and lawmakers of both parties to add jobs in the United States after it said last November it would idle the Chevy Cruze assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and likewise had no new products for three other U.S. manufacturing plants. The Flint investment will include upgrades to the plant's conveyors and other new tooling, and will be completed in the first half of 2020. GM has invested more than $1.6 billion in the plant since 2013. Last month, GM said it would invest $24 million to increase truck production at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which makes Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models. 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's Chevrolet and GMC brands have long trailed Ford's F-series heavy duty trucks in the lucrative segment. The new Chevrolet and GMC heavy duty trucks have been re-engineered to tow heavier trailers, and keep pace in what has become an arms race among the Detroit Three automakers to claim superior torque and towing capability. Related: Silverado HD vs. 2019 Ram, Ford heavy duty trucks: How they compare on paper

Next-gen GMC Canyon spied with big screen and heavy camo

The next generation of midsize GM pickups is well on its way to being ready, and these new spy shots give us an early look at the new interior inside the GMC Canyon. To our delight, the new Canyon interior doesn’t even remotely resemble the current truck. The relationship between the refreshed SierraÂ’s new interior and what we can see in these Canyon spy shots is impossible to ignore. While itÂ’s not an exact replica of, or a shrunken version of, the CanyonÂ’s screen hardware looks similar to the SierraÂ’s. We can see the volume knob sprouting out of the top left corner, and the whole screen is surrounded by shiny black plastic. The software itÂ’s running is GMÂ’s new Android Automotive-based infotainment that weÂ’ve already sampled in the 2022 Yukon. Just like in that vehicle, we can see that Google Maps is the native navigation system, and it features similar shortcuts on the left-hand side of the screen. Below the screen, the next-gen Canyon features all of its climate controls. The model weÂ’re looking at here must be an upmarket trim, because itÂ’s featuring heated and cooled seats. Another indication that this model could be a Denali (or other higher trim) is the small piece of wood trim on the door that is mostly shrouded by camouflage. We canÂ’t make it out all that well, but any amount of wood trim in a midsize pickup means luxury.  ItÂ’s difficult to make out whatÂ’s going on with the steering wheel, though we can see what appear to be silver switches flanked by flat black buttons. The instrument cluster is similarly difficult to see, but if the little glimpse of a “125 miles to empty” readout is any indication, it could very well be a totally digital cluster. WeÂ’ll need to wait to fully confirm that thought, though. When it comes to the exterior, there isnÂ’t a whole lot to see under the heavy camouflage. We have a reasonable look at the grille behind the mesh, and the front LED lighting signature is partially visible, too. WeÂ’ll note that there isnÂ’t much of a front bumper on this test truck, which is giving it the appearance of being an off-road capable pickup — itÂ’s just nowhere near as extreme as the Canyon prototype we spied last year sporting a ZR2-style suspension.  Big wheels fitted to this tester gives more credence to it possibly being a Denali. The rear is perhaps even more covered up than the front, making it even more difficult to see what GM is hiding.

J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.