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GMC caught using Rivian R1T image for Sierra Denali EV Photoshop

The rise of electric start-ups have many legacy automakers checking their rear view mirrors as they scramble to join the EV party. Most wouldn't like to admit it publicly, but we know that at least some folks at General Motors are keeping an eye on Rivian. That's because a recent post on social media account by the General Motors design department appears to have used an image of the Rivian R1T, but heavily photoshopped. The post was intended as a peek of the GMC Sierra Denali EV's rear view. Eagle-eyed observers like AllCarNews soon noticed many familiar elements to the rendering, including the wheels and tires, mirrors and doors. Even the backgrounds are identical, including some leaves that the truck is kicking up. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Seen side by side, the two pickups' similarities don't end there. The Sierra EV is wider, but the cab's rear pillars and glass look the same as the Rivian's, just stretched horizontally. The rear bumper and its license plate cutout and reflectors on either side look a bit too close for comfort as well.  The post as since been deleted. A GM spokesperson explained the situation to The Drive, "The GM Design Instagram channel is meant to give followers an inside look at the process of designing new products and the creative teams behind it. Often, these posts use sketches made for internal studio use during design development. The sketch in question was intended for internal use only, and was posted without the necessary approval. It has been removed from the GM Design Instagram page." Automakers often use products from the competition as benchmarks or design inspiration. Designers sometimes use existing images as a starting point as well, in order to quickly get an idea down "on paper". They just tend to do it in private. A juggernaut like GM using an image from an upstart like Rivian is embarrassing for the General, but surely an ego boost for the EV brand.  When dealing with an up-and-comer, perhaps it's best to take a page from Mad Men's Don Draper. In season four of the advertising drama, a newspaper calls the hot shot exec for a quote, after a young rival publicly says he's gunning for Draper. Draper knows exactly who the reporter is talking about but when asked for comment says, "Never heard of him." Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Pickup sales may hit 2M units for first time since 2007

Even as fuel prices creep back up, trucks are still a hot item among new-vehicle shoppers. To see how popular pickup trucks still are, you don't have to look any further than how much effort automakers put into the continual one-upmanship of their trucks. Backing this fact up, USA Today is reporting that the segment could top two million sales this year - a total not matched since 2007, though still far from the pre-recession, three-million-unit levels.
Through August, the Ford F-Series continues to be the segment leader with almost 500,000 units sold, but the Chevy Silverado (328,269), Ram 1500 (234,642), GMC Sierra (122,232) and Toyota Tacoma (110,293) are all seeing at least 20-percent sales increases, helping to account for around 1.44 million truck sales so far this year - not including possible outliers like the Suzuki Equator and Chevy Avalanche.
This year alone, General Motors has completely redesigned its fullsize trucks, Ram and Toyota have significantly updated their offerings, the next-gen Ford F-150 will be out next year and Nissan is promising an all-new Titan around the same time with an eventual Cummins diesel under the hood. It would seem, then, that truck sales are poised to continue their upward trend.

2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate Interior Review: Better by a million miles

We were right. So were customers. Basically, everyone who took one look at the interior of the current GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado generation and immediately went "not good enough." Possibly followed by "not even close" and/or laughing. The Silverado cabin was especially egregious in the top-of-the-line Sierra Denali, which slapped some token bits of "wood" to the doors and center console sides and called it a day. It didn't even get the Silverado High Country's bronzey trim surrounding the touchscreen. Absolutely nothing about it said, "I am competitive with just about any Ram 1500 or, to a lesser extent, a Ford F-150 King Ranch or Platinum." That changes with the 2022 GMC Sierra. Do I really need to explain why the "After" (up top) is so much better than the "Before" (above)? I do not. The better question is: is it better or at least as good as the Ram and F-150 now? Yes! And! GMC actually upped the game further for 2022 by adding a level beyond the Denali: the Denali Ultimate. While both Denalis share a common design with each other and the also-new Sierra AT4X, that design is different than what you'll find in other Sierras and every redone Silverado. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the first time the Silverado and Sierra have had such substantially different interiors. True, they're still awfully similar, but by GMC/Chevy standards, it might as well be night and day.  You can see the difference below: Denali Ultimate left, Silverado High Country right. Is one design better than another? I don't think so, but they are indeed different, which is great. BUT! Remember, this is the new Denali Ultimate we're talking about here. That means it goes beyond the regular Denali.  First, this "Alpine Umber" color with "Forge perforated leather seat trim" is only available on the Denali Ultimate and the only color available for the Denali Ultimate. It has a bit of the King Ranchy/Long Horny feel to it without going so far into cowboy land. I dig it. The regular Denali offers Jet Black or "Atmosphere/Brownstone" (shades of brown).  This leather then features white piping and super-cool baseball-ish contrast stitching. I would like to reiterate at this point that the Sierra Denali's previous idea of a luxury aesthetic upgrade was strips of wood-looking plastic. What's the word I'm searching for? Ah yes. "Effort." But wait, there's more!