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2023 GMC Canyon revealed with new ZR2-based AT4X trim

Following up on the reveal of its twin, the Chevy Colorado, the 2023 GMC Canyon has made its appearance. Naturally, it shares much with the Chevy pickup, but GMC has gone to greater lengths to differentiate the truck. It comes standard with the high-output engine, all versions feature the wide-track suspension setup, and in addition to the now more luxurious Denali, there's a ZR2-based AT4X trim. As with the new Colorado, the Canyon gets an overhaul of the design. It's down to one bed and cab configuration (short-bed, crew cab), and it features a longer wheelbase with the front axle pushed forward. The Canyon does get a variety of unique design features, though. It has its own front fascia with a tall, rectangular grille. LED lighting is standard on all Canyon models all the way around. That includes the unique fender lights like those found on the Sierra HD. All Canyons also feature the wide-track off-road suspension like the Colorado Z71 and Trail Boss. There are no narrow-track, narrow-body versions, even on the base two-wheel-drive Elevation. That suspension also means all Canyons have a roughly two-inch lift over base Chevy Colorados. The GMCs also get standard 32-inch tires, and they don't feature a front air dam in order to provide better approach angles. The bed, while only available in one trim, is available with a unique storage bin in the tailgate. On the topic of suspension specs, the Elevation and AT4 trim levels have 9.6 inches of ground clearance. The Denali increases that to 10.5 inches, and the AT4X features 10.6 inches. It also picks up the Multimatic spool-valve shocks from the ZR2. But we'll talk more about what comes on the AT4X in a bit. Under the hood of the Canyon is just one engine. It gets the highest-output version of the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The engine makes 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission is an eight-speed automatic. Two-wheel drive comes standard on Elevation, and other trims come standard with four-wheel drive. The inside of the Canyon is very similar to the Colorado, but it has some unique cues. It has air vents that are more integrated into the squared-off dashboard design, rather than the Chevy's round vents. It has a differently shaped dash pad and trim surrounds, too. The really big differences come on the Denali and AT4X trims, though. The Denali features real wood trim with laser etchings. It also gets lots of real leather and fancy stitching.

NHTSA, IIHS, and 20 automakers to make auto braking standard by 2022

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and virtually every automaker in the US domestic market have announced a pact to make automatic emergency braking standard by 2022. Here's the full rundown of companies involved: BMW, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo (not to mention the brands that fall under each automaker's respective umbrella). Like we reported yesterday, AEB will be as ubiquitous in the future as traction and stability control are today. But the thing to note here is that this is not a governmental mandate. It's truly an agreement between automakers and the government, a fact that NHTSA claims will lead to widespread adoption three years sooner than a formal rule. That fact in itself should prevent up to 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries. The agreement will come into effect in two waves. For the majority of vehicles on the road – those with gross vehicle weights below 8,500 pounds – AEB will need to be standard equipment by September 1, 2022. Vehicles between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds will have an extra three years to offer AEB. "It's an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives," said Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in an official statement. "It's a win for safety and a win for consumers." Read on for the official press release from NHTSA. Related Video: U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles McLEAN, Va. – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA's 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.

GM might lose 90-year U.S. sales crown over chip shortage

Automotive News editor Nick Bunkley tweeted on October 1 that according to AutoNews data, General Motors "has been the largest seller of vehicles in the U.S. every year since passing Ford in 1931." With automakers having turned in light car and truck sales data for the first three quarters of 2021, GM's 90-year-run might not reach 91. According to AN figures, Toyota was 80,401 vehicles ahead when the October workday started. Worse, GM is so far behind its historic pace that it might only sell enough light vehicles in the U.S. to match its numbers from 1958.  Meanwhile, the New York Times put a few more salient numbers to the pain GM and Toyota are enduring alongside the the rest of the industry. GM sold 33% fewer cars in Q3 2021 than it did in Q3 2019 during the dark days of the pandemic, 446,997 units this year as opposed to 665,192 last year. GM's Q3 2020 was only down 13% on Q3 2019. Over at Toyota, the bottom line showed a 1% gain in Q3 2021 compared to 2020, with 566,005 units moved off dealer lots. The finer numbers show two steps forward and one step back, though; Toyota's September sales were down 22% compared to last year.  GM remains optimistic about what's ahead, GM's president of North American operations telling the NYT, "We look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall." We'd like to see that happen, but we don't know how it happens. The chip shortage said to have been the inciting incident for the current woes isn't over, and not only can no one agree when it will be over, the automakers, chip producers, and U.S. government still can't get on the same page about who needs what and when. Looking away from that for a second shows articles about "No End In Sight" for supply chain disruptions in early September, before China had to start working through power supply constraints, global supply chain workers started warning of a "system collapse," and roughly 500,000 containers sat waiting to be unloaded at Southern California ports — a record number seemingly broken every week. And back to chips, we're told just a few days ago the chip shortage is "worse than we thought."   For now, the NYT wrote that GM dealer inventory is down 40% from June to roughly 129,000 vehicles, and down 84% from the days when dealers would cumulatively keep about 800,000 light vehicles in stock. However, GM just announced it would have almost all of its U.S. facilities back online next week, although some would run at partial capacity.