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GM can't keep up with most popular pickup orders

With the market for pickup trucks at its best since before the recession, General Motors can't afford any hiccups with the launch of its new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra twins, but it sounds like the popularity of V8-powered trucks is causing some supply-chain issues. Bloomberg reports that GM is experiencing a shortage of 5.3-liter V8 engines because an unnamed parts supplier has been unable to keep up with demand. This is leading GM to restrict the number of V8 Silverado and Sierra trucks that Chevrolet and GMC dealers are allowed to order.
Although it's unclear how long it will take to resolve the parts shortage, GM doesn't have much time to sort it out, as a new Ford F-150 looms on the horizon. At launch, GM's fullsize trucks were offered only with a base 4.3-liter V6 and the 5.3-liter V8, but a burlier 6.2-liter V8 will be available soon. Interestingly, at least at the moment, GM truck buyers don't seem as willing to downsize to V6 power as buyers of the F-150, which gets some 42-percent of its sales from trucks equipped with its EcoBoost V6 engine (not including the normally aspirated base V6).
Working out the kinks in the Silverado and Sierra's supply chain couldn't be more important to the health of the company. Full-size pickups are a huge profit driver - in 2012, the trucks were said to make up about two-third of GM's total profits.

GM program sees dealers taking on way more loaner cars

Given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. Bring your car into the dealership for service, and you may need a loaner car in exchange. And with so many recalls being carried out, that means a lot of loaners – especially at General Motors dealerships. That could be one of the reasons why GM is massively expanding its loaner fleet program. While many Chevrolet and Buick-GMC dealerships have an on-site rental car location operated by a third party like Enterprise (which may or may not provide a GM vehicle), others manage their own loaner fleets. But while the range of dealerships operating such fleets was once small, reports Automotive News, the number has been growing rapidly: from the locations responsible for only 20 percent of those brands' sales two years ago to about 90 percent today. The impetus for that growth comes down to a massive expansion of GM's Courtesy Transportation Program. The initiative encourages dealers to ramp up their loaner fleet to a maximum size determined by GM, with a mix determined by the dealer itself, so that a showroom in Texas can be bolstered with a fleet of pickup trucks and a dealer in California can employ more Volt and Camaro Convertible loaners. The dealership gets a $500 credit for each vehicle its puts in its fleet, and can use those vehicles as loaners for service customers, as multi-day test drivers or to rent out separately. The vehicles remain in the dealer's fleet for 90 days or 7,500 miles, then they can be sold as used, but with new-car incentives. The dealer gets a fleet of loaners, customers get to use the loaners, try out a new car overnight or buy a barely used car with attractive incentives, and GM gets to clock more sales. But therein lies the kicker: the automaker counts the dispatch of the loaner new vehicle to the dealership as a new-car sale, which could end up distorting its sales figures. Counting loaner vehicles as sold vehicles is something of an industry-standard practice, but given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. One dealership - Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, NY, for example - had no loaner fleet two years ago, but now runs a fleet of 50 vehicles. Multiply that by the 4,000 or so dealers GM has across America and you're talking about the potential for hundreds of thousands of these sorts of sales.

2021 GMC Canyon gets AT4 trim and a 'more upmarket' Denali

The AT4 train continues at GMC, with the 2021 Canyon AT4 climbing to altitude in Vail, Colorado, to announce its arrival. The off-road package, teased during the Sierra HD launch last year and already rolled out on the Sierra and Acadia, replaces the Canyon All Terrain trim. The rectangular grille goes away, the new rig picking up a larger, Sierra-like grille with a dark chrome surround and vertically-oriented fog lights. And because nothing says off-road badass like red recovery hooks, of course there's a pair peeking out from under the tweaked lower bumper. Otherwise, all the All Terrain kit carries over, like the tuned suspension with Advanced Hill Descent Control, transfer case skid plate, automatic locking rear differential, and 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac® tires on 17-inch aluminum wheels. Inside, the headrests are embroidered with AT4 logos, and Kalahari stitching is exclusive to this trim. GMC also announced a more polished Denali trim, without providing any photos. The coming pickup adopts a grille with a "more sculpted and layered pattern," plus five-inch chrome assist steps, and 20-inch Diamond Cut aluminum wheels that we'll assume come in a different pattern than the current 20-inch Diamond Cut aluminum wheels. The cabin goes upscale with open-pore ash wood trim and aluminum trim, a new Cocoa/Dark Atmosphere color theme, and unique stitching. Both the AT4 and Denali offer the same two engine choices. There's either the 3.6-liter V6 throwing out 308 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, shifting through an eight-speed automatic, or the 2.8-liter Duramax diesel producing 181 hp and 369 lb-ft, shifting through a six-speed auto. The 2021 trucks will be available later this year, pricing to be announced closer to the on-sale date. The 2020 Canyon All Terrain starts at $37,695, the 2020 Canyon Denali starts at $41,595. Featured Gallery 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 View 11 Photos Related Gallery 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 View 11 Photos GMC Truck Luxury Off-Road Vehicles