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GM able to add diesel to half-ton pickups if market demands it

A few years ago, the trend in half-ton pickup trucks was ultra-luxurious trims, often with the words "limited" or "platinum" tacked on after the model name. That was well and good, but we like this latest fad a lot more - diesel engines. First, Ram came to bat with a 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel for the 1500, then Nissan announced that the next-generation Titan would be getting an eight-cylinder Cummins diesel.
Now, word is coming in from AutoGuide that General Motors can, if it so chooses, drop a diesel engine into its light-duty trucks. The plot thickens, though, as it turns out that said diesel would be the same one Ram is using for its truck. According to AG, that engine comes from VM Motori, which GM owns a sizable chunk of. Therefore, GM can snag the 3.0-liter, V6 diesel for its trucks just as easily, if not more easily, than Ram.
If it's so easy for the Detroit-based manufacturer to access the engines, why not offer the a diesel-powered Sierra and Silverado from the start, then? According to GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson, The General doesn't seem so confident in a diesel pickup outside of its HD offerings. According to Wilkinson, the cost-benefit ratio doesn't line up for customers, thanks to both the impact on the truck's sticker price and the higher price of diesel, in general (the national average for a gallon of diesel is 43 cents more than a gallon of 87-octane unleaded).

GM recalling another 2.7 million vehicles in five separate campaigns

The recalls keep rolling in from General Motors, evidently keen to avoid repeating the mistakes of the ignition-switch debacle and clean house. This time they're all coming at once, with five separate recalls announced together covering approximately 2.7 million vehicles.
The largest of the five actions involves over 2.4 million units of the previous-generation Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura in order to fix brake light wiring harness, which have been found to be susceptible to corrosion. The recall is separate from the 56k Aura sedans which GM recently recalled over faulty shift cables, not to mention the previous massive recall of 1.3 million vehicles - some of them the same models - but appears to have resulted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation that started with the G6 almost a year ago.
The second-largest campaign involves the 2014 Chevy Malibu, specifically those fitted with GM's 2.5-liter engine and stop/start system, approximately 140,000 examples of which has been found to have problematic brakes. The issue does not appear to be connected to the recall of 8k Malibu and Buick LaCrosse sedans (also involving brake woes) which we reported upon last week. Four crashes have been reported in such models, but GM admits it's not yet clear if the problem was a contributing factor in the accidents.

GMC Canyon next generation previewed with off-road AT4X trim

GMC is preparing to give the Canyon, its smallest and most affordable pickup, a complete makeover. While we won't see the truck for a few months, the company released a preview image to give us an idea of what to expect and confirmed the lineup will include an AT4X model. Although the teaser keeps most of the sheetmetal hidden, the truck appears to receive a more chiseled hood and concave door skins that should make it look less slab-sided. The fenders are eye-catching as well: They're more punched-out that the current-generation model's. Keep in mind that we're looking at the AT4X trim, which will be positioned as the off-road champion of the range and should consequently get a brawnier-looking design. Other off-road goodies include big Goodyear Wrangler tires wrapped around 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, plastic wheel arch flares, and rock rails. GMC is keeping additional details under wraps, but we're guessing suspension tweaks are part of the package as well. After all, the current-generation AT4 benefits from a one-inch suspension lift and skid plates, among other upgrades. This isn't the first time we've seen or heard of the Canyon AT4X. Our spy photographers caught a camouflaged prototype that looks taller and considerably more rugged than the AT4 in July 2021, and the Canyon AT4 OVRLANDX concept introduced in August 2021 seemingly previewed some of the features that will trickle down to the production model, including the rock rails and wheel arches. GMC will unveil the next-generation Canyon this summer, and we expect to hear more about it in the coming weeks. And, if a new Canyon is around the corner, that likely means that the next Chevrolet Colorado isn't far behind. Both will compete directly against the new Ford Ranger, which has only been unveiled for overseas markets as of writing and which will spawn a range-topping, V6-powered Raptor. Another competitor the duo will need to fend off is the Nissan Frontier, which got its first update since the 2005 model year for 2022. Already offered on the 2022 Sierra, the outdoorsy AT4X trim will spread across the GMC range in the coming years. Nothing is official yet, but earlier spy shots strongly suggest that the Sierra Heavy Duty will be treated to the AT4X treatment in the not-too-distant future. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.