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2021 GMC Canyon trims overhauled, SL and SLT disappear

Until this year, the GMC Canyon has offered six trims in two drivetrains: SL, a base model simply called Canyon, SLE, All Terrain, SLT, and Denali, with all but the SL available in either 2WD or 4WD. GM Authority credits "dealer sources" for news that the 2021 Canyon has had its trim steps overhauled. According to the chart in the report, the SL and SLT are no more, the base Canyon gets replaced by a trim called Elevation Standard, and SLE turns into Elevation. We already know that All Terrain has given way to AT4, while Denali remains in the top spot. Trim content doesn't change with the names, but there's no equivalent for the SLT trim in terms of spec. The GMC site lists the 2020 SLE and SLT on the same page, and a shopper must burrow into the spec comparison page to figure out the differences. The SLT only comes with the 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed transmission, and makes features like remote start, climate control, heated mirrors, heated seats, hitch guidance, and a spare tire standard equipment. It also chromes the exterior door handles, and offers a Cocoa/Dune leather interior that can't be had on the SLE. It's possible the SLT's $4,700 premium over the SLE led more buyers to start with the SLE and add the engine and options they wanted.   We have a number of questions that we'll need to wait for GMC's official announcement to answer. The 2020 Canyon offers an Elevation Edition package for $650 that adds a black grille with body-colored surround, and 18-inch Satin Graphite wheels in all-terrain rubber. There's also a California Elevation Special Edition for $1,195 with all-weather floor liners, assist steps, and mud flaps. They could be optioned on the SLE but not the SLT. With the addition of two Elevation trims, we'll find out if the packages get renamed or go away. Separately, CarBuzz spotted a 2021 GM Fleet Order Guide that mentions a leveling kit option, LPO Code SQS, for the Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado. We noted the inclusion of a leveling kit in the coming Canyon AT4 Off-Road Performance Package. According to the order guide, the option can be ordered only for the Canyon AT4 trim, but it's not clear if that's an a la carte choice or if buyers must order the Off-Road Performance Package. On the Chevy, the rake-removal equipment can be had with the Colorado 4x2 Z71 or the 4x4 Work Truck, LT, and Z71. Related Video:

Texas sues GM, saying it tricked customers into sharing driving data sold to insurers

Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against GM over years of alleged abuse of customers' data and trust. New car owners were presented with a "confusing and highly misleading" process that was implied to be for their safety, but "was no more than a deceptively designed sales flow" that surrendered their data for GM to sell. The suit contends that at no point was selling driving data ever even suggested as a possibility, putting GM in violation of the state's consumer protection laws. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking a jury trial and at least $10,000 per offense (every GM car sold in the state since 2015) and a hefty add-on of $250,000 in cases where the victim was over 65. Texas seems to be flying high after a recent $1.4 billion settlement from Meta over other privacy concerns. This may well be a way to solve any pending budgetary issues in the Lone Star State.

GM marks 500 million vehicles

General Motors is marking a major global milestone, as 500 million vehicles have rolled off its assembly lines since the company's founding in 1908. To mark the occasion, the automaker is continuing to invest in production and offering a one-time discount to some customers. GM North America boss Alan Batey used the festivities to announce the Fairfax Assembly factory in Kansas as one of the sites earmarked for the company's $5.4 billion in upcoming investments. The plant will get $174 million of that money for new equipment and technology to build the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Among the upgrades will be a shake-and-rattle booth that will simulate road conditions to find squeaks. To commemorate both the production milestone and the Fairfax plant, Batey and company CEO Mary Barra also gave away a 2016 Malibu to a wounded Iraqi war veteran, and the two execs announced that in the third week in May all GM employees can share a one-time customer appreciation discount with friends to help get them into the automaker's products. Barra also gave a speech to the workers there about some of the other milestone's in the company's history, which you can read below. Innovation on the Line: GM Manufacturing Milestones Many of General Motors' most important innovations have occurred behind the scenes, in its manufacturing facilities. Concepts such as changeover, flexible assembly, automation, computer simulation, machine vision and robotics were developed at GM. Over the decades these innovations have helped enable improvements in vehicle quality, efficiency and competitiveness. 1901: Ransom Olds' famous Curved Dash Oldsmobile, designed with simplicity, reliability and value in mind, was the first American car built in a factory designed specifically for automobiles and in standardized volume production. GM acquired Oldsmobile in 1908. 1908: Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy, Europe's most prestigious award for precision and excellence in manufacturing, by demonstrating the auto industry's highest standards for precision and interchangeability of parts by disassembling three Cadillacs and mixing the parts randomly before reassembling and driving them before a contingent of judges. 1922: GM hires William Knudsen to lead Chevrolet's turnaround. Knudsen implements flexible mass production, which helps Chevrolet incorporate annual styling changes and take market share from Ford.