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Pony cars, trucks and Italian SUVs | Autoblog Podcast #552

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Associate Editor Reese Counts. We discuss the updated 2019 Chevy Camaro Turbo 1LE variant, the new 2019 GMC Sierra Denali, and the Ferrari-powered Maserati Levante GTS. We also debate whether Volkswagen should build the Atlas-based Tanoak pickup truck and what a delay means for the next-gen Ford Mustang. Finally, we answer a reader question about the state of Lexus.Autoblog Podcast #552 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2019 Chevy Camaro Turbo 1LE 2019 GMC Sierra 2019 Maserati Levante GTS Should Volkswagen build the Tanoak? Next-gen Ford Mustang delayed The past, present and future of Lexus Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Chevrolet Ford GM GMC Lexus Maserati RAM Truck Coupe SUV Luxury Performance

GM ending stop-sale order on heavy-duty trucks

General Motors responded to an inquiry from Autoblog regarding a stop-sale order on its full-size heavy-duty pickup trucks. Here's GM's official statement. GM is committed to building the highest quality products possible. We paused delivery on a small number of HD pickups with the 6.6 liter Duramax engine last week to finalize an investigation into a potential quality issue. The investigation has been completed and the stop sale will be lifted for the small number of vehicles at dealerships.Customers can be assured GM’s heavy duty pickups are covered by a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. The original article continues below. General Motors has reportedly sent its Chevrolet and GMC dealers a stop-sale order that applies to some examples of the 2022 Silverado HD, the 2022 Silverado MD, and the 2022 Sierra HD. The units affected by the stop-sale order may develop an engine-related problem. Citing anonymous sources, website GM Authority wrote that the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 in the affected trucks can hydrolock, which means liquid could enter the cylinders and cause a substantial amount of damage. The report does not specify where the liquid would come from; hydrolocking can happen by driving through a deep puddle of water, for example, but a large amount of coolant can cause it as well. The publication adds that the stop-sale order was assigned internal reference number N222362910. It also notes that the trucks included in it can't be sold, delivered to buyers, traded with another dealer, sent to auction, or even used for demonstration purposes until further notice. Earlier in April 2022, GM Authority reported that General Motors planned to buy back an unspecified number of Silverado HD and Sierra HD trucks due to quality-related issues with the 6.6-liter V8. Details about the problems experienced by customers haven't been released; all we know is that each truck will be replaced, though the replacement may not have the same equipment due to the ongoing chip shortage. Related video:

The USPS needs 180,000 new delivery vehicles, automakers gearing up to bid

Winning the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow tender was a huge prize for Nissan, even though the company is still working through the process of claiming its prize. The United States Postal Service has begun the process to take bids for a new delivery vehicle to replace the all-too-familiar Grumman Long Life Vehicle, and that will be a much larger plum for the automaker who wins it, perhaps worth more than six billion dollars. The Grumman LLV is an aluminum body covering a Chevrolet S-10 pickup chassis and General Motors' Iron Duke four-cylinder engine. The USPS bought them from 1987 to 1994, and the 163,000 of them still in service are a monumental drain on postal resources: they get roughly ten miles to the gallon instead of the quoted 16 mpg, drink up more than $530 million in fuel each year, and their constant repair needs like the balky sliding door and leaky windshields have led the service to increase the annual maintenance budget from $100 million to $500 million. A seat belt is about as modern as it gets for safety technology, and the USPS says that assuming things stay the same, it can't afford to run them beyond 2017. Last year it put out two triage requests for proposals seeking 10,000 new chassis and drivetrains for the Grumman and 10,000 new vehicles. The LLV is also too small for the modern mail system in which package delivery is growing and letter delivery is declining. The service says it doesn't have a fixed idea of the ideal "next-generation delivery vehicles," but it listed a number of requirements in its initial request and is open to any proposal. Carriers have some suggestions, though, saying they want better cupholders, sun visors that they can stuff letters behind, a driver's compartment free of slits that can swallow mail, and a backup camera. The request for information sent to automakers pegs the tender at 180,000 vehicles that would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 apiece, and it will hold a conference on February 18 to answer questions about the contract. GM is the only domestic maker to avow an interest, while Ford and Fiat-Chrysler have remained cagey. Yet with a possible $6.3 billion up for grabs and some new vans for sale that would be advertised on every block in the country, we have a feeling everyone will be listening closely come February 18. We also have a feeling the LeMons series is going to be flooded with Grummans come 2017. News Source: Wall Street Journal, Automotive News - sub.