2014 Gmc Acadia Slt-1 on 2040-cars

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GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.

GMC moved the headlights down on the 2024 Sierra EV to prevent glare

There are a lot of things that are different between the 2024 GMC Sierra EV’s design and the gasoline Sierra pickup, but one we noticed right away was the headlight placement. On GMÂ’s full-size gasoline trucks, the headlights are about as far up the front fascia as they can be. In the Sierra EV, theyÂ’re positioned significantly further down and into the lower bumper below the grille. Why are we highlighting this particular aspect of the design? Well, unless you only ever drive massive, high-riding trucks, youÂ’re probably very accustomed to being frequently blinded by them on the road these days. In describing the Sierra EVÂ’s headlight placement, designers told us they intentionally put the lights further down to improve matters. We pulled Phil Kucera, a GMC design manager, aside to ask him about the change. “It tends to be a better spot where itÂ’s not glaring in other peopleÂ’s eyes, right, the lower you get,” Kucera says. Beyond blinding others, putting the headlights lower on the face of the truck improves headlight performance for the driver, too. “Typically the lower the better, because thatÂ’s where theyÂ’re going to be on the road, so thereÂ’s less to reflect off of in fog or rain,” Kucera explained. “If you get them up at a certain height, theyÂ’re going to be reflecting certain things like snow, rain or things like that in your eyes.” 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 View 13 Photos Of course, youÂ’ll notice on the Sierra EV that the daytime running lights (DRLs) are still big and bold in the upper part of the front end. These lights are around for decor, though, and act as pieces of design rather than a functional way to see at night. In other words, theyÂ’re lights, but theyÂ’re not going to dazzle oncoming traffic or cause glare for the driver like a headlight pointed down the road will.  Moving those lights further down in the front should hopefully be a net positive for other drivers coming across the Sierra EV and for drivers of the truck themselves. How the lights are aimed plays just as much a role in how other drivers perceive oncoming lights, though, so weÂ’ll have to wait and see the real-world performance on this one.  WeÂ’ll also note that moving the actual headlights further down the front end doesnÂ’t take anything away from the design of the Sierra EV. It still features a strong, upright stance that the world is accustomed to seeing from new trucks these days. ItÂ’s no surprise, but GM agrees.

2020 GMC Acadia AT4 priced just a little more than the SLT trim

Cars Direct has seen the order guide pricing the 2020 Acadia AT4 at $42,495 after destination; that means a $41,300 MSRP plus $1,195 for shipping and handling. GMC has left a lot of pricing room between the rugged, all-wheel drive AT4 and the dressed-up, top-shelf Acadia Denali with AWD, the latter costing $49,495, a $7,000 difference. The spread's blown out some by what appears to be an $800 increase for the 2020 Acadia Denali with all-wheel drive. The 2019 model costs $48,695. On the other hand, it looks like the 200 Acadia SLT trim has gone down in price. Cars Direct says that model will run $41,995, which is $300 less than the 2019 version that goes for $42,295 after destination. The new price leaves a $500 gap between the SLT-1 model with all-wheel drive and the AT4 trim, a figure that's a no-brainer to justify for any buyers trying to get a more butch curb appeal.     The Acadia AT4 package comes standard with all-wheel drive and the 3.6-liter V6 with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, puts black chrome on the grille, and nabs a set of exclusive 17-inch wheels on all-terrain tires. The other two engines in the lineup are a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 230 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and cylinder deactivation. That motor will be the standard kit on the SLT and Denali trim levels, supplanting the 3.6-liter that's standard on the 2019 models. The entry-level engine carries over, a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 193 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque.