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Train derailment leaves Jeep, GMC, Chevy pickups damaged in Nevada

An unfortunate train derailment is causing some inevitable delays for pickup truck customers west of Nevada. Yesterday morning, 33 train cars derailed in Lincoln County, and the cargo that was being transported consisted of new Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers along with Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, judging from the photos released by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The train derailment also caused the adjacent road to be closed, and local law enforcement recommends the area is to be avoided as long as it takes to clean it all up. In the photos, damaged Jeeps and other trucks sit either on their wheels or shiny-side-down as the incident is being assessed. Available information says there were thankfully no personal injuries, but itÂ’s not likely any of these trucks will end up in customer hands, even with a significant discount. Pre-registration transport damage, significant or not, has often resulted in scrapping complete vehicles so that manufacturers can steer clear of liability issues. Hooniverse.com, which also reported on the incident, notes a couple of interesting things. Firstly, the upended Gladiator seems to have a pretty sturdy support structure for its glasshouse, thanks to its new rollbars. Another matter is that the GM trucks, also pictured, wear discreet and temporary transport steel wheels instead of fancier items, perhaps to deter thieves eager to grab a shiny set from trucks on their way to the dealer. Still, itÂ’s a shame these vehicles could never fulfill their hauling purposes in the hands of new owners. Perhaps the manufacturers can at least use the damage for data-gathering purposes. Related Video:    

2023 GMC Sierra AT4X could swipe a few parts from the AT4X AEV

GM recently expanded its collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles beyond the Bison herd with the 2023 GMC Sierra AT4X AEV. This Jimmy takes matters further than the standard AT4X by increasing ground clearance, approach and departure angle, and breakover angle, improvements made possible by new stamped steel bumpers and a set of 33-inch mud-terrain tires wrapping 18-inch AEV Salta wheels. GM Authority says the AT4X AEV won't be the only Sierra to get special parts, crediting sources for the news that the standard 2023 Sierra AT4X will get some of the equipment from the special trim. According to the report, at some point for the coming model year, the off-road-focused Sierra will bolt on the AEV's stamped steel front and rear bumpers, stamped steel front skid plate, and 33-inch Goodyear mud terrains. If this is true, it's an intriguing move; the equipment list is nearly everything found on the proper AEV model. Going by that list, the only bits left off would be four additional skid plates, wheels, gloss black door handles, gloss black tailgate accent, and AEV logos. Judging from the GMC retail website, the grille that debuted on the AT4X AEV will also be on the standard AT4X.  GMC hasn't announced pricing for the 2023 range yet. The pickup will be carryover, but we would expect various well-known issues to increase the $78,300 price of the regular AT4X over the 2022 model. GMA believes "it's reasonable to assume" that a standard 2023 Sierra AT4X with some AEV parts would go up even more, whenever it hits the market — and this is on top of the Sierra's $1,500 price increase from making OnStar standard equipment. And after that, of course, the proper AT4X AEV would be more again.

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.