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GM's Ultium EV platform finally shows up in Q3 sales numbers

General Motors has heralded its Ultium battery-electric platform as the future of its passenger car and truck lineup, but for the first two years of its existence, its impact on the marketplace has been virtually nonexistent. Well, that finally changed in the third quarter of 2023, and while the cars based on this architecture don't represent anywhere near the volume of GM's broader combustion portfolio, we're reaching a point where Ultium products are finally in view (and in the hands) of real-world shoppers. At this point, five U.S.-market Ultium models are in production: the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer & Silverado EV, and BrightDrop Zevo 600. If you're not familiar with that last one, that's OK; it's a commercial product that you likely won't see on the road for some time. Together, these four combined for 4,257 sales in the third quarter alone — up from 2,663 for the entire first half of the year. While that may not seem like a significant uptick when viewed from altitude, the quarter-to-quarter numbers paint a clearer picture.  Let's toss out the stragglers first. The Chevy Blazer EV, and Silverado EV for example, are barely in production. GM delivered 19 Blazers and 18 Silverados in the third quarter and that's the entirety of their production runs so far. Likewise, GM's BrightDrop Zevo 600 delivery van effectively exists apart from the consumer marketplace, so its contribution of just 35 units can be set aside too. That leaves us the two you've heard of: the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq — models with high sticker prices and long reservation queues.  Through the second quarter (remember, we're talking six months here), GMC sold 49 Hummer EVs. No typo. In the three months that made up the third quarter, GM moved 1,167 of them. Not only is that a dramatic improvement over the first half, but it's more Hummers than GMC sold in the entirety of 2022 (854). Lyriq's improvement was less eye-popping on paper, but after moving just 122 total units in 2022 and 2,013 of them in the first half of 2023, Cadillac managed to up that figure to 3,018 units in the third quarter alone.  GM is betting its short-term EV future on the Ultium platform, so these trends need to continue if that's going to be a profitable wager.

2023 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 will get more expensive

GMC Sierra HD pickups are about to get more expensive again after recently becoming more expensive, according to GM Authority. In July, GMC and Buick raised the prices on certain vehicles in their lineups anywhere from $975 to $1,675 by making the previously optional OnStar a standard feature. Next year, every GMC and Buick model will adopt the upgrade. The big boy Sierra HD gets the biggest increase, being $1,500 for three years of OnStar and the Connected Services Plan plus another $175 for to be "OnStar & GMC Connected Services capable." GMA says the MSRPs for the entire 2023 Sierra HD range will be increased $1,000 on top of that. After doing the math, though, we suspect the increase could in fact be anywhere from about $800 to at least $1,100 after factoring for OnStar. The GMC configurator rings up a price of $43,670 for an entry-level Regular Cab Sierra HD Pro 2WD, GMA says next year's price will be $44,770. GMA didn't break out the next year's destination charge, it's possible GMC is adding $1,000 to the MSRP and $100 to destination. We'll find out when official pricing is announced. GMA's table shows a price of $49,795 for the least expensive SLE trim, whereas the current configurator indicates the truck can be had for $47,295 — a $2,500 difference. The SLE configurator doesn't show any charges for OnStar the way the Pro trim does. So it's possible that after backing out a potential $1,675 for OnStar, the gravy on top is just $825. Not that your wallet will care where how the potato is being sliced when the potato costs an additional $2,500 no matter what. The least dear 2022 Sierra 3500 starts at $43,195 going by the configurator. GMA says that model will command $45,970 next year, a $2,775 difference. As with the 2500 HD SLE, the configurator doesn't show the OnStar charges for the base 3500 Pro trim; subtracting the $1,675 takes us back to the $1,100 difference that appears to be at the heart of all of this. If all goes to plan, the 2023 Sierra HD will give way to a heavily refreshed 2024 model with interior upgrades cribbed from the Sierra 1500. Spy shots reveal a reconfigured instrument panel with a larger infotainment touchscreen of a likely 13.4 inches among the interior tweaks. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

GMC and EarthCruiser to collaborate on Hummer EV Pickup overlander project

GMC just announced a collaboration with overlanding vehicle builder EarthCruiser, and the end result is going to provide us with a co-developed Hummer EV Pickup. The photo you’re looking at above is the first teaser for whatÂ’s to come of the partnership. The Hummer team will be working with EarthCruiserÂ’s research and design division to develop an overland upfit solution for EVs that it says will initially be integrated into the Hummer EV Pickup. In case you werenÂ’t familiar with EarthCruiser, theyÂ’re the people that have made utterly wild overlanding vehicles like the Terranova, FX and EXP. Needless to say, EarthCruiser makes some pretty rad stuff, and none of it is cheap. GMC says this collaboration will look to use EarthCruiserÂ’s expertise gained from developing its vehicles to create an overlanding solution for the Hummer. We should expect to see EarthCruiserÂ’s engineering technologies integrated into the vehicle, which will allow the Hummer to go even further off-road and provide the ability for owners to live with their trucks in the wilderness.  The one snag with overlanding in EVs is the typically long journeys away from civilization. As an example, the EarthCruiser XP and EXP feature 60-gallon fuel tanks to ensure you can get to where you need to go and power the living situation for a long time once youÂ’re there. WeÂ’ll be interested to hear what GMC and EarthCruiser have to say about the challenges presented by overlanding in an EV. Already visible in the teaser image is what looks like a solar panel-filled roof and rear side pods for supplies. The concept truck will be presented in late summer 2023, and while no date for a production vehicle was provided, itÂ’s likely that the final truck will come soon after. Related video: