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Meet Alex Archer, the engineer behind GM's power-sliding center console

In 2009, a GM manager complained to a 59-year-old GM technician about the hassle of retrieving items from a pickup truck bed after driving shifted the cargo. In two days, the tech had come up with the ideas that, ten years later, would debut as the MultiPro tailgate. The engineering teams kept the tailgate secret in part by hiding mock-ups in a locked storage closet in GM's Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren Michigan for two years. A piece in the Detroit Free Press reveals that another storage closet in Warren would play the same role in a different cloak-and-dagger operation, this time for the power-sliding center console in GM's new full-sized SUVs. During a meeting in early 2017, bosses gave the job of the console's creation to 24-year-old design release engineer Alex Archer, just two years out of Stanford University with a degree in engineering and product design.  This time, the catalyst for the feature was an internal GM think tank called co:lab, where employees suggest ideas. Execs gave Archer the task because "They needed someone willing to ask a lot of questions," her 36-month mandate to produce a six-way console that could be a standard cubby or a gaping maw able to swallow four gallon jugs or hide a secret compartment. Clearly, she succeeded. It took Archer and the team nine months to devise a prototype, another six months to get the green light for production. As with the tailgate, the team working on the console grew to include designers, production engineers, and suppliers. Archer, now 26, shepherded the process, and her name is on the patent. "It took a ton of people, I'm just somebody who stuck with it the whole time," she said. GM like her work well enough to produce the "Day in the Life" segment above, five months before the world would hear about the console. Archer's path to engineering was as unlikely as getting the job for the console. She had entered Stanford with plans to be a doctor. But an innovation class during her freshman year, and a sophomore summer spent helping her grandfather rebuild a 1937 MG engine recharted her course. Her grandfather told her, "You know, you could be an engineer for a car company." Consumer reaction to Archer's work won't be far off, the SUVs slated to hit dealerships soon. Meanwhile, she's busy on something that could be just as intense as the console: Restoring a 1955 Packard Clipper in her garage. Head to Freep to check out the story of Archer and the console. Related Video:

2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV teased on 35-inch tires

Last month, Chevrolet Performance teased the 2024 Colorado ZR2 Bison, which will be the ultimate hardcore off-road variant for that model developed in collaboration with American Expeditionary Vehicles (AEV). Since that camouflaged preview appeared, we've welcomed debuts of the competition, the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor and 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. Bookending a solid month of 4x4 delights, GMC teased the coming 2024 Canyon AT4X AEV. We can look at this as the GMC version of the Colorado ZR2 Bison, the Canyon's new-for-2024 AT4X trim given an additional boost in spec and capability. This isn't the truck's first flirt with the public. During media drives for the 2024 Sierra HD AT4X, one of the new heavy duty rigs showed up to the site pulling a trailer bearing a covered pickup. The mid-size form factor, 35-inch tires, and appearance at a GMC event were clues enough to the pickup's identity.  The official preview is proof of what we've been expecting. The revised front fascia wears a high-clearance bumper. Don't expect that winch to be included; the red hook in the tease is a digital add-on. You can expect the winch opening, boron steel underbody skid plating, and Multimatic dampers. The standard AT4X got a three-inch lift over the non-hardcore Canyon variants, in part thanks to being fitted with 33-inch tires. The 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT 315/70 17 tires on the AT4X AEV are thought to help provide 11 inches of ground clearance. Beefier wishbones and hydraulic bump stops help protect owners who want to test limits. Reports by folks who walked around the covered truck predict a set of beadlock-capable AEV Salta wheels like the kind sold with the full-size Sierra AT4X AEV Edition. The cover couldn't hide the sport rack in the bed nor the bed-mounted spare tire carrier. Those, like the winch, are likely options that add to the price. Don't be surprised if engine output is unchanged. The 2.7-liter H.O. turbocharged four-cylinder makes 310 horsepower and 430-pound feet of torque. We'll never complain about more, but that's plenty for a truck envisioned as a low-speed obstacle crosser.  All GMC is saying for now is, "An even more off-road capable Canyon is coming." It debuts on July 6. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

New GMC feature reminds drivers to check for kids in hot cars

We see the stories every summer: Dozens of children die from heat stroke every year after being left inside hot cars. GMC has introduced a feature in the 2017 Acadia in an effort to help curb the problem. Simply called Rear Seat Reminder, it alerts the driver if the vehicle suspects someone might have been accidentally left behind. GMC's alert will trigger under certain circumstances. Five chimes will sound and a warning will display if the rear doors are opened and closed within 10 minutes of the vehicle starting or if those doors are opened while the vehicle is running. The system does not sense items or people in the rear seat like the front passenger seat would to trigger the airbag. Warnings will be displayed regardless of interior or exterior temperature; while the summer months are the deadliest, leave-behind deaths occasionally occur during cold weather. Drivers should be aware that temperatures in vehicles can quickly rise to dangerous levels, even if the ambient temperature seems cool and comfortable. View 23 Photos Unfortunately, a large percentage of children are intentionally left in cars. A negligent caretaker, whether it be a parent, grandparent, or babysitter, can leave a child behind while they go to work or run an errand, not expecting any problems. Some children unintentionally trap themselves in cars while playing in the cabin or trunk. The Acadia's system is unlikely to prevent these scenarios. While we believe that GMC should be commended for making an effort to put an end to these tragedies, we're not certain how effective the system might be until driver education improves. It's also possible drivers will come submit to warning fatigue and begin to ignore the messages. That said, if this software-based solution prevents just one death, it was worth the effort. Related Video: Image Credit: GMC GMC Safety Crossover gmc acadia