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GM to squeeze out more production capacity for midsize trucks

General Motors was predicting a strong showing for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon before they debuted, and demand among dealers for the midsize trucks even exceeded company's expectations. The positive situation has left GM with a problem, though: finding ways to increase capacity for the pickups at the Wentzville Assembly plant in Missiouri. With a third shift already running, GM has continued to look for ways to build just a few more of the trucks at the plant. The company has plans to hire as many as 1,000 more workers for the Saturday and Sunday shifts to construct an additional 2,000 pickups a month, according to unnamed insiders at the factory speaking to Automotive News. The little adjustments even extend to getting rid of an unpaid break to add 18 minute of assembly time over the course of a day, which equals about 3,500 more vehicles a year. All of this effort comes because the trucks are in such high demand. According to GM's figures, the company has delivered a combined 35,720 units of the Colorado and Canyon from January through April 2015, and the Chevy was the fastest-selling truck in the US for the previous three months. In May, it spent an average of just 12 days in showrooms before being snapped up. And even better for the company, 43 percent of these buyers came from other brands. According to Automotive News, the most popular trade-ins have included the Ford F-150, Toyota Tacoma, and Dodge Dakota. Related Video:

Next-gen GMC Canyon spied with big screen and heavy camo

The next generation of midsize GM pickups is well on its way to being ready, and these new spy shots give us an early look at the new interior inside the GMC Canyon. To our delight, the new Canyon interior doesn’t even remotely resemble the current truck. The relationship between the refreshed SierraÂ’s new interior and what we can see in these Canyon spy shots is impossible to ignore. While itÂ’s not an exact replica of, or a shrunken version of, the CanyonÂ’s screen hardware looks similar to the SierraÂ’s. We can see the volume knob sprouting out of the top left corner, and the whole screen is surrounded by shiny black plastic. The software itÂ’s running is GMÂ’s new Android Automotive-based infotainment that weÂ’ve already sampled in the 2022 Yukon. Just like in that vehicle, we can see that Google Maps is the native navigation system, and it features similar shortcuts on the left-hand side of the screen. Below the screen, the next-gen Canyon features all of its climate controls. The model weÂ’re looking at here must be an upmarket trim, because itÂ’s featuring heated and cooled seats. Another indication that this model could be a Denali (or other higher trim) is the small piece of wood trim on the door that is mostly shrouded by camouflage. We canÂ’t make it out all that well, but any amount of wood trim in a midsize pickup means luxury.  ItÂ’s difficult to make out whatÂ’s going on with the steering wheel, though we can see what appear to be silver switches flanked by flat black buttons. The instrument cluster is similarly difficult to see, but if the little glimpse of a “125 miles to empty” readout is any indication, it could very well be a totally digital cluster. WeÂ’ll need to wait to fully confirm that thought, though. When it comes to the exterior, there isnÂ’t a whole lot to see under the heavy camouflage. We have a reasonable look at the grille behind the mesh, and the front LED lighting signature is partially visible, too. WeÂ’ll note that there isnÂ’t much of a front bumper on this test truck, which is giving it the appearance of being an off-road capable pickup — itÂ’s just nowhere near as extreme as the Canyon prototype we spied last year sporting a ZR2-style suspension.  Big wheels fitted to this tester gives more credence to it possibly being a Denali. The rear is perhaps even more covered up than the front, making it even more difficult to see what GM is hiding.

GM expanding Lansing Lambda CUV plant

Considering that crossovers are a rapidly growing portion of the US auto market, it's not surprising to hear that General Motors is preparing to build even more of them. The company is investing $63 million to expand its Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant that builds Lambda platform CUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
According to GM, the expansion will add roughly 263,000 extra square feet of space to the plant. Of that, 181,000 square feet will be for an updated body shop with cutting-edge robots. There will also be 54,000 square feet of additional room in the paint shop and 28,000 square feet of more area for general assembly.
GM isn't saying as much, but there is the possibility that this extra space could allow for additional models produced at the factory. Cadillac reportedly dropped plans to build a three-row SUV on the Lambda platform earlier this year, however, dealers for the luxury brand were recently pitched the possibility of adding large and small CUVs, an ATS convertible or a sedan below the ATS.