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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:

Man on meth steals truck (and goat) from adult video store, police say

A man who was allegedly high on methamphetamine carjacked a pickup truck with a sleeping passenger inside it and a goat in the bed, pistol-whipped the passenger and then led police on a low-speed chase before finally being caught on foot and arrested, police say. It began early on New Year’s Day outside an adult video store in Carthage, Missouri, which is near Joplin in the stateÂ’s southwestern corner. Reports say Brandon Wayne Kirby, a 40-year-old from Mannford, Oklahoma, stole the truck after the driver had gone inside the store but while the passenger was sleeping. When the passenger woke up, he saw a masked man driving and pointing a gun at his head. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Police say Kirby drove the GMC Sierra Heavy Duty Duramax diesel through parts of Missouri, Kansas and into Oklahoma, holding the passenger against his will. At some point, the passenger told police, Kirby ingested meth, pistol-whipped him and continued to threaten him with the gun. The passenger said Kirby eventually let him and his pet goat out on the side of the road in a rural area, which is when he was able to call 911. Police then called OnStar, which tracked down the stolen Sierra HD and slowed it down to around 15 mph. Police eventually used stop sticks to flatten the truckÂ’s tires in the city of Sand Springs and later had to nudge the truck into a ditch to end the low-speed vehicle chase. But Kirby at that point got out of the truck and fled on foot through the woods, dropping his mask and gun, which were both later recovered by police. Kirby was jailed and had charges listed as kidnapping, pointing a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. HeÂ’s reportedly wanted in another county in Oklahoma for burglary and has multiple felony convictions for assault, burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to KTUL-TV in Tulsa. The passenger and goat were transported back to the Creek County SheriffÂ’s Office. The Sand Springs Police Department said on Facebook: “OK 2020, it only took you 4.5 hours to get weird. Let's slow down on the carjacking-goatnapping calls for the remainder of the year.” Related Video:

GMC considers adding more vehicles to broaden product line

GMC is considering expanding its product portfolio in the next 10 years to allow it to reach more potential buyers and grow sales, a top executive said Monday. The small and midsize sport-utility-vehicle segments are two possibilities, said Duncan Aldred, GMC sales and marketing vice president. He also said GMC won't make a car, preferring to reinforce its reputation as a maker of trucks and SUVs. "There's plenty of opportunities even if we define ourselves as a we do as a truck and crossover brand," he said. He wouldn't comment on the possibility of adding a Jeep Wrangler-fighter, though rumors have swirled for months that GMC is considering a product to compete with the iconic off-roader. "I can't confirm that ... everything's on the table," he said. He also said that it's possible GMC could get a unique set of underpinnings – all of its vehicles share platforms that are also used by Chevrolet – but it's not needed to differentiate his brand. "I'm very happy sharing underpinnings and everything else," he said. "All of the good-performing automakers do that." Speaking to journalists at a roundtable at General Motors headquarters in Detroit, Aldred said GMC received an investment from GM that is double what the brand has historically spent to fund its growth plans. Advertising spending alone will increase 50 percent this year compared with 2014. The brand rolled out a new ad campaign on Monday, called "Precision," that will underscore attention-to-detail and the premium features of GMC vehicles. Two of the commercials have a sporting theme, and the third focuses on modern menswear. GMC called it a "contemporary interpretation" of the brand's traditional positioning, and it will also continue to use its long-running "Professional Grade" tagline. The premium positioning of the ads come as buyers are increasingly outfitting their trucks as near-luxury vehicles. The percentage of buyers opting for the top-end Denali trim has increased from 17 percent in the middle of 2014 to 21 percent now. The goal is to get Denali to make up 25 percent of GMC sales by the end of 2017, Aldred said. Spurred by the higher Denali take-rate, the brand's transaction prices leapt by $3,000 last year. "It's [Denali] really kind of this jewel in the crown," Aldred said. GMC sales increased 11.3 percent in 2014 to 501,853 units, making it GM's-second-best-selling brand behind Chevrolet.