2014 Gmc Sierra 1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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GMC talking to dealers about possible Jeep Wrangler competitors

With respect to the team at GMC, it's pretty much fair to say the manufacturer prospers on a lineup of nothing more than gussied up Chevrolets. The brand's successes aside, GMC can be boiled down thusly – the Sierra is a Silverado, the Terrain an Equinox, the Canyon a Colorado and the Acadia is a Traverse, albeit with sometimes dressier duds. Strictly speaking, it's not that simple – Acadia and Terrain have siblings beyond the Bowtie – but the brand is remarkable for its lack of distinctive models. That could change, though, as The Wall Street Journal is claiming General Motors has broached the idea of a building a GMC-badged competitor to the Jeep Wrangler during a meeting with dealers. WSJ claims the new off-roader would "borrow cues and capability" from the defunct Hummer brand. That, of course, could mean many, many different things. While the original Hummer, the H1, was an exceptionally capable vehicle off-road, the H2 and H3 weren't nearly as single minded. It's unclear if a Hummer-inspired, off-road-ready GMC would lean more towards the former than the latter. According to WSJ's report, the GMC Jeep appears to be in the very, very early planning stages, with one unnamed source saying the idea was "being kicked around real hard." GM is still courting dealers for feedback, while it refused the Journal's request for comment. What are your thoughts? Is a Wrangler competitor long overdue for GM? Do you think GMC is the best brand to introduce such a model? Have your say in Comments. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4 View 12 Photos News Source: The Wall Street JournalImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL GM GMC SUV Off-Road Vehicles

GM taps Honeywell's Quality Control System for Ultium battery plant

The Chevrolet Bolt recall has been so frustrating for General Motors that the automaker made an unexpected show of public hopelessness in saying it was "not confident" that LG — which produces the Bolt's batteries — could produce batteries without defects. Even though the remark came before investigation teams founds the source of the Bolt battery issue, it was even more strange considering GM and LG are still in bed together, the two having invested more than $2.3 billion in a 2.8-million-square-foot plant to make GM's Ultium batteries in Lordstown, Ohio. Now that GM has even more motivation to keep its Ultium batteries free of scandal, GM has tapped Honeywell for that company's Quality Control System at the Lordstown facility. The Honeywell QCS will monitor four of the production lines at the facility using "high-precision scanners and basis weight sensors." One of the parameters measured will be electrode coat weight, a key stat in battery performance. Another measurement and control company wrote, "Improving the electrode coating process is a significant part of the equation to delivering better quality and better performing cells – and coating uniformity is seen more and more as a critical requirement." Honeywell says it has more than 20 years of experience with lithium-ion technology, and the firm is already found throughout the green economy. A GM spokesman made sure to say that "the awarding of the Ultium contract to Honeywell has nothing to do with the Bolt recall." Yet in the Honeywell press release, a company director spoke words that could have come straight from GM, with, "Given the opportunity at hand, battery manufacturers such as Ultium Cells must be able to bring new solutions to market with confidence." The new Lordstown facility is scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year. It will employ more than 1,100 workers building the prime movers for coming EVs like the new Hummer and the Cadillaq Lyriq. Ideally, before then, GM will have found and fixed all of the Bolts with issues, and can begin its Ultium era under sunny skies. The automaker started accepting LG batteries again last week, the new batteries should begin reaching dealers around the same time Bolt production resumes on October 11. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green GMC Safety Technology Electric

GM also sheds parts from its pickups to boost payload ratings

The row between Ford and Ram over who boasts the best-in-class tow rating for heavy duty pickups has revealed a number of things. Chief among them is a report that Ford removes items like the spare tire, jack, radio and center console from its vehicles in a bid to lower its base curb weight and therefore keep the truck's gross vehicle weight rating down.
For those that need a refresher, GVWR is the vehicle's curb weight plus its maximum payload. A lower GVWR allows Ford to station its F-450 among the so-called Class III pickups, despite the fact that internally, it has the makings of a more brutish Class IV truck.
Ford explains away these deletions, saying a customer could order their vehicle in such a manner. It has also come to light that Ford is not the only automaker to engage in such practices.