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There's an impending shortage of new trucks in America's heartland

URBANDALE, Iowa — Jerry Bill is worried the novel coronavirus could hurt business at the Des Moines auto dealership he runs, but not because of a shortage of buyers for the big Ram pickups on his lot. "Our biggest issue will be if we don't get more inventory," said Bill, general sales manager of Stew Hansen Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, which sells around 2,700 new vehicles a year in Urbandale, a suburb of Iowa's capital Des Moines. After a drop in sales in April when consumers stayed home, Bill expects pickup truck sales to end May similar to where they were a year earlier. And if demand remains strong, Bill said he will run out of popular models in June. Fiat Chrysler began slowly restarting Ram truck assembly lines on Monday after a two-month shutdown. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession of 2007-2009 because of lockdown measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Economists warn the second quarter will be much worse. Still, far from the lockdowns of states like New York, Michigan or Ohio, dealerships like Stew Hansen have provided FCA and Detroit rivals General Motors and Ford a rare bright spot: strong sales of pickup trucks in America's heartland. Overall U.S. sales of cars and light trucks crashed to the weakest pace in 50 years last month. But sales of big Detroit brand pickups, particularly in southern and western states less affected by the outbreak, significantly outperformed the market, industry executives and analysts said. Pickup trucks are one of the most profitable automotive segments in the world. They account for a huge portion of the Detroit automakers' profits and formed a huge lure for Peugeot, which expects to merge with FCA by early 2021. The pressure is now on to boost pickup truck production and send vehicles to dealers in parts of the country with dwindling supplies. That is particularly true for GM, which is running short of certain truck models after losing 40 days of production to a strike last fall. "If you don't have what someone wants, they can choose to go to another brand," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. 'Easiest swap ever' Detroit automakers in March rolled out large discounts — such as interest-free loans for seven years — to keep vehicles rolling off dealer lots.

2025 GMC Terrain is redesigned with bolder style and big tech

The 2025 GMC Terrain is here, and it’s following in the footsteps of its Chevrolet Equinox cousin but bringing the traditional GMC twist to the party. Its fresh design is noticeable straight away with a new front end inspired by the GMC Canyon. The front hood is substantially higher than before giving it a more muscular look, and the same bulking is evident in its emphasized fenders. An optional painted roof gives it some flash – itÂ’s painted gray for black cars (pictured above) and black in every other case. Bigger wheels up to 20 inches in diameter are available on the Denali. And speaking of trims, there are now just three: Elevation, AT4 and Denali. For 2025, the Elevation is the only model that will be on sale. GMC says both the AT4 and Denali models will follow later for model year 2026, and you can see a preview of those in the group photo below. They each have their own grille designs, wheel options and unique styling cues. As youÂ’d expect from the AT4, it also features an off-road-tuned suspension, small lift (by 12 mm) all-terrain tires, underbody skid plates, recovery hooks and a special “terrain” drive mode. The Denali has its own pluses like “Smart Frequency Dampers” for a better ride, tons more standard luxury equipment and the 20-inch wheels. What is common across all trims is the powertrain. Every next-gen Terrain will be equipped with a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. ThatÂ’s the same powertrain as the new Equinox, and while GM has indicated it will move to more hybrid options, thereÂ’s no word on if the Terrain would be a candidate for that strategy. The 2025 model will be all-wheel drive exclusively, but GMC tells us youÂ’ll be able to select a front-drive version come the 2026 model year. If you want to tow, though, youÂ’ll need the AWD version that maxes out at 1,500 pounds. The 2025 TerrainÂ’s interior gets a massive overhaul thatÂ’ll remind you of other new GMC products with its tall portrait-oriented touchscreen. ThereÂ’s the 15-inch screen in the center thatÂ’s accompanied by an 11-inch digital cluster, of which both are standard equipment. It runs Android Automotive software that nets you Google Maps as the native navigation system and the Google Assistant for voice queries. Both wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto remain onboard, though, as GM promised would be the case for its gas-powered vehicles.

These are the 10 longest-lasting vehicles on the road today

Buying a car has started feeling pretty bad. It’s hard to find what you want, and when you do, thereÂ’s a great chance itÂ’s not selling for the price you thought it would be. The least stressful way of coping with the situation is not to buy a new car, but how can you know how long your current ride will last? A recent study from iSeeCars found that some vehicles are prone to deliver many more miles of usable driving than others. iSeeCars looked at more than 2 million cars. The mileage over which the top 1% of cars within each model obtained was calculated and used to rank models, and the study required that a vehicle be sold for at least 10 of the past 20 years to be included. Unsurprisingly, Toyota dominated the top-10 list, but most of the other models come from General Motors with one Honda thrown into the mix. Ranked by mileage, the top-ten longest-lasting vehicles include: Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 244,94 miles Toyota Avalon: 245,710 miles Honda Ridgeline: 248,669 miles Chevrolet Tahoe: 250,338 miles Toyota Prius: 250,601 miles GMC Yukon XL: 252,360 miles Toyota Tundra: 256,022 miles Chevrolet Suburban: 265,732 miles Toyota Land Cruiser: 280,236 miles Toyota Sequoia: 295,509 miles The iSeeCars study found that SUVs and trucks occupy 75 percent of the top 20 vehicles with the potential to last the longest, and Toyota alone accounts for half of the top 20. Interestingly, the Prius and Highlander Hybrid made the list, suggesting that automakers are getting better at making batteries last a long time. "What we see is a list of highly-durable vehicles, capable of more than a quarter-million miles of use if properly maintained," said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. "And to be clear, this study isnÂ’t reporting the maximum lifespan of these vehicles. This is simply a measure of current odometer readings. Most of these cars are still in use and going strong." Of course, the longevity of a vehicle has a lot to do with how itÂ’s treated and maintained over its lifetime. ItÂ’s easy to find stories of people nursing Toyota Tundras and other vehicles past a million miles, and thereÂ’s a 1960s Volvo with more than 3 million miles. Some vehicle types, particularly the largest SUVs, are often used as road-trip vehicles by large families, which means they tend to rack up big mileage. In most cases, buying and owning a higher-mileage car can be a risk, so itÂ’s essential to get a pre-purchase inspection or regular maintenance if you already own one.