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Could the GMC Jimmy come back as a Wrangler fighter?

Every three or four years, two cars go into heavy media rotation in stories about supposed new competitors. The headlines go something like, "X automaker working on a vehicle to fight the iconic Y." The Y cars are the Porsche 911 and the Jeep Wrangler. For this story, the X automaker is GM. And since GM already has its 911-fighter poised for debut next month, we speak here of the Wrangler. Car and Driver writes that GMC might take another shot at a Jeep challenger, this time by rebirthing a body-on-frame Jimmy SUV. For any who don't know, GMC sold an S-15 Jimmy from 1982 to 2005, a twin of the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. Those SUVs started their lives as the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15/Sonoma pickups. The Blazer name has returned to the light, albeit without its old-school rugged manners. There's still an opening on the GMC side, though, so C/D says the idea would be to work that old magic on the GMC Canyon pickup. The report is more chaff than grist for the rumormill, with liberal application of phrases like "looking to come up with," "could be," "could take," and "could arrive." Having said that, a potential Jimmy model could come in a few years, could use the same six-cylinder gas and four-cylinder diesel engines as the Canyon, and could start around $30,000. The Jimmy could wear GMC's new mud-and-guts AT4 trim name, or become a mud-and-guts trim for the Canyon just as the ZR2 is for the Colorado. It's not an entirely crazy idea, however, when a body-on-frame Trailblazer SUV based on the Colorado sells in Latin America, Asia, and Australia and does pretty well in the mud and muck. GM's been on the edge of going to war with the Wrangler for at least 12 years, when a Hummer exec said the HX concept would debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and go on sale in 2010 as the H4. In 2015, The Wall Street Journal said GM was canvassing GMC dealers about something to get in the ring with the Wrangler. And all that was before every other automaker had to watch Jeep open a money-counting operation to handle its Wrangler profits, and dealers started charging $20,000 markups on Gladiators. In May, spy shooters caught a sensor-laden Jeep running at GM's Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported GM is considering a Hummer revival as an all-electric hardcore SUV. So we will not be surprised if GM rolls out a Wrangler fighter in the near-ish future. But we won't be surprised if GM doesn't, either.

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.

2024 GMC Acadia gets bigger, goes entirely turbocharged

For an entire generation now, the GMC Acadia, the brand's largest unibody SUV, has sat in an unusual zone in between the typical midsize two-row and large three-row segments. But the completely redesigned 2024 Acadia is stepping confidently into the latter camp, growing to roughly match its cousin, the also fully redesigned 2024 Chevy Traverse. And adding to its greater size and performance, the Acadia brings unique exterior and interior design. The size increase is impressive. The wheelbase has grown 10.6 inches, overall length by 8.4, and overall height by 3.2. GMC claims this has increased cargo space by 80% and second-row seat room by 27%. These changes all make it about the same size as the Chevy, too, instead of a smaller option.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. That doesn't mean the two look the same, though. The front fascia clearly borrows heavily from the GMC Sierra 1500 with a tall grille and C-bracket headlights. The flanks really depart from the aggressive shape of the Traverse. It also skips the fat C-pillar. GMC designers noted they specifically worked to reduce the size of that pillar, in part to improve visibility for third-row passengers. Conversely, the D-pillar is relatively large and is finished in body color to reveal it. But to keep it from looking overly large, there's a black plastic panel that helps give the rear window a bit of a wraparound effect. The taillights also have a gloss black panel to blend them into the rear window area and reduce the visual mass of the hatchback. The interior is the biggest differentiator between the Traverse and Acadia, though. The entire dashboard is unique to the Acadia. The 11-inch instrument display sits under a cowl that extends horizontally to meet the unique vertical 15-inch infotainment screen. That screen overlaps a squared-off, horizontal dash design, and it's flanked by vertical air vents. The Acadia picks up a column-mounted shifter, too, freeing up space for storage in the center console. There are practically no parts directly pulled from other GM products. And unlike GM's upcoming EVs, the Acadia will have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Individual Acadia models even have unique features. The luxury Denali trim and off-road focused AT4 trim both return. The AT4 stands out the most with an extra inch of ground clearance in part from the all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels.