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2024 GMC Sierra HD AT4X and Extreme AEV muscle their way into the lineup

The new AT4X variant of GMC's 2024 Sierra HD pickup series officially joins the stable this week, giving pickup truck box-checkers yet another off-road trim to chase. Well, two trims, technically, as GMC took the opportunity to announce that the AT4X will also be offered with an upfit package from American Expedition Vehicles, appropriately named the Extreme AEV Edition that takes its cues from the same package offered on the Sierra 1500 AT4X. And with its introduction, the 2024 GMC Sierra HD lineup is now complete.  GMC's Sierra AT4X models mirror the ZR2 packages offered on the updated Chevrolet Silverado. If you paid any attention at all to the Silverado HD ZR2's introduction earlier this month, you'll be familiar with the formula. Key upgrades include a 1.5-inch factory lift, standard electronic locking rear differential, Multimatic DSSV shocks and 35-inch Goodyear Territory all-terrain tires. It also gets beefier skid plates —  both the steel protecting the transfer case and the aluminum piece up front. With the updated 6.6-liter Duramax diesel, GMC says it'll tow up to 18,500 pounds.  "GMCÂ’s AT4X trim, which will be available across the entire GMC truck lineup, offers customers more premium and capable choices when it comes to ‘do-it-allÂ’ capabilities," said GMC VP Duncan Aldred. "Each model delivers unique strengths, with the all-new Sierra HD AT4X taking it to the max, enabling you to go virtually anywhere, with the towing power to bring your recreational toys, gear or camper along for the journey." And by "do it all," he means all the luxury stuff too, judging by the Obsidian Rush interior, which GMC says includes massaging leather front seats and real ash wood trim. The better from which to feel the shove of the AT4's two available 6.6-liter engines, one a gasoline-burner rated at 401 horsepower and 464 pound-feet of torque, the other a Duramax turbodiesel making 470 horsepower and 975 pound-feet of torque. You'll need the latter if you want to hit GMC's advertised towing capacity.  And don't forget the Extreme AEV Edition, which will surely come with a Denali-rivaling (and still TBA) price tag. The stamped steel bumpers stand out right away, as do the integrated front recovery points and winch mount. The package also adds more skid plates protecting the steering gear and transfer case. Its 18-inch "Salta" wheels are also unique.  GMC says it will be cranking out 2024 Sierra HD AT4Xs and Extreme AEV Editions by the third quarter.

Ford’s Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch win the 2022 Autoblog Technology of the Year award

The 2022 Autoblog Technology of the Year award goes to Ford for the Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch hauling and towing features found in the F-150 lineup. This new technology, as tested in the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, is a boon to pickup truck owners. Not only will it make observing your truck’s maximum loads easier and more intuitive, but it will also ensure youÂ’re hauling and towing in the safest-possible manner. We began the process with a long list of features to test and whittle down. Technologies like MercedesÂ’ new electric turbocharger, GMÂ’s Super Cruise with added towing capability and many more went through the consideration process, but we finally whittled the field down to just three finalists. They are: the GMC Hummer EV with its flashy CrabWalk four-wheel-steer technology, the Genesis GV60 with its facial recognition/fingerprint start technology, and of course FordÂ’s trucking gear. As is the norm for our Technology of the Year award, three main questions are asked, and editors assign point values based on how well the technologies perform in testing. How significant is this tech? How well does it work? And new for this year: Consider the Wow Factor. With the scores tallied, the Ford tech earned 123 points, topping the Hummer (117 points) and GV60 (108). This is the second straight win for Ford, which won the 2021 TOY Award with its Pro Power Onboard charging feature.  Ford joins Tesla (2014, 2016) as the only two-time winner of our Tech of the Year Award, which dates to 2013. Kia, Cadillac, Tesla, BMW, Chevy, Chrysler and Audi technologies are among the previous winners. 2022 Technology of the Year testing View 16 Photos While systems that tow and haul may not seem to be the latest or most sophisticated tech, they remain essential and Ford uses things like the infotainment system, taillights and the Ford mobile app to create a forward-looking experience Henry Ford would never have dreamed of when the first Model Ts were outfitted with beds for farm and war duty in 1917. Even 10 years ago, integrating tech in this manner would have seemed futuristic, but Ford pulls it off. “FordÂ’s clever towing and hauling features earned our award this year because they are easy to use, easy to understand and simply make your life as a truck owner better,” Autoblog Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore said. “It was a competitive field this year, with HummerÂ’s CrabWalk and GenesisÂ’s Biometrics features both winning strong support.

GM might lose 90-year U.S. sales crown over chip shortage

Automotive News editor Nick Bunkley tweeted on October 1 that according to AutoNews data, General Motors "has been the largest seller of vehicles in the U.S. every year since passing Ford in 1931." With automakers having turned in light car and truck sales data for the first three quarters of 2021, GM's 90-year-run might not reach 91. According to AN figures, Toyota was 80,401 vehicles ahead when the October workday started. Worse, GM is so far behind its historic pace that it might only sell enough light vehicles in the U.S. to match its numbers from 1958.  Meanwhile, the New York Times put a few more salient numbers to the pain GM and Toyota are enduring alongside the the rest of the industry. GM sold 33% fewer cars in Q3 2021 than it did in Q3 2019 during the dark days of the pandemic, 446,997 units this year as opposed to 665,192 last year. GM's Q3 2020 was only down 13% on Q3 2019. Over at Toyota, the bottom line showed a 1% gain in Q3 2021 compared to 2020, with 566,005 units moved off dealer lots. The finer numbers show two steps forward and one step back, though; Toyota's September sales were down 22% compared to last year.  GM remains optimistic about what's ahead, GM's president of North American operations telling the NYT, "We look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall." We'd like to see that happen, but we don't know how it happens. The chip shortage said to have been the inciting incident for the current woes isn't over, and not only can no one agree when it will be over, the automakers, chip producers, and U.S. government still can't get on the same page about who needs what and when. Looking away from that for a second shows articles about "No End In Sight" for supply chain disruptions in early September, before China had to start working through power supply constraints, global supply chain workers started warning of a "system collapse," and roughly 500,000 containers sat waiting to be unloaded at Southern California ports — a record number seemingly broken every week. And back to chips, we're told just a few days ago the chip shortage is "worse than we thought."   For now, the NYT wrote that GM dealer inventory is down 40% from June to roughly 129,000 vehicles, and down 84% from the days when dealers would cumulatively keep about 800,000 light vehicles in stock. However, GM just announced it would have almost all of its U.S. facilities back online next week, although some would run at partial capacity.