2015 Gmc Sierra 2500 Slt on 2040-cars

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Huge, pricey trucks haul jobs and profits for the Detroit Three

DECATUR, Texas — Mickey McMaster is on his 12th pickup truck. The 61-year old farm equipment dealer in Decatur, Texas, two weeks ago treated himself to a 2019 GMC Denali for around $69,000 — a reward for long hours at work. "For me this is the Cadillac of trucks, it's a real luxury vehicle," McMaster said. "I've worked my way up to afford a truck like this and it shows that I've earned it." McMaster is the kind of customer General Motors Co is banking on as it plans to add 1,000 jobs at a plant in Flint, Michigan that will build a new generation of its largest pickups. Demand from Texas and other heartland states for big pick-ups is providing a lifeline to many workers the No. 1 U.S. automaker is laying off at plants elsewhere. The Detroit Three automakers and thousands of their U.S. workers are counting on customers like McMaster to keep buying bigger and more luxurious pickup trucks even if overall U.S. vehicle demand weakens this year, as most analysts predict. At Flint, GM will build a new generation of its heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierras, including luxury models that are some of the most profitable vehicles on the planet. GM, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Ram division own the segment and are each doubling down with new or redesigned models launching this year. Sales of heavy-duty pickups in the United States have grown to more than 600,000 vehicles a year, up more than 20 percent since 2013, according to industry data. Prices for luxury models can easily top $70,000. GM on Tuesday celebrated the launch of a new generation of heavy-duty GMC and Chevrolet pickups at the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, that is now building all such trucks for the company. At the same time that GM is laying off thousands of U.S. workers and planning to shutter five North American factories, Flint is hiring. The plant runs on three daily shifts, six days a week. As the new model's assembly system ramps up, the plant's capacity will increase by more than 25 percent, plant manager Mike Perez told Reuters. The Flint plant plans to add 1,000 workers, more than half of the 1,500 factory workers who have asked to transfer from plants GM has targeted for shutdown as part of CEO Mary Barra's restructuring plan. "We're bringing in 50 to 100 people every week," said Perez. Workers last week were still finishing the job of retooling the Flint factory to build the new heavy-duty trucks as part of a $1.5 billion investment project.

GMC Sierra Elevation Edition is a dark take on a tough truck

GMC proved that it knew how to make a mean-looking pickup with the 2015 Sierra Elevation Edition. For the 2016 model year, the company is applying that aggressiveness to the refreshed Sierra that already looks tougher than the predecessor. The result is a seriously brawny truck that hits the market in the first quarter of 2016. Still based on the Sierra Double Cab, this latest take on the Elevation Edition starts with all of the styling tweaks for the standard 2016 truck, including a reshaped grille and headlights. From there, the pickup gets monochromatic with body-color parts for the door handles, mirror caps, grille surround, and bumpers. Black, 20-inch wheels finish the aggressive aesthetic. Drivers get an interior packed with tech, complete with a six-speaker stereo and seven-inch infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All the occupants can also stay connected anywhere with OnStar 4G LTE and a WiFi hotspot. Under the hood, the Elevation Edition comes standard with a 4.3-liter V6 making 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque. A 5.3-liter V8 with 355 horsepower is also optional. Regardless of the powerplant, both come with a locking rear differential and the choice of two- or four-wheel drive. Check out the video below for a closer look at last year's truck, then scroll just a little bit further for the complete press release from GMC. Related Video: GMC Updates Sierra Elevation Edition for 2016 Sport appearance wears new front-end design, latest connectivity technologies DETROIT – The popular GMC Sierra Elevation Edition returns for 2016 with the styling enhancements and other features new to the entire Sierra 1500 lineup – including revised front-end styling with new, high-intensity discharge projector-beam headlamps and GMC Signature LED lighting. The Elevation Edition – available on Sierra double cab – has a street-smart stance, thanks to body-color moldings, door handles, mirror caps and a body-color grille surround, as well as body-color bumpers. It also rolls on 20-inch black-painted aluminum wheels and is further enhanced with new Elevation Edition badging. "The Sierra Elevation Edition offers a boldly styled pickup for customers who want a truck that looks as good as it performs," said Duncan Aldred, U.S. vice president, Buick and GMC.

GMC wants to target Jeep with compact crossover

GMC execs might consider adding a Jeep competitor to the range, but rather than new rumors of a Wrangler-fighter, this time the Professional Grade brand could go after the Renegade. Division boss Duncan Aldred would like to broaden the brand's lineup with a subcompact crossover. "I keep telling everyone, 'How can General Motors' truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment," he said to Automotive News but wouldn't confirm whether the model was under development. General Motors already offers small crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore, but the CUV segment in general continues to drive auto sales in the US. Adding a similarly sized GMC to the mix might increase the automaker's volume by appealing to different customers. "A GMC buyer is very different from a Buick buyer. This is like comparing the Fiat 500X to the Jeep Renegade. They are very similar but appeal to different people," Dave Sullivan, Product Analysis Manager at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Aldred started the speculation about a Wrangler-fighting model in an interview in late 2014, and the company reportedly even raised the idea of an offroad-focused vehicle to dealers to see how they reacted. The development process was only in the very early planning stages, but the brand considered using Hummer for a little of the new product's inspiration. Aldred later suggested to journalists the possibility of adding a compact or midsize SUV to the GMC range in the next 10 years to appeal to more buyers. He didn't comment directly on the possibility of the Wrangler-challenger at the time beyond saying: "I can't confirm that ... everything's on the table." Related Video: