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Next Chevy Silverado could get this built-in tailgate step

General Motors just received patent approval for a tailgate step in a pickup bed. And given the timing, don't be surprised if you see this on the upcoming 2019 Silverado pickup (not the mention its GMC Sierra twin), expected to arrive in late 2018. According to the patent, granted in December of last year, the whole mechanism is housed in the tailgate assemble. The magic happens when a portion of the top half of the tailgate swings down and a step folds out. There's also a handle that locks into position to help climb up into the bed. As trucks get bigger and taller over the years, it gets harder and harder to access the cargo bed. Ford's solution with the 2009 F-150 was a step that slides out from the end of the tailgate. Back then, Chevy made an ill-advised ad highlighting the feature for Ford. And while Howie Long mocked the F-150's "man step" Ford saw almost a third of its trucks with the option in the first year. The GM design seems to improve on Ford's idea as it appears to be wider and has a back to the lower step. That is, you don't have to worry about stepping through the ladder-rung design as on the F-150. Ford's tailgate step later spread to the F Super Duty, and other cargo access assists have proliferated through the truck world. On the most recent redesign, the Chevrolet Silverado took a trick from the Avalanche and added cutouts to the corners of the rear bumper that act as a foothold. Ford also offers a deployable side step, Chevrolet has running boards that scoot rearward with a kick of the boot, and Ram offers fixed wheel-to-wheel side rails. Nissan is in on the game too, with an optional folding step that tucks under the rear bumper. We don't expect Chevrolet to comment on when or if we'll see this feature in the showrooms. But given that engineers are already hard at work on the next Silverado and the timing of this patent lines right up with the new truck's development cycle, we'll be disappointed if this patent stays in the file cabinet. Related Video:

Base GMC Hummer EV2 reportedly dead for the planned 2025 launch year

Remember October 2021? That's when GMC divulged trims and pricing for the Hummer EV pickup range. It started with the Edition 1, asking around $110,000 before it sold out. Then would come the EV3X in fall 2022 for $99,995, followed by the  EV2X in the spring of 2023, asking $89,995. And for this year, shoppers were meant to get the option of a 'bargain' entry, the EV2-without-the-X that kept the dual motors but swapped for a less zippy 400-volt electric architecture and a smaller battery pack able to power a 250-mile estimated range. At the time, we were told the EV2 would open the MSRP bidding at $79,995. Spring is officially here, the EV2 isn't, and GM Authority cites unnamed sources when writing "there will be no 2 model for the 2025 model year" outside the 2X. Normally, automakers kill the low-hanging fruit after putting it on sale; the Hummer EV has, again, upended expectations. Therefore, your 2024 GMC Hummer EV pickup lineup after the $2,295 destination charge costs: EV2X Pickup: $98,845  EV3X Pickup: $106,945 EV3X Omega Edition Pickup: $150,295 On the SUV side, the MSRPs are almost carbon copies:   EV2X SUV: $98,845  EV3X SUV: $106,945 EV3X Omega Edition SUV: $130,300 For both body styles, keep in mind that Interstellar White is the only freebie exterior hue. Void black adds $495 to the price, five other colors cost $625, Afterburner Tintcoat orange runs $1,225.  The limited-edition Omega variant builds on the 3X trim with exclusive Neptune Blue Matte paint, the $9,995 Extreme Off-Road Package, exclusive 18-inch wheels, unique interior carpeting, a transparent roof and the MultiPro tailgate with a Kicker audio system on the pickup. Both trucks also get 35-inch mud-terrain tires, underbody skid plates and additional off-road camera views. The price disparity is partly because the Omega Edition pickup is packs a 24-module battery, the SUV gets a 20-module battery. This trim is only available to existing order holders. Speaking of which, the otherworldly EV is still going to be a few years' wait for some, but more reservation holders are already enjoying deliveries this year as GM continues to open the factory taps. GMC sold two examples of the Hummer EV in the first quarter of last year, around the time it has 65,000 potential buyers on the reservation list, and 3,260 units for all of 2023. In the first three months of this year, GMC sold 1,668 trucks.  Related video:

Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.