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GMC and AEV reveal Sierra Grande upfit SEMA concept

If there was any question as to whether GMC was dedicating resources to its off-road models, it was dismissed the instant American Expedition Vehicles entered the conversation. The two have already partnered to produce a GMC-branded alternative to the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. The 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Edition is midsize pickup perfection, but the collaboration is far from over. With GMC now pushing the AT4X package on its heavy-duty pickups, AEV is looking for ways to explore the space.  "The Sierra Grande Concept represents AEV’s creative vision of how the company would further elevate the adventure-ready foundation of the GMC Sierra HD AT4X into a legendary overlanding rig," AEV said in its announcement The Sierra Grande is all Sierra HD AT4X underneath. The steering knuckles, control arms, rear suspension and butter-smooth DSSV dampers are all lifted directly from the production truck. This SEMA-bound concept is the quintessential upfit smorgasbord, boasting everything from add-on lighting to upgraded underbody protection. There are even two winches — one for the front and one for the back. If you ask us, they should have gone ahead and put one on each side too.  The snorkel pairs nicely with the 40-inch BF Goodrich tires, and the onboard air system guarantees you're never in a pickle when you hit pavement to head home. The bed is aluminum, but the skid plates are stamped steel (as is the brush guard). The front winch is rated for 12,500 pounds; the rear for "just" 9,500.  Unlike the Canyon AT4X AEV Edition, the Sierra Grande is merely an exercise — for now, anyway. We suspect that GMC has plenty more in store for its off-road trucks.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

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.

2021 GMC Yukon configurator now open for play-money builds

The 2021 GMC Yukon configurator is open for real and imaginary business. It's missing a number of important options, though, like the AT4 trim and the Premium Capability Package that installs the Air Ride Adaptive Suspension, so the configurator is best suited for practice runs at the moment. Playing our usual game, we started with a livery build in base SLT 2WD trim for an airport shuttle to compare to the livery 2021 Tahoe we built a few days ago. Same as with the Chevy, the GMC offers nine exterior colors. Opposite to the Chevy, the GMC makes you pay for every color except Summit White. Our Onyx Black selection added $195, five colors cost $495, Cayenne Red Tintcoat costs $695, and the super gonzo White Frost Tricoat runs $1,095. We plumped for the SLT Luxury package's driver assistance and convenience features like memory settings for the front passengers, powered seating for the second row, a split third row, the Rear Seat Media Package, and a console lockbox. What began as $59,095 after destination — $4,000 more than the 2021 Tahoe — ended at $64,445, just $2,165 more than our livery Tahoe because the Yukon packages more kit.   The amounts add up a lot quicker at the top end. Our regional rep with a fat bonus check started with a $72,295 Yukon Denali 4WD in the $495 Pearl Beige Metallic with a Teak and Light Shade interior. The $6,500 Denali Premium Package normally costs $500 more, and who can resist a sale? At about 9% of MSRP, it's not a negligible option, but it includes the $1,780 Advanced Technology Package, the $1,500 panoramic sunroof, and a set of 22-inch wheels that are normally $2,995. Since the bonus was big enough to replace the two-year-old jet skis in the garage, our rep added the $465 Max Trailering Package and that automatically appends the ProGrade Trailering features. Put in the Rear Seat Media Package to occupy the kids, locking armrest storage to protect stuff from the kids, and hook up a set of illuminated GMC badges for $535 to wow oncoming vehicles, and the total comes to $83,320. That's more than $10,000 in options without the least effort. However, there aren't any big-money options left to add except a $1,499 rooftop tent.     GM Authority wrote about the package combinations necessary to unlock the Air Ride Adaptive Suspension on the AT4 or Denali trims. Summed up, the check boxes add $3,410 to the price of an AT4, $3,755 to the price of a 2WD Denali, and $6,015 to the price of a 4WD Denali.