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GMC Hummer EV infotainment built with Unreal Engine used by 'Fortnite' and 'Rocket League'

We're only a couple weeks away from the reveal of the GMC Hummer EV truck and SUV. And we're expecting a lot of boasting about impressive capability and unique features. What we weren't expecting was for its infotainment system to be built on a video game engine. That's the news that has come out of Epic Games, creators of Unreal Engine, the basis of the Hummer's infotainment system. If you've been an avid video gamer anytime in the last 20 years, Unreal Engine should be recognizable. The first version of it powered Epic's "Unreal" and "Unreal Tournament" games, and more recent versions power multiplayer hits such as Epic's "Fortnite" and Psyonix's "Rocket League." The engine has been licensed out to countless other game developers for titles by both indie developers and large game companies. But its use in the GMC Hummer will be the first time it has powered a production car's infotainment system. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Epic didn't say which version of Unreal Engine is being used in the Hummer. Presumably it's a version of Unreal Engine 4, since Unreal Engine 5 hasn't been released yet. Also, while Epic released a trailer announcing the partnership and showcasing Unreal's 3D rendering and menu developing tools, it doesn't give us a peak at what the infotainment and instruments of the Hummer will look like. The company does tout fast boot-up times, powerful graphics, and over-the-air updates as useful features included with Unreal. But for a clear look at the final product, we'll have to wait for the October 20 reveal. Related Video:

2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra can tow up to 12,000 pounds

Think back to the launch of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. At the time, General Motors happily trumpeted that its fullsize pickup could tow up to 11,500 pounds when properly equipped - impressive stuff, no doubt. But now, revised tow rating practices have been put into place, called SAE J2807. And with these new methods of testing, GM can now officially rate both the Silverado and its GMC Sierra twin as being able to tow up to 12,000 pounds.
Of course, not all Silverado and Sierra models are capable of this feat. In fact, because of SAE J2807, most of the truck models have actually had decreases in tow ratings from the 2014 to 2015 model year. For example, a 2014 Silverado Crew Cab with the 5.3-liter V8, 5.7-foot box and 3.73 rear axle was rated at 11,200 pounds in 2014, but has since been reduced to 10,800 in 2015. Same goes for the Sierra.
But for 2015, both the Silverado and Sierra can be had with a more powerful 6.2-liter V8, as well as a Max Trailering Package that includes a 9.76-inch rear axle, heavy-duty rear springs, revised shock tuning, improved cooling and a new trailer brake controller. There are also four- and seven-pin, bumper-mounted connectors, a trailer hitch (duh), and a G80 locking rear differential. This configuration, with either model, is the only way you can actually tow 12,000 pounds.

GM now finishing and shipping pickups it had parked for lack of chips

DETROIT — General Motors is more than halfway through shipping newly-assembled pickups that it had parked due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, a top executive at the No. 1 U.S. automaker said on Friday. "We've made great progress," Steve Carlisle, GM's North American chief executive said at the Reuters Events Automotive Summit. "We're a bit better than halfway through that at the moment and our goal would be to clear out our '21 model years by the end of the year. We'll have a bit of a tail of '22 model years into the new year but not for too long." The global chip shortage has forced automakers like GM to idle production or in some cases mostly build vehicles and then park them until the necessary chips can be installed, allowing those vehicles to be then shipped to dealers. Last month, GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson cautioned that GM's third-quarter wholesale deliveries could be down by 200,000 vehicles because of chip shortages. He did not break out what share of that was trucks. To expedite transportation of newly-built vehicles to dealers, Carlisle said GM bought a number of car haulers to deliver them from factories or distribution centers. The Detroit automaker has also allowed dealers to pick the vehicles up themselves in some locations. Carlisle said new vehicle inventories have shrunk to below 20 days in the United States due to the supply chain disruptions, but the company wants to get that back up to 30 to 45 days with some getting to 60 days depending on the product line. GM sees sales of gasoline-powered vehicles being steady over the decade and real growth opportunity in electric vehicles and software, with one not undermining the other, he said.