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2020 GMC Acadia AT4 Review | A soft-roader in steel-toed boots

For carmakers today, the perfect lineup would be focused almost entirely on trucks and crossovers, favoring profitability at the expense of diversity. Just look at FCA’s Ram and Jeep showrooms. In the General Motors portfolio, that brand is GMC, with not a car to be found in its lineup and several body-on-frame offerings meant to take a serious beating. It should be a license to print money. But a lineup of trucks and SUVs isnÂ’t enough. Some folks want the rough-and-tumble edge of an off-road vehicle, albeit one that can still credibly serve duty in the school pickup line. Enter the AT4 trim level, an off-road package that spans the gap between the GMC's upscale professional image and the off-road oriented buyer. The 2020 GMC Acadia AT4 is the latest member of the family AT4 slots in between the mid-grade SLT and the range-topping Denali, but simply saying itÂ’s the second-most expensive Acadia variant isnÂ’t really doing it justice. If the SLT trim is understated, and the Denali trim opulent, the AT4 trim promises ruggedness and adventure – even if it canÂ’t deliver it.  The Acadia is definitely a soft-roader and AT4 doesnÂ’t do much to change that – itÂ’s effectively an appearance package. It adds a unique grille, 17-inch wheels and AT4 badges — all blacked out — plus a set of Continental TerrainContact A/T tires engineered to offer a comfortable ride while still enabling some off-pavement excursions. There are several unique interior treatments as well, including “AT4” embroidery on the seats, regardless of whether you go with the base upholstery or the upgraded perforated leather ($1,000) that was added to our test vehicle. Note that we didnÂ’t mention anything beyond the small wheels and meaty tires that would actually make the AT4 any better off pavement. ThereÂ’s no extra ground clearance (it remains a meager 7.2 inches), low range 4x4 system or suspension enhancement to be found here. This would be a departure from other GMC AT4 models, including the Sierra 1500 and upcoming 2021 Yukon, which get extra ground clearance, underbody protection and a rugged suspension, but it won't be an outlier. The similarly soft-roading Terrain AT4 has already been announced.  Yet, off-road models tend to get hammered with on-road handling and ride quality criticism and here's where the Acadia AT4 being more of an appearance package pays off.

UAW rejects GM contract proposal but makes a counter offer

The United Auto Workers union said a new comprehensive offer made by General Motors Co late Monday to end a two-week-old strike was not acceptable and said it had made a new counterproposal. UAW vice president Terry Dittes said in a letter to members "there are many important issues that remain unresolved." The union is awaiting GM's next proposal. He said GM's offer came up short on many issues.  Dittes said GM made a "comprehensive proposal" at 9:40 p.m. Monday. "This proposal that the company provided to us on day 15 of the strike did not satisfy your contract demands or needs. There were many areas that came up short like health care, wages, temporary employees, skilled trades and job security to name a few." Dittes is the union's vice president for GM relations and the UAW's lead negotiator in these contract talks. "We have responded today with a counterproposal and are awaiting GM's next proposal to the union," he wrote. "Regardless of what is publicized in print or social media, etc., there are still many important issues that remain unresolved." The strike, in its third week, has cost GM more than $1 billion, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Ryan Brickman. He said the cost per day in potential profit is $82 million. However, another analysis, by East Lansing-based consultant Anderson Economic Group, put the losses at $25 million a day. And the effects of the strike are expanding. GM said Tuesday the strike has created a parts shortage that forced the automaker to halt production at its pickup and transmission plants in Silao, Mexico, temporarily laying off 6,000 workers. Silao is where GM builds its highly profitable four-door crew cab Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The strike has also forced GM to idle some Canadian workers, and many suppliers have been forced to halt operations. About 48,000 UAW members went on strike on Sept. 16 seeking higher pay, greater job security, a bigger share of the leading U.S. automaker’s profit and protection of their healthcare. 

2016 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate wants to take even more off the top

What do you do when getting to the top of Denali isn't enough? You create a higher peak called Denali Ultimate. That's what GMC has done with the 2016 Sierra, the new Sierra Denali Ultimate adding even more content and showing off the truck's refreshed face and new Denali grille. The reasoning behind this truck is perfectly sane. GMC says that in 2013 it had zero percent of the premium light-duty truck market; since that time, the brand says the segment (with an average transaction price beyond $55,000) has grown by a factor of ten, and the Sierra Denali has given GMC a 15.5-percent share. When it goes on sale in in the first quarter of next year, it can be optioned on the four-wheel drive 1500 Crew Cab with either the five-foot-eight or six-foot-six-inch bed. Standard equipment includes a sunroof, Lane Keep Assist, automatic headlights, Tri-Mode Power Steps, chrome tow hooks, and 22-inch wheels. The press release below has more. GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate: The Pinnacle of Premium Unique 22-inch wheels, expanded package of standard content drives exclusivity DETROIT, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 – GMC is taking the range-topping style, craftsmanship and capability of the Sierra Denali even higher with the 2016 Sierra Denali Ultimate. It builds on the Sierra Denali's already class-leading attributes with a package of precision-crafted features designed to elevate its comfort, design and capability in the growing premium niche of the full-size truck market. GMC introduces the Sierra Denali Ultimate today, ahead of its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes on sale late in the first quarter of 2016. "The Sierra Denali has helped drive the growth of premium portion of the light-duty crew cab segment," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. "This truck is the ultimate expression of the Sierra Denali with greater emphasis on the bold and refined presence and advanced features that make Denali models synonymous with precision and exclusivity." Thanks in large part to Sierra Denali, which was redesigned in 2014, GMC commands 15.5 percent of the premium full-size truck segment, where average transaction prices exceed $55,000. The segment has nearly doubled in 2015 and grown tenfold since 2013, when GMC had zero percent of the market. In fact, Sierra Denali has helped GMC earn a higher share of the premium portion of the light-duty crew cab segment than of the overall full-size pickup segment.