2011 Gmc Savana 3500 Base Cutaway Van 2-door 4.8l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GM sees 'strong year' in 2018, then gold in Chevy Silverado for 2019

DETROIT — General Motors said on Tuesday it expects earnings in 2018 to be largely flat compared with 2017, but that profits should pick up pace in 2019 as its revamped line of high-margin pickup trucks hits the U.S. market. The 2018 earnings outlook was above market expectations, sending GM shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading. "GM had a very good 2017 as we continued to transform our company to be more focused, resilient and profitable," GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said in a statement. "We are positioned for another strong year in 2018 and an even better one in 2019." GM and its Detroit rivals, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, are bringing on new trucks at a time when overall U.S. new vehicle sales have been falling, but truck sales continue to grow as consumers abandon passenger cars in favor of pickups, SUVs and crossovers. GM on Saturday fired a new round in the battle for profits from one of the U.S. auto industry's most lucrative segments when it showed a new generation of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Detroit auto show. The new Silverado, a highlight of the event, is the successor to GM's best-selling vehicle in North America. Sales of the current Silverado rose nearly 2 percent to 585,000 vehicles in 2017. In the coming months, the company will also reveal a revamped GMC Sierra pickup truck. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017 after hitting a record high in 2016, and are expected to drop further in 2018 as interest rates rise and more late-model used cars return to dealer lots to compete with new ones. GM said on Tuesday that while it retools a factory in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to make the new pickup trucks, it will shift some production to an Oshawa, Ontario, plant in order to avoid missing sales in a hot market for the vehicles. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said it will record a $7 billion non-cash charge for its fourth-quarter 2017 earnings related to deferred tax assets. GM said it expects capital expenditure in 2018 of around $8.5 billion, about $1 billion of which will go toward funding self-driving car technology. Last week, the company said it is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car — one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal — to enter the automaker's first commercial ride-sharing fleet in 2019. GM said it expects 2017 earnings per share at the high end of its previously forecast range of $6 to $6.50.

GM to idle car production at five factories as Americans continue CUV love affair

In case you needed another reminder that Americans have fallen out of love with sedans, General Motors today announced plans to idle five factories in January in a bid to cut its inventory to 70 days. Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly ( Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Volt and Impala) and Fairfax Assembly in Kansas ( Chevy Malibu) will stop production for three weeks. Lansing Grand River ( Cadillac ATS and CTS, and Chevy Camaro) is going down for two weeks, while Lordstown, OH ( Chevy Cruze) and Bowling Green, KY ( Chevy Corvette) will go idle for a week each, Automotive News reports. GM's shutdown reflects a broader problem with the company's supply – at 847,000 vehicles, the company's supply increased unsteadily from a low of 629,000 units in January of 2016. That's more than a 25 percent increase in the past year. Citing information from Autodata, The Detroit News reports that at the end of November, GM had a 168-day supply of LaCrosses, 177 days' worth of Camaro, 170 days of Corvette, 121 days for Cruze, 119 days for ATS, 132 days for CTS, and 110 days of CT6. Meanwhile, inventory of the company's more popular vehicles is actually below the professionally accepted 60- to 70-day supply, The News reports. The Trax, Colorado pickup, and GM's full-size SUVs are sitting below 50 days and experiencing year-over-year sales increases. GM needs a rethink of its inventory levels, which is something that's apparently coming. "We're going to be responsible in managing our inventory levels," GM spokesman Jim Cain told The News. Another unnamed spokesman told Automotive News the company's day-to-day supplies would "fluctuate before moderating at year-end." But at least one analyst thinks this won't be the last time Detroit needs to stop production to level things out. "Incentives are elevated, residuals are declining, and rates are rising," Brian Johnson, an analyst with Barclays, told The News. "And while GM in particular may benefit in the months ahead from new product launches, it's important to recognize that GM's inventory is elevated at the moment, and it wouldn't surprise us if they need to announce another production cut – which could pressure the stock." Related Video: News Source: The Detroit News, Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Paul Sancya / AP Plants/Manufacturing Buick Cadillac Chevrolet GM GMC Crossover SUV Sedan bowling green cadillac xt6 fairfax

GMC teases rugged 2021 Canyon AT4 pickup

GMC promised every model in its lineup would get the AT4 treatment by 2021. Having introduced AT4 versions of the Sierra, Acadia and Sierra HD already, that leaves the Canyon, Terrain and Yukon waiting their turn for the procedure. During a press even for the Sierra HD in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, GMC teased Canyon AT4 as next in line to receive upgraded off-road chops. The automaker had a camo'ed prototype Canyon AT4 in a trailer hooked up to a Sierra HD. When Sierra occupants pulled up the feed from the trailer-mounted camera on the infotainment screen, said occupants got a view of the masked midsize pickup between two walls reading, "The first ever Canyon AT4" and "Coming early 2020." The main mysteries are how extensive the pickup's AT4 transformation will be, and when it will go on sale. The AT4 kit changes depending on model. The Sierra AT4 upgraded performance and looks, with features like a two-speed transfer case, locking rear differential, a two-inch lift and Rancho monotube shock absorbers, skid plating, black-chrome grille and body-colored grill surround. The 2020 Acadia AT4 is mostly about looks, pairing standard all-wheel drive with black trim and wheels, and all-terrain tires. The Canyon's expected to weigh in on the Sierra end of the overhaul, and slide into the lineup between the SLT and top-tier Denali trims. The mods will put it beyond the current All Terrain trim being phased out across the lineup, but leave space between the Canyon AT4 and its Chevrolet sibling, the Colorado ZR2. GMC VP Duncan Aldred said, "They’re going to have different capability levels. The ZR2 is extreme capability. AT4 isnÂ’t positioned as extremeÂ… not intended to rival the ZR2." And the Colorado gets the even chunkier Bison version on top of that. The Canyon AT4 is predicted to join the lineup for the 2021 model year, so although it's "coming early 2020," it might not go on sale until much later in the year. GM's midsized pickup twins will be endowed with changes so mild that neither brand will classify the work with the term "midcycle enhancement." Figure a refining around the grille and lights and a few minor fillips otherwise. Next-generation models of the Canyon and Colorado aren't due until 2023, and there's apparently debate inside GM about an interior refresh for both trucks before then. The Terrain should mirror changes to the Acadia, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see the all-new Yukon also due in early 2020 get serious off-road teeth.