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2022 GMC Sierra Preview | GM's 'premium truck' is actually now premium

Pros: Quiet and torque-rich Duramax diesel; big touchscreen on most trims; great trailering tech; versatile MultiPro tailgate Cons: Worse ride than most rivals; AT4X priced like a Raptor but doesn't go like a Raptor The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 is GM’s upmarket half-ton pickup, with a supposed emphasis placed on interior quality and materials rather than bare-bones durability. Supposedly, at least. In reality, the most recent generation hardly lived up to that promise as it showed few upgrades over its Chevy Silverado sibling, which itself possessed a ho-hum, not-really-trying interior clearly overshadowed by Ram and Ford that at least match it in most other respects. It was particularly noticeable when comparing top trim levels. GMC's supposedly premium entry, and especially the Denali, just didn't cut it. That changes in a huge way for 2022. First, thereÂ’s not just one new and massively improved interior, there are two. The SLE, Elevation and SLT once again share their interior design with the Silverado, but that includes a more visually appealing design, better materials, smarter storage and a significant technology upgrade thanks to the standard 13.4-inch touchscreen running the user-friendly Android Automotive OS. The AT4 and Denali trim levels, including the new AT4X and Denali Ultimate, step things up even further with a different dash design and upgraded interior materials. The Ultimate definitely lives up to its name with a characterful and, yes, premium vibe that stands tall against the best of Ford and Ram. Other welcome updates include the option of Super Cruise on top trim levels and a massively more powerful base turbo four-cylinder engine (it produces more torque than the 5.3-liter V8!). Effectively, the 2022 GMC Sierra is now the truck it shouldÂ’ve been since the beginning of this current generation and definitely worth a look – especially if youÂ’re in the market for a premium truck. Now, a bit of housekeeping. While the massively updated model shown here is officially the 2022 GMC Sierra, thereÂ’s a chance you could come across something called the "2022 Sierra Limited.” That was just last year's truck with the 2022 model year stapled to it. There are many reasons for this, but suffice it to say, if you see a Â’22 Sierra Denali with the ugly robot-face dashboard (below right), youÂ’re looking at a Limited. Also, the availability of Super Cruise and other features have been hampered by supply shortages.

U.S. new-vehicle sales in 2018 rise slightly to 17.27 million [UPDATE]

DETROIT — Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. rose slightly in 2018, defying predictions and highlighting a strong economy. Automakers reported an increase of 0.3 percent over a year ago to 17.27 million vehicles. The increase came despite rising interest rates, a volatile stock market, and rising car and truck prices that pushed some buyers out of the new-vehicle market. Industry analysts and automakers said strong economic fundamentals pushed up sales and should keep them near historic highs in 2019. "Economic conditions in the U.S. are favorable and should continue to be supportive of vehicle sales at or around their current run rate," Ford Chief Economist Emily Kolinski Morris said after the company and other automakers announced their sales numbers Thursday. That auto sales remain near the 2016 record of 17.55 million is a testimonial to the strength of the economy, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. The job market, he said, has created new employment, and wage growth has accelerated. "That's fundamental to selling anything," he said. "If there are lots of jobs and people are getting bigger paychecks, they will buy more." The unemployment rate is 3.7 percent, a 49-year low. The economy is thought to have grown close to 3 percent last year, its best performance in more than a decade. Consumers, the main driver of the economy, are spending freely. The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate four times in 2018 but is only expected to raise it twice this year. Auto sales also were helped by low gasoline prices and rising home values, Zandi said. It all means that people are likely to keep buying new vehicles this year even as they grow more expensive. The Edmunds.com auto-pricing site estimates that the average new vehicle price hit a record $35,957 in December, about 2 percent higher than the previous year. It will be harder for automakers to keep the sales pace above 17 million because they have been enticing buyers for several years now with low-interest financing and other incentives, Zandi said. He predicts more deals in the coming year as job growth slows and credit tightens for higher-risk buyers. Edmunds, which provides content, including automotive tips and reviews, for distribution by The Associated Press, predicts that sales will drop this year to 16.9 million.

GM resumes production of its 3.0-liter turbodiesel straight-six

General Motors temporarily stopped taking orders for trucks and SUVs equipped with the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel six-cylinder engine in August 2021 due to a supplier shortage. Reports claimed the pause would last through 2021, but the engine is already back in production. Enthusiast website GM Authority learned from sources inside General Motors that the straight-six is once again coming off the assembly line at the Flint Engine Plant in Flint, Michigan. There's no official word on precisely what the problem was linked to and whether it was related to the on-going chip shortage that's wreaking havoc across the automotive industry. All we know is that the pause lasted for about two weeks. Called LM2 internally, the six is available in Chevrolet's Tahoe, Suburban, and Silverado 1500 and in GMC's version of these trucks. It's also an option in the Cadillac Escalade. It develops 277 horsepower at 3,750 rpm and a V8-like 460 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm in every application, and it allows these big behemoths to post surprising fuel economy numbers. Fitted to a rear-wheel-drive Tahoe, the Duramax returns 21 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 24 mpg in a combined cycle, figures that make it more efficient than a Blazer. Demand for the diesel-powered trucks is relatively high. While the shortage undoubtedly took a toll on sales, the Duramax represented 8% of Suburban sales and 6% of Tahoe sales in May 2021. There are no other diesel-burning full-size SUVs available new so they have the market to themselves. On the truck side, Ram still makes the EcoDiesel available on some 1500 trims but Ford abandoned the segment. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe RST View 24 Photos Chevrolet GMC Truck SUV Diesel Vehicles