2021 Gmc Sierra 1500 K1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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2025 GMC Yukon AT4 teased, will likely follow 2025 Suburban template

It's time to begin teasing the 2025 GMC Yukon, the luxury truck division doing so with a glimpse of the front fascia on the AT4 trim. This being a refresh, we're not looking for major changes to hard points. In contrast to today's Yukon, it seems the new face will stress horizontal breadth instead of highlighting the central aspect of a giant grille and skid plate area. Starting with the taller C-shaped headlights on the 2025, a shorter horizontal element at the top no longer reaches all the way to the grille surround, and it's separated from the three main beams below by a body-colored piece extending from the grille cradle. Below the light, a new lower bumper treatment probably increases the aggression compared to today's truck. Instead of black centerpiece that houses the skid plate and a pair of tow hooks, it appears the entire bumper will be black and wrap around into the fenders. Finally, the grille looks the same, but its crossbars have been reprofiled.  As sibling to the 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban that Chevy revealed last November, we expect many of the same updates here. Outside, that would mean refinements to the independent rear suspension for more nimble handling, new wheel designs, and availability of the second-generation 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six with 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque instead of today's 277 hp and 460 lb-ft. Inside, we expect a new instrument panel housing a 17.7-inch touchscreen for infotainment, and a column shifter replacing the push buttons on the center console. Updated trim materials — along with the overdue infotainment upgrade — should provide a finer sense of luxury than what's currently on offer.  If tech treats carry over, buyers will have access to the Connected Cameras feature for viewing and recording inside and outside of the vehicle for crash and security purposes. An Interior Motion Detection system can detect "micro-movements" in the cabin that could signal a baby or a pet left in the vehicle.  The Yukon might go further than the Chevy SUVs, seeing that GMC has some birthdays to celebrate: 2024 is the fifth anniversary of the AT4 trim and the 25th anniversary of the Denali trim. We'll find out later this year, GMC promising the Yukon reveal sometime after the new Acadia begins shipping to dealers.

Weekly Recap: Volvo buys Polestar, makes performance a priority

Volvo is taking its performance business in-house, and the Swedish carmaker announced Tuesday that it bought tuning company Polestar, which has long been known for producing sporty Volvos. The move allows Volvo to ramp up its performance business, and it plans to increase Polestar-branded vehicle sales to 1,000 to 1,500 annually, up from the 750 total projected for this year. The companies have been working together on motorsports projects since 1996. Financial terms of the sale were not released, and Polestar workers will move over to Volvo. Former Polestar owner Christian Dahl will keep control of the Polestar racing team and operate it under a new name. In addition to sales volume, Volvo has ambitious plans for other parts of Polestar, including its aftermarket business. Volvo also said it will use its twin-engine hybrid technology for Polestar models in the future, though specifics and timing were not revealed. Meanwhile, Volvo announced it will offer a run of 265 total Polestars in the United States for the 2016 model year, with S60 and V60s available. "Driving a Volvo Polestar is a special experience. We have decided to bring this experience to more Volvo drivers, placing the full resources of Volvo behind the development of Polestar as the model name for our high performance cars," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, get nose jobs Automakers tend to refer to light updates as 'facelifts,' and that's exactly what Chevy gave the 2016 Silverado and GMC Sierra. Chevy slightly changed the front end of the truck. Using the one photo released of the new Z71 model as a guide, we can see that the headlights went from a stacked vertical design to single bulbs, and they are set on top of LED running lights. The grille has more body-colored elements instead of shiny metal, and the hood has a new line running down the middle (look really closely). The design theme will be similar across the portfolio, though materials and details will vary, a spokesman said. Some models, like the High Country and LTZ will have more chrome, and the LEDs are only for the upper trims. Chevy also said it will use the eight-speed automatic transmission on more versions of the Silverado, and it updated the MyLink feature to support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

GM CEO Mary Barra predicts mass electrification will take decades

General Motors is allocating a substantial amount of money to the development of electric technology, but Mary Barra, the firm's CEO, conceded that battery-powered cars won't fully replace their gasoline-burning counterparts for several decades. She stressed the shift is ongoing, but she hinted it will be slower than many assume. "We believe the transition will happen over time," affirmed Barra on "Leadership Live with David Rubenstein," a talk show aired by Bloomberg Television. She added that not every car will be electric in 2040. "It will happen in a little bit longer period, but it will happen," she told the host. She was presumably talking about the United States market; the situation is markedly different in Europe and in China, where strict government regulations (and even stricter ones on the horizon) are accelerating the shift towards electric cars. On the surface, it doesn't look like General Motors has much invested in electrification; the only battery-powered model it sells in America in 2020 is the Chevrolet Bolt (pictured), which undeniably remains a niche vehicle. Sales totaled 16,418 units in 2019, meaning the Corvette beat it by about 1,500 sales. In comparison, Cadillac sold 35,424 examples of the aging last-generation Escalade during the same time period. And yet, the company isn't giving up. It has numerous electric models in the pipeline including a slightly larger version of the aforementioned Bolt, the much-hyped GMC Hummer pickup, and an electric crossover assigned to the Cadillac brand. These models (and others) will use the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is currently developing. Its engineers are also working on a modular platform capable of underpinning a wide variety of cars. Bringing these innovations to the market is a Herculean task. EVs may not take over for decades, but Barra and her team must believe their 2% market share will increase significantly in the coming years if they're approving these programs. Autonomous technology is even costlier, more complicated, and more time-consuming to develop. Barra nonetheless expects to see the first General Motors-built driverless vehicles on the road by 2025. "I definitely think it will happen within the next five years. Our Cruise team is continuing to develop technology so it's safer than a human driver. I think you'll see it clearly within five years," she said on the same talk show. Her statement is vague but realistic.