2002 Gmc Sierra 2500hd 4x4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 teased before tonight's debut

GMC says its Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 battery-electric pickup is "Built to tower above everything you thought an electric truck could be. That’s why itÂ’s the only EV that deserves the name Denali." We will know what the marketing speak means tomorrow (Thursday), when GM's third electric pickup in a year debuts at 5 p.m. Eastern. GMC teased the face of the Ultium-powered Sierra Denali nearly a year ago with an animated rendering. This second teaser on the eve of the debut gives us a better feel for what to expect. The front fascia advertises the product with illuminated GMC lettering at the center of a grille panel defined by an illuminated border. Upside down L-shaped LED lights frame three LED charging status bars. Below those at the bumper edges are what look like four fog lights, two round units above two squared oval units. In back, a glimpse of taillight reminds one of the Hummer EV's spendy rear lights, a Denali badge informing tailgaters what kind of truck they're following. A panoramic glass panel takes up just about the entire roof, save for some sheetmetal at the back where the shark fin antenna rests. Under that roof, one of the seating options will be a ventilated, quilted fabric with "Denali" embroidered in the headrest.  All the other intel must wait another 24 hours. This truck's Chevrolet Silverado EV sibling has been pitched as pricing between $40,000 and $105,000. We've been told the Sierra EV will only come in Denali trim, so expect the feature set and pricing to align more with the Hummer EV, from close to $100,000 once all trims are rolled out to sums well over $100,000. The furnishings could set a new benchmark in glitz for GMC, brand VP Duncan Aldred saying, "We now have an opportunity to evolve SierraÂ’s capabilities and technologies, as afforded by transitioning to an all-electric propulsion while also elevating the luxurious design and comfort associated with Denali." The playbook established so far leads us to believe the Ultium platform will provide a 200-kWh battery and an estimated range of 400 miles, and an output of something like the 664 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque in the top Silverado EV trim. Or this limited Edition 1 trim could split the power gap between the Silverado EV and the 1,000-hp Hummer EV.  Reservations open after the debut.

GM hard at work on Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra PHEV pickups

Autoweek heard from sources at General Motors and Ford about how each automaker is addressing the dip in EV enthusiasm and sales. At General Motors, AW reports, "plug-in hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are headed to market, in a hurry." The sources gave no timeline for when the trucks might appear. GM CEO Mary Barra told analysts during GM's Q4 2023 earnings call, "Let me be clear, GM remains committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035, but in the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build its charging infrastructure."  It's too soon to predict how the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV will fare on the market, the Silverado EV Work Truck still the only one available to customers. It might be better for GM if they're not too popular at first, the automaker's cautious EV production ramp-up and recent software setbacks responsible for some still-healthy reservation rolls. Barra said the company plans to build between 200,000 and 300,000 EVs, this year, which would clear that backlog. Heading into the end of February, with the Chevy Bolt out of the picture and additional EV pickup production pushed to 2025, our Spidey senses feel those are optimistic numbers. The Chevy Bolt was the third-best-selling EV in the U.S. last year, at 62,044 units. GM didn't have another vehicle in the top ten. Furthermore, the combined sales of every EV in the top ten after the Bolt — seven models from six manufacturers — is only just over 200,000 units. The Blazer EV and Equinox EV could make it happen, but there's no way Chevy wants to rush those, the Blazer EV still in software purgatory.   The report speaks of collateral damage, GM said to have canceled an electric pickup sized below the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Automotive News said it saw the truck in January 2023, describing it as a futuristic two-door with a low roof and a 4.5-foot cargo bed. A new full-size van program supposedly got the axe as well, eliminating the plan to put a new Chevy Express and GMC Savana on a Brightdrop EV chassis. Over at Ford, AW says its sources mentioned another canceled midsizer; Ford's apparently stopped working on an EV pickup sized a bit below the Nissan Frontier.

Next Chevy Silverado could get this built-in tailgate step

General Motors just received patent approval for a tailgate step in a pickup bed. And given the timing, don't be surprised if you see this on the upcoming 2019 Silverado pickup (not the mention its GMC Sierra twin), expected to arrive in late 2018. According to the patent, granted in December of last year, the whole mechanism is housed in the tailgate assemble. The magic happens when a portion of the top half of the tailgate swings down and a step folds out. There's also a handle that locks into position to help climb up into the bed. As trucks get bigger and taller over the years, it gets harder and harder to access the cargo bed. Ford's solution with the 2009 F-150 was a step that slides out from the end of the tailgate. Back then, Chevy made an ill-advised ad highlighting the feature for Ford. And while Howie Long mocked the F-150's "man step" Ford saw almost a third of its trucks with the option in the first year. The GM design seems to improve on Ford's idea as it appears to be wider and has a back to the lower step. That is, you don't have to worry about stepping through the ladder-rung design as on the F-150. Ford's tailgate step later spread to the F Super Duty, and other cargo access assists have proliferated through the truck world. On the most recent redesign, the Chevrolet Silverado took a trick from the Avalanche and added cutouts to the corners of the rear bumper that act as a foothold. Ford also offers a deployable side step, Chevrolet has running boards that scoot rearward with a kick of the boot, and Ram offers fixed wheel-to-wheel side rails. Nissan is in on the game too, with an optional folding step that tucks under the rear bumper. We don't expect Chevrolet to comment on when or if we'll see this feature in the showrooms. But given that engineers are already hard at work on the next Silverado and the timing of this patent lines right up with the new truck's development cycle, we'll be disappointed if this patent stays in the file cabinet. Related Video: