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GM invests $24 million to build more crew cab trucks in Fort Wayne

The full-size pickup truck arms race continues unabated here in the United States as Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler battle back and forth for sales supremacy. The Ford F-Series of trucks continues to lead the field in sales (214,611 units sold through the first quarter of 2019), but the race for second place has been a lot more interesting to watch. That's because Ram, long a distant third in truck sales, eked its way past Chevrolet late in 2018 and has managed to hold the position so far in 2019. Don't take this to mean that sales of GM's trucks have been poor across the board. In fact, the automaker reports that sales of its four-door crew cab pickups are up 20 percent in 2019 over the same period a year ago. And that's what makes GM's announcement today so interesting. The automaker is investing $24 million into its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana to build more Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, and the focus will continue to be on crew cab models. "We are building Chevrolet and GMC crew cab pickups at record volume and mix levels to meet customer demand and the $24 million investment will allow us to build even more," said GM chief Mary Barra in a statement. "Crew cab sales have been very strong, and we are expanding customer choice with new models, more cab choices and innovative new powertrains." It's worth noting that, if crew cab sales are up 20% this year, but overall sales are down (over 15% for Silverado and around 2% for GMC), that means it's the cheaper regular cab and double cab models that are lagging. At the same time, sales of the midsize Chevy Colorado have surged 16%. And finally, if you combine sales of the Silverado and Sierra into one bucket, GM still has a comfortable lead over Ram overall. If there's a takeaway here, it's that trucks of all shapes and sizes have been, currently are and will surely remain hot in America, and automakers will continue to invest money into making sure they are able to satiate consumer demand.

2019 GMC Sierra Denali First Drive Review | The more things change...

ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland — Canadians love their GMCs. Both anecdotal and statistical evidence supports this. In certain areas of Canada, the Sierra outsells the Chevy Silverado. But in this area of Canada, Cape Spear, the morning fog and salt air are thick. This is the most eastern point in Canada, and the most eastern point of North America if you don't count Greenland. We woke up early and drove to the coast in the new 2019 GMC Sierra Denali, hoping to catch what was promised to be an absolutely spectacular sunrise. The sunrise was a no-go thanks to the fog, turning the sky into a grey mist that melted into the Atlantic. Still, if the world had an edge, this is what it would look like. Driving in an inspiring place like this invites introspection, and since we're in an GMC Sierra, why not examine the brand's place in the world? Recall that for years, a GMC showroom was just packed with slightly more expensive versions of other GM products. Badge engineering, if you will – a dirty word in our business, applied to such notable machines as the Cadillac Cimarron, Buick Terraza, Chevy Aveo and Saab 9-7X. Things, at least on the surface, seem to be changing. GMC says it's making a concerted effort to differentiate its product portfolio from the rest of GM, but the results have been mixed. The brands were supposed to have less product crossover. There's no GMC version of the Chevy Traverse and, initially, there was no Chevy equivalent of the GMC Acadia, though the new Blazer kills that advantage. The Equinox and Terrain are still basically the same vehicle, as are the new 2019 Silverado and 2019 Sierra. At least the two trucks look decidedly different. There's still a family resemblance, but most of the bodywork has been changed. Where the 2019 Silverado adopted some curves, the Sierra stuck with straight lines. Compare things like the headlights, wheel wells and doors. The Sierra still has a massive grille and — aside from the AT4 off-road trim — packs on as much chrome as a 1958 Cadillac, but that's what customers want these days. The Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 are no different in this regard, packing lots of chrome, hard edges, and frontal areas that would give passenger trains a run for their money. At first glance, you'd be hard pressed to tell the Sierra and Silverado's interiors apart from both each other and the outgoing models. It's basically the same design, though the Sierra makes do with some slightly nicer materials.

Man on meth steals truck (and goat) from adult video store, police say

A man who was allegedly high on methamphetamine carjacked a pickup truck with a sleeping passenger inside it and a goat in the bed, pistol-whipped the passenger and then led police on a low-speed chase before finally being caught on foot and arrested, police say. It began early on New Year’s Day outside an adult video store in Carthage, Missouri, which is near Joplin in the stateÂ’s southwestern corner. Reports say Brandon Wayne Kirby, a 40-year-old from Mannford, Oklahoma, stole the truck after the driver had gone inside the store but while the passenger was sleeping. When the passenger woke up, he saw a masked man driving and pointing a gun at his head. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Police say Kirby drove the GMC Sierra Heavy Duty Duramax diesel through parts of Missouri, Kansas and into Oklahoma, holding the passenger against his will. At some point, the passenger told police, Kirby ingested meth, pistol-whipped him and continued to threaten him with the gun. The passenger said Kirby eventually let him and his pet goat out on the side of the road in a rural area, which is when he was able to call 911. Police then called OnStar, which tracked down the stolen Sierra HD and slowed it down to around 15 mph. Police eventually used stop sticks to flatten the truckÂ’s tires in the city of Sand Springs and later had to nudge the truck into a ditch to end the low-speed vehicle chase. But Kirby at that point got out of the truck and fled on foot through the woods, dropping his mask and gun, which were both later recovered by police. Kirby was jailed and had charges listed as kidnapping, pointing a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm. HeÂ’s reportedly wanted in another county in Oklahoma for burglary and has multiple felony convictions for assault, burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to KTUL-TV in Tulsa. The passenger and goat were transported back to the Creek County SheriffÂ’s Office. The Sand Springs Police Department said on Facebook: “OK 2020, it only took you 4.5 hours to get weird. Let's slow down on the carjacking-goatnapping calls for the remainder of the year.” Related Video: