2015 Gmc Sierra 3500 Slt on 2040-cars

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GM earnings rise 1% as buyers pay more for popular pickups

DETROIT — General Motors said Thursday that higher prices for popular pickup trucks and SUVs helped overcome slowing global sales and profit rose by 1% in the second quarter. The Detroit automaker said it made $2.42 billion, or $1.66 per share, from April through June. Adjusting for restructuring costs, GM made $1.64 per share, blowing by analyst estimates of $1.44. Quarterly revenue fell 2% to $36.06 billion, but still beat estimates. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $35.97 billion. Global sales fell 6% to 1.94 million vehicles led by declines in North America and Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The company says sales in China were weak, and it expects that to continue through the year. In the United States, customers paid an average of $41,461 for a GM vehicle during the quarter, an increase of 2.2%, as buyers went for loaded-out pickups and SUVs, according to the Edmunds.com auto pricing site. The U.S. is GM's most profitable market. Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara said she expects the strong pricing to continue, especially as GM rolls out a diesel pickup and new heavy-duty trucks in the second half of the year. "We think the fundamentals do remain strong, especially in the truck market," she said, adding that strength in the overall economy and aging trucks now on the road should help keep the trend going. Light trucks accounted for 83.1% of GM's sales in the quarter, and pickup truck sales rose 8.5% as GM transitioned to new models of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, according to Edmunds, which provides content to The Associated Press. As usual, GM made most of its money in North America, reporting $3 billion in pretax earnings. International operations including China broke even, while the company spent $300 million on its GM Cruise automated vehicle unit. Its financial arm made $500 million in pretax income. Suryadevara said GM saw $700 million in savings during the quarter from restructuring actions announced late last year that included cutting about 8,000 white-collar workers through layoffs, buyouts and early retirements. The company also announced plans to close five North American factories, shedding another 6,000 jobs. About 3,000 factory workers in the U.S. whose jobs were eliminated at four plants will be placed at other factories, but they could have to relocate. GM expects the restructuring to generate $2 billion to $2.5 billion in annual cost savings by the end of this year.

GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X: Can you sleep in it?

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The recently introduced GMC Sierra AT4X is an impressive combination of off-roading and luxury. But can you sleep in it? Pickups are great for towing campers or as a platform upon which to build out overlanding rigs, but from the factory they usually aren’t as useful as SUVs to sleep in, considering half of the length of the vehicle is taken up by the bed. Let's see how the AT4X fares. Space The biggest thing to consider when it comes to camping in your car is whether or not there is enough space in it for you and possibly a partner to lay down comfortably. This is tough when it comes to pickup trucks, which are hampered by the fact that half (or more) of the length of the vehicle is taken up by the bed of the truck. Some trucks have added features like lie-flat seats that make sleeping in them a bit easier, though itÂ’s still not a perfect solution. Unfortunately the AT4X is not one of those trucks. While the seats do lay back quite a good amount, I wasnÂ’t able to get comfortable enough to rely on them for a good nightÂ’s rest. To the rear we go. If youÂ’re vertically challenged, you may be in luck, especially if you donÂ’t sleep stretched out. The Sierra 1500 is a wide truck, almost 7 feet wide in fact. The rear bench measures 56 inches in width, which isnÂ’t a great option for most adults unless you really like sleeping in the fetal position. ItÂ’ll do in a pinch but I wouldnÂ’t expect to get a great night's sleep again and again.  Below the bench, which folds up and out of the way, is a relatively flat floor which can offer a bit more length. At 63” it still isnÂ’t enough for me to lie down with the doors closed, but it is much less cramped than spending the night on the bench. The subtle bump in the middle of the floor, which is much less severe than the ridges in the bed, can easily be remedied by an inflatable sleeping pad like the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT, or, even better, a cheap air mattress from Walmart. The Bed The bed of the AT4X seems like the most logical place to sleep. After all, it is named the bed for a reason right? If you have an inflatable mattress, then sure, but due to the ridges on the floor, a simple sleeping pad and sleeping bag will not be enough here. Additionally, the length of the bed leaves something to be desired.

Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video: