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GM cutting vehicle trim options to save money for electrification

Information continues to filter out about GM's plans based on comments the automaker made during its Capital Markets Day event in February. GM President Mark Reuss said the company's push to save money by rationalizing the number of build combinations will continue in 2020, carrying on the work done in 2019. As GM Authority covers, last year, the carmaker cut 3,500 components across model lines, a 12% drop in the number of parts it needed to stock in its plants. Reuss used the next-generation Chevolet Equinox and GMC Terrain as examples for more cost efficiencies, saying build possibilities — which include international markets and their options — will be cut by more than 50%, and use more shared parts. "We will reduce total trim levels on Equinox and Terrain from eight to six," Reuss said, "reduce engine variants from 11 to 5, reduce build combinations from more than 200 to less than 100 per program, and see significant cost savings of an already paid-for architecture that took the mass out, helping us self-fund electrification programs." GM will plow a large amount of the money it saves into its ambitious EV program. In 2017, the automaker said it intends to have 20 electric vehicles on the market by the end of 2023, some of which could be shared between brands. An automotive analyst at Seeking Alpha and a piece in Automobile attempted to put specifics to what we should expect. As Automobile points out, the first two EVs in the 20-car program are already on sale, being the Ariv Meld and Ariv Merge eBikes available in Belgium and The Netherlands. We've seen the Cruise Origin autonomous rideshare taxi, although we don't know when it will hit the road. The next three, which we should see in the metal shortly, are two Cadillac EVs and the GMC Hummer EV pickup. The Cadillac pair are expected to be sized like the XT4 and XT5, and along with the Hummer, should hit the market starting in late 2021.

GM exploring ways to raise half-ton Duramax diesel tow rating

Lots of truck owners cheered when GM announced fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-six. Even after Ram let loose its EPA mileage ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the Chevy oil-burner still took the trophy. The victory was years in the making, GM engineers spending an entire four-year development cycle refining the LM2 Duramax to increase mileage. The tradeoff, as well all know by now, is towing; the Duramax in half-ton duty pulls a maximum 9,300 pounds in the Silverado. Rivals across town can do more, the Ford F-150 PowerStroke rated at 11,500, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel game to pull 12,560. GM engineer John Barta told Muscle Cars & Trucks that more hauling chops could be on the way, explaining, "We’re actually looking at upgrading some of the materials around (the engine bay) to see if we can maybe raise our tow rating." Engine bay materials are at issue due to thermal complexities underhood. John Barta, GM's assistant chief engineer of diesel engine controls, said the Duramax's inline-six configuration allowed engineers to get emissions hardware like the combined selective catalytic reduction, diesel oxidation catalysts, and diesel particulate filter unit closer to the engine, where it heats up quicker, getting emissions down quicker. But that filter puts another heat source in those confines, enforcing a cap on the tow rating to keep the engine and other systems from overheating. "If you look under the hood," he said, "youÂ’ll see a significant amount of silver ‘moon tapeÂ’ around to make sure things arenÂ’t getting overheatedÂ… if we were to go up in higher towing, which we can, we start impacting the possibility of deteriorating some of the components.” There isn't much space for more grille, so swapping for a better grade of "moon tape" or a different kind of material could reduce engine bay heat, extracting a higher tow rating in the process.  It's important to note a point Barta's been making for months about the Duramax figures, though. "Even though itÂ’s nice to brag about big numbers, in reality, light duty customers are not towing that large with their trucks," and, "We do know that (95 percent) of our light duty customers donÂ’t tow over 9,000 pounds." On our First Drive of the 2020 Silverado diesel we called out the tow rating, but emphasized that the Chevy and GMC have more important challenges to overcome.

2025 GMC Terrain spy photos show it inside and out

Chevy recently introduced the redesigned 2025 Equinox, but GMC has, so far, been silent about the Terrain, the Equinox's fraternal twin. But it does seem that there is a redesigned 2025 GMC Terrain on the way. These spy photos show the new model, and they reveal that the GMC will be even more distinct from the Equinox with this generation than the previous ones. From the outside, what we can see suggests the new Terrain will be more evolutionary than the Equinox. It still has a fairly upright nose with a tall grille and the C-shaped headlights. Along the side, there's still a distinct kink up at the back of the door that carries into the rear quarter window and around the back. Not many details are clear at the back, but new to this Terrain are visible exhaust outlets, a pair of rectangular ones sitting in cutouts at the base of the bumper. The inside is a massive change from the current model, and one that is quite welcome. The design clearly borrows from the also recently redesigned Acadia. It's centered around a monolithic screen with a center control knob and a set of physical switches at the screen's base. There doesn't seem to be much panel on either side of the screen, so the air vents may sit at the top of the screen. The instrument cluster is another screen, but a wide landscape-oriented example. The rest of the dash will probably be channeling some modern industrial looks with rectangular, horizontal and beveled panels. Since the new Equinox is launching this year, we're expecting this Terrain to launch this year, too, or ever so slightly later. It should be revealed in a few months to fit that launch window. It will undoubtedly get the same new platform used by the gas-powered Equinox, along with the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder with 175 horsepower. All-wheel and front-wheel drive should be on offer with an eight-speed automatic or CVT respectively. The GMC will also surely get a luxurious Denali trim and an off-road-oriented AT4 trim, the latter of which will probably get the addition of amber marker lights over the wheel arches like on the pickup trucks and the Acadia AT4. Related Video: