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May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

2019 GMC Sierra Denali MultiPro tailgate and CarbonPro bed explained

When the 2019 Chevy Silverado debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January, GM's Mark Reuss promised that the new 2019 GMC Sierra would have some significantly different styling and features than its corporate sibling. Previously, the Sierra has been little more than a Silverado with new front and rear fascias and some extra chrome inside and out. Well, Reuss was right. In addition to new sheetmetal, the Sierra exclusively gets the slick MultiPro tailgate and CarbonPro carbon-fiber bed box The tailgate really is trick. At the debut, GMC had multiple demonstrations, with engineers walking us through all six different configurations. Like all Sierra tailgates, the MultiPro version uses an aluminum skin to reduce weight. It's easy to tell which tailgate is which, as the MultiPro has a distinct cutout in the middle where it can fold down or extend. It can be used to extend the bed, drop to allow easier access, provide a sort of workbench, or be used as a step to help get into the bed. Yes, there's even a handle. Ford who? The step itself can support up to 375 pounds, 75 pounds more than Ford's similar tailgate step. This tailgate really is unique to the Sierra and is standard on SLT and Denali models. That said, the power-operated tailgate from the Silverado won't be coming to the GMC. Chevy gets its own exclusive, too. The Sierra's other big exclusive is the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic bed box. CFRP replaces steel inside the bed though not on the fenders. The bed uses four pieces; one for the bottom, one in the back and two along the sides. This isn't a CFRP. There is no steel hiding underneath these panels. Just take a peek underneath. The bed is a composite that uses 1-inch carbon-fiber threads, not a weave. Sheets of CFRP are molded and quenched — a process where the plastic coagulates and solidifies, locking in the carbon fiber — in just 60 seconds. That allows GMC's supplier to crank out these much more quickly. The finish looks like black fiberglass, though an engineer said that this wasn't the final production version. The final model will have different textures in order to improve grip and keep things from sliding around. GMC is touting the material's dent and corrosion resistance, though it remains to be seen how well it holds up to cracking. A video at the reveal showed people going after it with hammers and cinder blocks, but in-person demonstrations weren't available.

GM diesel pickups first to undergo extra EPA, CARB testing

The effects of Volkswagen's long-running diesel emissions evasion are starting to spill over to other automakers, but General Motors is taking things in stride. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder Duramax in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is the first engine to get extra scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, Automotive News reports. Rather than just the usual in-lab test, it's also being checked on the road. However, the extra evaluation shouldn't have any impact on when the trucks with his mill hit dealers later this fall. "We're in our final stages of the EPA certification, and our launch is on track," Chevy spokesperson Otie McKinley tells Autoblog. The four-cylinder diesel in the trucks makes 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the automaker is touting low NOx production. In the announcement for the Colorado's specs, the company calls it "the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors." The tech includes exhaust gas recirculation to lower combustion temperatures and improve emissions. There's also a urea tank like on the bigger diesels for full-size trucks, and it gets refilled in time with oil changes. An indication on the instrument panel lets drivers know when that's needed, too. Even with the more demanding testing, the company doesn't seem too worried about the four-cylinder passing. "Part of our development process is on-road and off-road [laboratory] testing," Scott Yackley, Chevy Trucks assistant chief engineer, said to Automotive News. In the wake of the VW scandal, the EPA has pledged more rigorous testing. Before, on-road emissions evaluations were largely limited to heavy-duty vehicles, but the agency has decided to apply the checks more often to other models. There's also now greater cooperation with Canadian authorities.