2014 Gmc Yukon Denali Xl1500 on 2040-cars

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General Motors designers sketch the GMC pickups of the future

It's been a busy few years for GMC's team of stylists. They penned a new look for the Yukon and the Yukon XL, and they gave the Sierra 1500 a nip-and-tuck that we'll discover in the coming months. Overhauling these hugely significant models hasn't stopped them from exploring how the firm's design language can evolve. General Motors Design posted two forward-thinking renderings on its official Instagram account that illustrate two ways to move GMC's design identity forward. Karan Moorjani, who works as an exterior designer for the company's autonomous and electric vehicle division, created a truck that breaks all ties with the Sierra. It's characterized by a tall front end with a wide grille and thin LED headlights, sculpted sides, and an unusually low cab. Generously-sized fender flares and tires suggest Moorjani envisioned it as a serious off-roader. Joe Boniface, a member of GMC's Strategic Advanced Design team, took a more realistic approach to moving the design language forward and away from sister company Chevrolet's. His rendering shows a Heavy Duty model with a Denali-branded grille that takes up most of the real estate on the front end and encompasses horizontal rows of LED daytime running lights. It wears less chrome than the current-generation Sierra HD. Nothing suggests either truck is currently on its way to production; General Motors Design regularly publishes sketches from the brand's stylists. Its fascinating Instagram account also shows a Cadillac off-roader, a battle-ready Chevrolet pickup, and a high-riding, open-top two-seater with General Motors emblems that looks like a race car for the Moon.  "Often, these works are not intended for production," a GM spokesperson told Autoblog. "Instead, designers create them to hone their creative skills, to try new shapes or themes, and sometimes simply for the fun of sketching something badass. The GM Design Instagram account was launched to share some of the most compelling, most badass works GM Designers produce." They're sketches created for the sake of sketching, but they give us a peek at the ideas floating around the minds of the men and women who will draw the next generation of General Motors products. Related Video:

2023 GMC Sierra HD MSRP up at least $1,000

Once Chevrolet bumped up the 2023 Silverado and Silverado HD MSRPs by $1,000, there was no reason to think luxury cousin GMC wouldn't do the same. The proof is here, pricing for the 2023 GMC Sierra HD up on its configurator with premiums of at least $1,000 over 2022 models. As we mentioned of the Silverado, the Sierras have also tracked with the price increases we mentioned in reference to the Chevrolets; the 2022 Sierra 1500 has run up $4,700 over its cost last October, the 2022 Sierra HD is $4,100 more than it was when it hit lots last summer. That puts a 2023 Sierra HD 2500 Regular Cab long bed with two-wheel drive and the 6.6-liter V8 gas engine at a starting price of $42,995 after the $1,795 destination charge, $1,000 beyond the 2022 pickup. At the top, a Crew Cab long bed Denali with four-wheel drive and the 6.6-liter Duramax V8 starts at $83,845, which is $1,250 more than the same rig from the 2022 model year. Moving up a weight class to the Sierra 3500, the price of entry starts $1,000 more than before at $44,195. The big bad boy 3500 Denali 4WD dually starts $1,200 more than before, at $86,245. The situation's a bit cloudier when we step down two classes to the 1500. GM Authority got the price sheet for the 2023 Sierra 1500 and reports that prices are up $1,000 on most trims, but $900 up on the Denali Ultimate and $1,900 up on the AT4. GMC hasn't uploaded the configurator for the 2023 trucks yet, and GMA's price sheet is hard to parse against prices on the 2022 configurator because the end of the model year and supply chain issues have translated into mandatory discounts that can't be accounted for. For instance, the 2022 Sierra 1500 Regular Cab standard box in entry-level Pro trim has an MSRP of $40,000, yet the configurator shows the total vehicle and options price as $39,950. After the $1,795 destination charge, that comes to $41,745. Then there's a mandatory package discount of $1,500, taking the final price before any other fees to $40,245. Meanwhile, GMA's paperwork shows the 2023 price starting at $40,020 after destination, which isn't $1,000 more than any figure on the configurator. At the top end, the 2022 Denali with the Crew Cab, standard box, 4WD, and 6.2-liter V8 comes out to $71,695, only because the front and rear park assist and steering column lock aren't fitted, resulting in a $100 discount.

Which of these high-powered pickup classics would you choose?

High-performance pickups would appear to be having a moment on the auction site Bring a Trailer, with two tempting examples up for auction right now: a 1971 Ford Ranchero GT and a 1991 GMC Syclone. These trucks are a generation apart, but they each represent the peak muscle truck of their time. The Ranchero, of course, was Ford's car-based pickup, and Ford took advantage of its Torino roots by offering the same ultra-high-performance 429 Cobra Jet V8 in the Ranchero as it did in the Torino-branded coupes and convertibles. The 429 V8 in this truck is said to be numbers-matching, and it looks the business topped with an air scoop poking through the hood. It's paired with a three-speed automatic and a limited slip differential, reportedly one of only 82 1971-model Rancheros with this powertrain combo. As a Ranchero GT, this example sports hidden headlights, and the dual sport mirrors and vinyl top further establish its kinship with its passenger-car siblings. A set of factory Magnum 500 wheels and a respray in the original red add to the muscle-truck vibe. Two decades later, car-based pickups were dead, so when GMC decided to revive the muscle-truck genre it did so with the mid-size Sonoma. The resulting Syclone put a more modern spin on the fast-pickup idea (and on the spelling of "cyclone"). This hi-po hauler uses a 4.3-liter V6 topped with a Mitsubishi turbocharger that helped it make 280 horsepower. It's mated to a floor-shifted four-speed automatic and a Borg-Warner all-wheel-drive system with a 35/65 torque split. The Syclone was a one-year-only model, of which just under 3,000 were built. All were black with matching cloth seats with red accents. The only other '71 Ranchero to appear on BaT was a non-original GT with a 351ci V8 that was a no-sale at $7,900. This Ranchero is already nearly double that figure. Of the four previously Syclones that have crossed BaT's virtual auction block, two have sold, for $36,000 and $50,000, but both had lower miles than this truck. At this writing, these two trucks are neck-and-neck, both in the mid teens with both auctions set to end April 23. Which powerhouse pickup makes you want to put your money down? Featured Gallery Ford Ranchero and GMC Syclone Ford GMC Truck Classics