2014 Gmc Yukon Xl 1500 Denali on 2040-cars

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GM to idle Indiana truck plant for two weeks over chip shortage

WASHINGTON —General Motors said Friday it will idle for two weeks in April an assembly plant in Indiana that builds pickup trucks, over ongoing semiconductor chip shortages. The Detroit automaker said it will halt production at its Fort Wayne assembly plant, which builds the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, for two weeks starting April 4. "There is still uncertainty and unpredictability in the semiconductor supply base, and we are actively working with our suppliers to mitigate potential issues moving forward," GM said Friday. The automaker said this is its first semiconductor-related full-size truck production downtime since August. GM noted that overall it has "seen better consistency in semiconductor supply through the first quarter compared to last year as a whole. This has translated into improvement in our production and deliveries during the first three months of the year." GM Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra met with some lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, including Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana. GM is backing a bill in Congress to provide $52 billion in government subsidies to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. GM said that legislation could help "alleviate the ongoing shortage that continues to impact U.S. automotive manufacturing." (Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Related video:

GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser upfit finally here, for going out there

The GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser upfit can now be seen in the wide open bright light, the battery-electric overlanding rig soon available to Hummer EV pickup owners to head back into the bush for extended stays. The camper's made of carbon fiber and features EarthCruiser's hallmark pop-top roof. When closed, the camper takes the Hummer EV's 79-inch stock roof height up to 90 inches. Springing the three-layer, insulated roof to bivouac increases height to 117 inches. The upfit keeps the Hummer EV's 217-inch length, and it appears the side storage bins don't extend beyond the 87-inch width of the electric pickup's wheel arches. The driver's side exterior bin holds recovery gear, the passenger's side storage holds tanks for filtered water.  Sized to sleep two people, there's a full-sized RV bed with 35 inches of headroom under the raised top. Tall outdoorsy types are well served by the 76 inches of headroom standing in the hallway, and 80 inches at the rear entrance. Power comes from 605 watts of solar panels on the roof, energy stored in a 12-volt lithium battery array that adds up to 6 kilowatt-hours or 460 amp-hours of energy, running through a 1,500-watt inverter. EarthCruiser says the batteries will be enough to juice hungry appliances like the refrigerator/freezer combo for about a week. That means owners would need to be more careful with water than with power, there being a 13.5-gallon freshwater tank — which the sun can't refill — and a seven-gallon gray water hold. Other amenities include an induction cooktop, sink, filtered and unfiltered water taps, flat-pack toilet, indoor and outdoor showers and 12-volt water heater, 120-volt and 12-volt outlets, and lots of dimmable lighting. Liveaboards control the interior through a seven-inch touchpad. Outside, an exterior keypad manages exterior lighting and systems. No mention of an indoor heater, but there's plenty of storage in the galley drawers and cabinets, and under the bed for a portable unit.   The GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser upfit greets the public at this weekend's Overland Expo Mountain West in Loveland, Colorado, welcoming all gawkers from August 25-27. Pricing should come later this year, before EarthCruiser begins offering the unit to owners next year. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2018 GMC Acadia with 'Christmas Aero' modification gets in the wind tunnel

Tis the season of "Big" - big cheer, big parties, big bowls of eggnog, big decorations, and when it comes to your family hauler, big drag. Festive drivers who festoon their crossovers, minivans, and SUVs with wreaths, Rudolph noses, fuzzy antlers, and rooftop Christmas trees undo the years of work that car engineers devote to fractional gains in fuel economy. To put numbers to such fuel-guzzling madness, GMC started with a 2018 Acadia, optioned it with the Xmas Aero Package - both Standard and Plus versions - put it in Lockheed-Martin's wind tunnel. The resulting dip in fuel economy results probably won't surprise anyone who's used a roof rack - or, for that matter, their car's air conditioning. However, it might surprise you to find out which seemingly substantial decoration had no effect, and which seemingly innocuous decoration was about twice as bad as running the A/C on its Mr. Freeze setting. Check out the brief video above for the results. And consider placement of that bow carefully.