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2022 GMC Sierra spotted with minimal camouflage

By all accounts, GM's current full-size truck twins, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, are good trucks that are in many ways competitive with the sales-leading Ford F-150 and a fresh Ram 1500 that's regularly nipping at the Bowtied truck's tailgate. Considering the cashflow generated by the segment, though, it's no surprise to see a refreshed version of the GMC Sierra testing with some light camouflage hiding some of the upgraded bits and pieces. We'll get to what we can see in just a moment, but first we'll point out what we can't see in these spy shots. What the GM pair really needs is a competitive interior. The current Silverado and Sierra are bridled by dashboards, door panels and instrument clusters that simply aren't good enough when compared to their Ram and Ford competitors. We've spoken with a few designers from GM, and they are well aware of the criticisms that have been levied at their full-size truck duo, so we'd be shocked if there wasn't a heavily revised interior lurking for the trucks' next refresh. Hopefully a future set of spy photos will give us a better look at what's inside, because from this far-away, through-the-windshield look doesn't give us much information. Will the Sierra share an interior with the redesigned Yukon? We'll just have to wait and see, but suffice it to say that any improvement will be welcome. Moving to the exterior, we can clearly see that the blocky, angular look of the current Sierra will continue through this refresh. A tiny look through the heavy tarp covering the truck's face reveals a black plastic mesh grille, but we're sure there's plenty of chrome hiding under there, too. We're left to wonder if that opening allows for a camera or radar to peek through, but rumors suggest GM's well-regarded Super Cruise could be on the menu within the next few years. We have no idea what's under this test truck's hood, but we wouldn't imagine there will be much change to the current truck's solid list of powertrain options. Here's hoping the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six diesel engine gets the cooling it needs to raise its tow rating to match its class-leading efficiency, because it's arguably otherwise the best light-duty diesel offering in America. We know the automaker is working on electric powertrains, too, but we expect to see those debut first in the Hummer-branded truck that will be sold in GMC dealerships.

GM invests $24 million to build more crew cab trucks in Fort Wayne

The full-size pickup truck arms race continues unabated here in the United States as Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler battle back and forth for sales supremacy. The Ford F-Series of trucks continues to lead the field in sales (214,611 units sold through the first quarter of 2019), but the race for second place has been a lot more interesting to watch. That's because Ram, long a distant third in truck sales, eked its way past Chevrolet late in 2018 and has managed to hold the position so far in 2019. Don't take this to mean that sales of GM's trucks have been poor across the board. In fact, the automaker reports that sales of its four-door crew cab pickups are up 20 percent in 2019 over the same period a year ago. And that's what makes GM's announcement today so interesting. The automaker is investing $24 million into its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana to build more Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, and the focus will continue to be on crew cab models. "We are building Chevrolet and GMC crew cab pickups at record volume and mix levels to meet customer demand and the $24 million investment will allow us to build even more," said GM chief Mary Barra in a statement. "Crew cab sales have been very strong, and we are expanding customer choice with new models, more cab choices and innovative new powertrains." It's worth noting that, if crew cab sales are up 20% this year, but overall sales are down (over 15% for Silverado and around 2% for GMC), that means it's the cheaper regular cab and double cab models that are lagging. At the same time, sales of the midsize Chevy Colorado have surged 16%. And finally, if you combine sales of the Silverado and Sierra into one bucket, GM still has a comfortable lead over Ram overall. If there's a takeaway here, it's that trucks of all shapes and sizes have been, currently are and will surely remain hot in America, and automakers will continue to invest money into making sure they are able to satiate consumer demand.

GM uses wind power to build SUVs, trucks

This week started with a chill, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a dire report with scientists warning, "The world we know today is not the world we will see in 50 years," with temperatures rising at their current rates. In the meantime, the trend toward purchasing more SUVs and crossovers continues. Most automakers, though, have set goals toward more sustainable production. That includes General Motors, which, somewhat ironically, plans to use wind power to produce many of its vehicles, including pickups and full-size SUVs. As the Detroit Free Press reports, several wind farms are coming online to support cleaner production as part of a partnership between GM and energy producer CMS Enterprises. At the beginning of October, the 100-megawatt Northwest Ohio Wind Farm began producing energy, supplying GM operations in Ohio and Indiana, where manufactured vehicles include the Chevy Cruze, Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Hilltopper Wind Farm in Illinois will begin producing another 100 megawatts for GM manufacturing in the region. In Texas, where GM builds the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade, the automaker is getting 50 megawatts from Cactus Flats Wind Farm beginning October 9. Using wind power isn't just about being green, but also for the sake of price stability. As Rob Threlkeld, GM's global manager of renewable energy told the Free Press, "You don't get the price spikes this way, like you do with fuel, and it reduces the environment footprint of the vehicle you're driving." Threlkeld said that renewable energy has already meant "millions of dollars in savings" for GM. GM plans to power all of its global operations with renewable energy by 2050. This week, the automaker was ranked 76 on the EPA's "National Top 100 List" of green manufacturers. It was the only automotive company listed. Related Video: News Source: Detroit Free Press, GM, EPAImage Credit: GM Green Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM GMC Truck SUV wind power sustainability