2014 Gmc Acadia Slt-1 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Autoweek dubs GMC Canyon, VW GTI its 2015 'Best of the Best'

For kids around the globe, tis the season for Santa, reindeer and presents. For the automotive industry, the last quarter of each year is reserved for awards, whether they come from Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Automobile, or yes, Autoblog. The latest to get released comes from our friends at Autoweek. The magazine has echoed other outlets, naming a Volkswagen hatchback and a small pickup from General Motors as its Best of the Best. Unlike Motor Trend, which handed out its golden calipers to the Chevrolet Colorado and Volkswagen Golf range, Autoweek doled out its awards to the Colorado's twin, the GMC Canyon, while singling out the hottest version of the Golf, the GTI. "This is the best hot-hatch on the American market – and it may be the best car you can buy for less than $30K," one AW staffer said in the publication's article on the feature. Other staffers praised the absolute value provided by the GTI and the overall fun factor. The Canyon, meanwhile, was saluted for being "the perfect size," not to mention its excellent build quality, feature-rich cabin and overall practicality. "It's truly a truck in the most honest sense of the word," Autoweek wrote of the Canyon. Scroll down for the full press release on the announcement from Autoweek, which includes comments from both Volkswagen and GMC. And then head over and read AW's full feature on the awards. Autoweek names Best of the Best/Car and Truck for 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI and GMC Canyon signal a strong year for design, performance and value DETROIT, Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Autoweek named the Volkswagen Golf GTI as its Best of the Best/Car for 2015, beating a group of finalists that includes the Alfa Romeo 4C, Ford Mustang and Mercedes-Benz C-class; and the GMC Canyon as its Best of the Best/Truck for 2015, besting the likes of the Chevrolet Colorado, Lincoln MKC and Porsche Macan. Autoweek evaluates every new or significantly updated model throughout the year and begins to identify the standouts. Performance, economy, fit and finish, design, value, significance to the auto industry and personal taste all combine to define the Best of the Best. Four cars and four trucks make the grade, and Autoweek editors put them through rigorous road-handling tests at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. This is where a vehicle transcends the numbers and shows if design, performance and pure driving passion meld into an Autoweek Best of the Best pick.

GM to sink over $900M into 4 plants, mostly for a new V8

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors says it will spend more than $900 million to update four factories, with the bulk going to an engine plant in Flint, Michigan, to build the next-generation V8 for big pickup trucks and SUVs. Factories in Rochester, New York; Defiance, Ohio; and Bay City, Michigan, also will see investments, some to make V8 engine components as well as parts for future electric vehicles, the company said Friday. The investments won't create any new jobs, but they will preserve about 2,400 hourly and salaried positions positions at the four sites, the company said. The investments “provide job security at these plants for years to come,” Gerald Johnson, GM's manufacturing chief, said in a statement. Much of the money, $579 million, will go to Flint Engine Operations for equipment to build the sixth-generation small-block V8 that will go into the next round of big pickup trucks and SUVs. The plant now employs about 700 people who also will keep making their current product, a diesel engine used in light trucks. GM, like other automakers, is facing stricter government fuel economy standards and pollution limits starting in the 2024 model year. New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to average at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026, up from about 28 mpg, under new Biden administration rules that undo a rollback of standards enacted under former President Donald Trump. That means the new V8 will have to get better mileage and pollute less than the current versions. Although GM wouldn't release details on the new engine, Johnson said during a news conference at the Flint plant that it would be more efficient than the current version. GM has a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035, but Johnson said that's a dozen years out, a period when many customers will still want gas engines. “We know that has a horizon,” he said. “Between here and there, there are a lot of internal combustion customers that we don't want to lose,” he said. In addition to Flint, GM's engine components plant in Bay City, Michigan, will get $216 million to build camshafts and connecting rods, and to machine engine blocks and heads for the new V8 being built in Flint. The plant now employs about 425. The Defiance, Ohio, foundry will get $55 million to build a variety of block castings for the new V8. Included is $8 million for castings to support future electric vehicles, the company said. The plant has about 530 employees.

2021 GMC Sierra adds towing tech, new HD Black Diamond Edition

Trailer towing is the focus of several new technologies coming to the 2021 GMC Sierra pickup, with the new features available both on the Sierra 1500 and the Sierra HD. The 2021 Sierra also sees expanded availability of GMC's MultiPro tailgate, a price cut for the available 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel six, and a new Black Diamond Edition of the Sierra HD. Pickup truck makers are engaged in a trailering-technology arms race. Already, the GMC Sierra offers its ProGrade Trailering package that features a "Transparent Trailer" virtual camera view and a Rear Trailer View that uses an auxiliary camera mounted on the back of the trailer. To that, GMC is adding a Trailer Length Indicator that can alert drivers of another vehicle in the adjoining lane during a signaled lane-change. A new Jack-Knife Alert warns the driver if the front of the trailer approaches the rear of the tow vehicle. The warning appears in the center screen and can also trigger a seat vibration. The previous Rear Side View split-screen now also works when reversing and adjusts for the angle of the trailer. The Cargo Bed View now includes a zoom feature and hitch guidance for connecting gooseneck trailers. Finally, the previous Rear Trailer View adds a trailer-angle indicator and dynamic guidelines. In other equipment news, the six-position MultiPro tailgate is newly available on the Sierra 1500 SEL and Elevation trims and standard on the Sierra HD SLE. The fancy Sierra HD Denali adds Surround Vision and Bed View cameras to the standard-equipment list. Standard and optional engine choices for the Sierra are unchanged for 2021, but the price of the optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine in the Sierra 1500 is reduced by $1,500. For 2021, on models where the 5.3-liter V8 is standard (SLT, AT4, and Denali), the upcharge will be $995. For the SLE and Elevation, where the 2.7-liter V6 is standard, the cost to upgrade to the diesel is now $2,390, again a decrease of $1,500. Lastly, the Sierra HD adds a Denali Black Diamond Edition. It includes 20-inch gloss-black wheels, power-retractable side steps, premium audio by Kicker, an Auxiliary Trailer Camera, trailer tire-pressure monitor sensors, and premium floor mats with removable carpet inserts. It comes in any color you want so long as it's Ebony Twilight Metallic. The Black Diamond Edition is pictured above. Related Video: