2011 Gmc Savana 2500 Base Extended Cargo Van--155 Wb on 2040-cars

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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.

2020 GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD spied on public roads

We saw spy shots of the Chevrolet Silverado HD a short time ago, and now it looks like GM has got the 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks running around in public too. The one we're looking at here appears to be a 2500 Denali Crew Cab, distinguished easily by the same Denali grille on the 2019 Sierra 1500. Aesthetic differences between the front fascias on the 1500 and 2500 HD are small, but the 2500 is a bit more muscular in the hood and lower trim treatment. GMC doesn't look like it's hiding a whole lot with this camouflage, since the sheets over the grille and headlights are mostly transparent. The black tarp over what appears to be a hood scoop leads us to believe it will have the same type of hood design as the 2018 HD. Other interesting bits revealed here are around the rear of the pickup. We can see the same interface for the MultiPro six-way tailgate on this truck as the 1500, so at least the Denalis will have the trick tailgate (we'd expect every trim to have it, though). Just like we saw on the Silverado, the Sierra HD gets the stepside feature just ahead of the rear wheels. LED taillights are clearly visible through the thin veiling, and GM's rear steps remain as well. in addition to this 2500 HD, our spy photographers also caught a 3500 HD model. This one isn't a Denali, as the grille shows its hand again. The grille is different than any of GM's designs on the new trucks we've seen thus far, actually. GMC showed us a teaser of what a new Silverado HD grille would look like months ago, but this differs even further than that. It looks rather minimalistic under the sheet for now, with strong horizontal slats. The actual shape and design of the truck is revealed for the most part, since it's just wearing a thin body wrap. Its mirror design appears to be different from last year's, as the arm is completely solid. A sidestep right in front of the rear wheels carries over from the 2500 HD too. We imagine both this truck and the Silverado HD will debut early next year during auto show season. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

J.D. Power customer survey of dealers counts Cadillac, Buick as big winners

Cadillac and Buick have taken the trophies in J.D. Power's latest Customer Service Index Study examining satisfaction with dealer service. Surveying more than 90,000 owners and lessees of 2009-2013 model-year cars, the study found that those with pre-paid maintenance packages were ten percent more likely to buy their next car from the same brand.
Dealer satisfaction scores have improved overall, Cadillac nabbed the luxury segment ahead of Audi and Lexus, taking the crown that Lexus held last year. Buick keeps the mass-market dealer satisfaction win in the family, finishing ahead of Volkswagen and last year's winner GMC. The study also found that service department use of tablets increased customer satisfaction, as did "best practices" like "providing helpful advice." Who knew?
You can find details on those and more findings in the press release below.