2013 Gmc Sierra Crew Tx Edition Leather 20's 26k Miles Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

United States drivers buying fewer Mexican-made cars

Crossovers and pickup trucks are not only growing in market share, they're also more profitable than cars. A crossover on the same platform as a sedan retails for thousands more, despite similar components. It's one of the reasons we've seen automakers rapidly shifting production of their sedans and hatchbacks to Mexico, where cheap labor preserves the thin profit margins on these inexpensive vehicles. But as the market continues to shift in the United States, Mexico is getting burned by its lack of product diversity. The country's auto exports, which are heavy on cars, suffered a 16-percent drop last month, Automotive News reports. In total, year-over-year exports fell from 233,515 to 197,020 last month, while year-to-date exports are down by 7.4 percent, from 922,029 to 854,118. The number one culprit? America – which usually accounts for 75 percent of Mexico's exports – and its appetite for crossovers and pickup trucks bolstered by cheap gas prices. While Mexico does build some light truck models – AN specifically calls out the Ram 2500, Honda HR-V, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tacoma as export leaders – the vast majority of vehicles rolling out of its factories are sedans and hatchbacks. In fact, the three biggest drops in Mexican exports came from companies whose south of the border factories only build cars – Ford (Fusion/Lincoln MKZ and Fiesta), Mazda (Mazda3), and Volkswagen (Golf and Jetta). Mexican Automotive Industry Association President Eduardo Solis told AN the export shortfall will likely be sorted out sooner rather than later, thanks to a pair of new factories – a Kia car factory and an Audi SUV plant – that are coming online by year's end. The two facilities will add around 100,000 vehicles to the country's export totals, which Solis said should leave the industry on the verge of breaking another export record in 2016. But how sustainable will these record-breaking years be? Slapping an "Hecho en Mexico" sticker on a new German SUV won't be enough to change the fact that Mexico's product mix is tilted too heavily towards body styles that are not growing in volume. Mexico's record-breaking export years probably aren't at an end, but we'd argue they're certainly under threat. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Ford GMC Honda Mazda RAM Volkswagen Truck Crossover SUV Mexico

2014 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra full configurators truck in

You can now put prices to your wildest option-sheet dreams of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. A microsite for the full-size pickup truck twins has been up since January, and now the full-blown configurator is live and ready to take your virtual orders. The only two chassis configurations available at the moment are the Crew Cab with either a short or standard bed - Regular and Double Cab versions will come later. In Silverado flavors that will run you $32,710 for the short box, $33,010 for the standard box, while the Sierra adds a $1,500 premium to both of those prices, and destination and handling for both models adds another $995.
Since these are American pickups the list of modifications is lengthy, but we added $11,450 in just two steps by starting with the Silverado Crew Cab and standard bed, then checking four-wheel drive and the LTZ Z71 package. Our final truck, resplendent in Brownstone Metallic paint, heated and cooled Cocoa/Dune perforated leather seating and tasty details like chrome recovery hooks, and engine block heater and LED cargo box lighting, rang up $57,285 at the candy store.
They'll be on dealer lots sometime this summer, so now's a good time to start practicing your box-checking.

2016 GMC Canyon Diesel Quick Spin [w/video]

The 2016 GMC Canyon Diesel and the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Diesel are basically the same truck. This isn't really news – the two midsize pickups have been discussed side by side since their inception. If you stop reading right now, go to our First Drive story from last week, and replace "Colorado" with "Canyon," you won't miss a beat. Samesies. Looks-wise, the Canyon is a bit more polished overall than the Colorado on which its based. The front fascia has a more upscale, yet tough aura, the squared-off headlamps mimic those of the Sierra, and the alloy wheels – especially those on this SLT tester – are a premium touch. Inside the cabin, it's all carryover stuff from the Chevy truck, just with different badges and some unique color/trim combos. So it's a Colorado Diesel with a Canyon treatment. It's the typical GMC updo. But that's fine by me; this thing's a real sweetheart. Driving Notes Talk about smooth operator. This is one of the least harsh diesel engines I've ever tested, with low levels of vibration. Credit for that goes to the fancy German torque converter, as our own David Gluckman detailed in the Colorado First Drive. There's there's also very little in the way of turbo lag in this truck, aiding the silky character. I kind of miss the "turbo moment" woosh of power, but I'll happily trade that for total overall refinement. GMC hasn't released official fuel economy figures just yet, and my drive route wasn't exactly great for testing the ol' miles per gallon rating. I spent about 45 minutes slogging through traffic in Manhattan (perfect place for a diesel pickup, right?), before getting out onto the highway for another 45 or so. The combined trip returned numbers in the mid-20s, but I have to believe this truck can do better. The steering is vague, the body rolls – it drives like a pickup. That said, even though it's on the larger side of midsize, the Canyon is easy to maneuver, sight lines are great, and it's a generally pleasant-handling truck. The 2.8-liter Duramax diesel engine adds about 200 pounds to the Canyon's overall curb weight, but you don't notice from behind the wheel. Braking feel is smooth and solid, and the truck doesn't feel especially nose-heavy. Despite the anti-aero shape, the Canyon delivers a quiet ride with very little wind or road noise. Credit this to all the sound deadening material added to keep unpleasant diesel chugga-chugga-chugga noises out of the cabin.