4x4 Denali 6.6l Duramax Diesel Navigation Sun Roof Back-up Camera Tow Package on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Detroit Three's lucrative pickup war intensifies as Ram makes big gains

DETROIT — The battle for profits from sales of large pickup trucks is intensifying among the Detroit Three automakers as sales of small cars in the United States shrivel. For decades Ford has had the single best-selling truck brand in its F-Series trucks. General Motors' Chevrolet brand was a solid No. 2, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram was a distant third. Now, that hierarchy may be in flux. Sales figures for December and the fourth quarter released on Thursday show Ram tied with GM's Chevy for the No. 2 spot, as sales of the redesigned Ram pickup surged, fueled in part by demand for an optional 12-inch (30.48 cm) dashboard screen. Chevy not long ago held second place to Ford by a wide margin. GM executives said on Thursday they are bullish on their new GMC and Chevy trucks for 2019.Related: How the Detroit Three's pickups compare on paper 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie review 2019 Chevy Silverado 2.7L four-cylinder review 2019 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost review "There's no doubt this segment (pickup trucks) is one of the epicenters of the auto wars," said Sandor Piszar, director of marketing for Chevrolet at GM. "It's been that way forever, and we wouldn't have it any other way." On Wall Street, investors give electric car leader Tesla a higher valuation than any of the Detroit automakers. But in the nation's heartland, big pickups remain far more popular and profitable than any electric car — and most other consumer vehicles of any kind. Large pickups generate at least $17,000 a vehicle in pretax profit for GM, the company has indicated in disclosures to investors. By contrast, many Detroit Three sedans are so unprofitable, their manufacturers have decided not to build them anymore. 'Hotly contested' Sustaining sales and pricing in the large-pickup segment will be critical in a year when most forecasters expect overall U.S. car and light truck sales to fall. Ford's U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, on Thursday called the F Series "the backbone of our franchise" during a conference call, and added the "segment will continue to be strong, but hotly contested" in 2019. Automakers are banking on pickup truck sales to stay strong even if U.S. interest rates continue to rise. Rising interest rates translate into higher monthly car payments and are expected to deter some buyers in 2019. GM has said 27 percent of Chevrolet and GMC trucks — which can haul trailers by day and substitute for a luxury sedan by night — sell for more than $55,000.

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.

2017 GMC Acadia First Drive

We're in the midst of the Second Great CUV War, and the crossovers are winning by a lot. Compact sedans are being hauled around the side of idled factories and unceremoniously shot. FCA, whose be-sweatered CEO is either omnipotent or a troll of the highest order, is organizing a last stand around profit-dense SUVs and trucks on the off chance that gas prices don't rise ever again. It's the tall wagon's finest hour, and GMC is hoping the new Acadia will capture a share of the glory. The old Lambda-platform Acadia was introduced in 2007, leading the full-size, three-row crossover charge that spawned a quartet of semi-indistinct variants, including a Saturn. (Remember Saturn?) These four were truck-like in heft and capabilities, but lighter and better-mannered than their body-on-frame counterparts – and with an unusually stout 5,000-pound towing capacity. The Lambda siblings bombarded established beachheads on the sales territories occupied by minivans and truck-based SUVs. Last year, GMC moved nearly 100,000 Acadias in the US, the best year ever for the model. Now GMC shows up with a deflated Acadia for 2017, 7.2 inches shorter overall, 3.5 inches narrower, and with a 6.4-inch-shorter wheelbase. The company has even carved something like 700 pounds out of its previously portly unibody, mostly due to the size reduction but also through an increase in the percentage of high-strength steel and the use of lighter soundproofing materials. GM's C1XX platform was launched with the Cadillac XT5 earlier this year, and this GMC version is the second to appear. There's even an available four-banger, but more on that in a bit. What remains to be seen is whether the downsized Acadia represents a leaner, meaner fighter or if GMC is sending it into battle hamstrung. Outside, the new Acadia is stealthily innocuous. Gone is some of the lozenge-ness of the outgoing Acadia, but don't fret about it standing out from the crowd. The overall styling falls into lockstep with the Sierra and Canyon. The cut of the rear window, with an upsweep at the trailing edge, emulates the brand's mid-sized truck offering. A chrome mustache cuts across the front fascia below the grille, and there's more brightwork around the front side windows and at the crease below the scallop in the doors. The taillights are more contemporary than before, with an attractive elongated C element comprised of LEDs.