Auto blog

Hummer EV SUV overland camper teased from GMC and EarthCruiser

At the end of March this year, GMC announced a collaboration with EarthCruiser. The automaker's Hummer team would work with the Oregon overlanding company's research and design division to develop an upfit for EVs, initially integrated into the Hummer EV pickup. For those not familiar with EarthCruiser, they’ve made wild overlanding vehicles like the Terranova, FX and EXP, pretty rad and pretty expensive stuff. The preview back then was a shadowy render that looked much like the silhouette of the Hummer SUV thanks to the living quarters slid into the pickup bed. The most apparent changes were solar panels integrated into the roof, and a cargo bay on the side of the slide-in. The duo's just put a much better tease on Instagram revealing the campfire-lit outline of what this version of an overland Hummer will look like. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. EarthCruiser is known for its pop-up roofs. This looks like a choice execution here, with near 360-degree visibility and integrated LEDs. Also, dig what looks like a platform off the back of the rig. We're going to guess that's either a slide-out or the rear flap on the camper top locked into the raised position. The cargo boxes on the side look neat, we look forward to finding out how they work and what they store. We also wonder if they'll be optional and whether they extend beyond the wheel arches, making a really wide pickup truck even wider.  We're not sure it will be "every overlanderÂ’s dream," but we are sure some stargazers are going to have some very sweet dreams in it. Slated for debut this month, look for it at Overland Expo Mountain West in Colorado, the same place the GMC Canyon AT4X OverlandX made its public debut in 2021, and where in Arizona last year the GMC showed the Sierra's outdoor potential with an Ultimate Overland Vehicle built on the Sierra 1500 AT4X.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.

2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra heavy duty trucks unveiled

Proving just how important trucks are in the Lone Star State, General Motors has chosen the State Fair of Texas to reveal its new heavy-duty trucks from Chevrolet and GMC. Looking to take some of the wind out of the sails of the 2014 Ram HD and 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty, the 2015 Chevy Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD will have plenty to brag about when they go on sale in the first quarter of next year.
The bragging starts right up front with two available engines. The standard engine is a Vortec 6.0-liter V8 that produces 360 horsepower in the 2500HD and 322 hp in the 3500HD to go along with 380 pound-feet of torque in all applications. The true benefit of this powerplant is that buyers can opt for it to run on straight gasoline, E85 FlexFuel or even compressed natural gas (CNG). For maximum towing and even more flexibility, the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel B20-capable V8 is the way to go, with its carryover 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque. Though the max towing abilities of 23,200 pounds (with a fifth-wheel trailer) are less than the 30,000-pound rating of the new Ram, the GM HD trucks offer better conventional trailer towing (19,600 pounds) and payload (7,374 pounds) than rival heavy-duty trucks...for now. The Duramax is paired with a six-speed Allison automatic transmission, while the gas engine gets GM's six-speed Hydra-Matic - no manual transmissions are offered.
Including the engines, GM continues to offer a broad range of configurations (more than 150, to be exact) including three cabs, two cargo bed lengths, numerous trim levels and, of course, the choice of single- or dual-rear wheels on the 3500. The HD trucks have faces that are similar to their half-ton counterparts, with the exception of a larger grille and bigger for improved air flow, and like the current HD offerings, the new Silverado HD and Sierra HD DRW models feature a one-piece bed design incorporating the fender extensions.