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GM updating fullsize pickups for 2015

As Ford prepares to hit the market with its x-factor, aluminum-intensive F-150 and Ram sales stand tall enough to meet General Motors truck sales eye-to-eye, GM is putting the word out that it's going to add more features to its trucks and do so more regularly. An executive engineer for pickups told reporters that "a whole array" of changes are on the way as soon as the 2015 model year and then would likely come "the year after that, the year after that, the year after that."
Only GM knows the way it plans to go with its fullsize trucks, with almost everyone else - including its dealers - griping about market share at the same time as they applaud profits and hope for clarity and growth. GM raised prices on the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra not long after launch even as it was losing market share and getting called "the least successful large pickup launch over the last 15 years," further upsetting dealers, then Ram outsold the Silverado in March of this year and led GM to increase incentives. But transaction prices rose with the premium; in the first quarter of this year more than 37 percent of the trucks costing more than $40,000 were the Silverado and Sierra, leading one dealer to say of the Sierra, "You can't sell a cheap one," and the analyst who made that "least successful launch" comment to opine, "GM may have made the right call to go for price over share."
We won't know for a few months what any of these updates will be, but the rumored changes for the Silverado and Sierra appear to cover all the bases, including appearance, capability and fuel economy. Rumors run to higher gear counts, stop-start technology and diesel engines before brand-new pickups come for the 2019 model year, those next-generation models supposedly to be engineered with a lot more aluminum.

Lincoln, GMC clean up in AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

In recent years, there have been a lot of dire pronouncements made about Lincoln's future, or a lack thereof. But Ford's premium marque is like the Rocky Balboa of the auto business; every time the company seems ready to go, it comes back for more. Apparently, that dogged persistence is paying off, because the industry analysts at AutoPacific have put a big check in their win column with their newly released 2014 model year vehicle satisfaction survey. And despite recent enmity for its seemingly never-ending recall saga, it appears General Motors knows how to satisfy new owners, too.
In fact, not only was Lincoln named as the premium brand with the highest new owner satisfaction, even scored three models on the list of passenger cars with the most gratified buyers - the MKS, MKZ and MKZ Hybrid.
GM's stable of brands was also among the top companies in this year's survey. GMC was named the top popular brand by AutoPacific, with its Sierra pickup and Acadia crossover singled out for awards in their segments. Chevrolet also did incredibly well, with more cars on the list than any other brand. The Corvette, Camaro, Sonic and Impala all made the cut in their respective categories.

GMC Hummer EV infotainment built with Unreal Engine used by 'Fortnite' and 'Rocket League'

We're only a couple weeks away from the reveal of the GMC Hummer EV truck and SUV. And we're expecting a lot of boasting about impressive capability and unique features. What we weren't expecting was for its infotainment system to be built on a video game engine. That's the news that has come out of Epic Games, creators of Unreal Engine, the basis of the Hummer's infotainment system. If you've been an avid video gamer anytime in the last 20 years, Unreal Engine should be recognizable. The first version of it powered Epic's "Unreal" and "Unreal Tournament" games, and more recent versions power multiplayer hits such as Epic's "Fortnite" and Psyonix's "Rocket League." The engine has been licensed out to countless other game developers for titles by both indie developers and large game companies. But its use in the GMC Hummer will be the first time it has powered a production car's infotainment system. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Epic didn't say which version of Unreal Engine is being used in the Hummer. Presumably it's a version of Unreal Engine 4, since Unreal Engine 5 hasn't been released yet. Also, while Epic released a trailer announcing the partnership and showcasing Unreal's 3D rendering and menu developing tools, it doesn't give us a peak at what the infotainment and instruments of the Hummer will look like. The company does tout fast boot-up times, powerful graphics, and over-the-air updates as useful features included with Unreal. But for a clear look at the final product, we'll have to wait for the October 20 reveal. Related Video: