1984 Gmc Sierra 1500 Classic 3500 Dually on 2040-cars

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GM pushing back on proposed pickup and SUV brake recall [w/poll]

Through the first six months of 2014, General Motors has recalled 29 million cars and trucks in 54 different actions. If your author's notoriously sketchy math is correct, that'd work out to one recall every 3.5 days (as of this writing). GM is actively fighting to make sure there isn't a 55th recall, though.
Safety critics, including perennial nemesis Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety, are calling on GM to recall a further six million pickup trucks and SUVs in northerly climes due to corroding brake lines caused by the use of road salt. There is a catch, here, though ­- the vehicles in question are over 10 years old, and include the 1999 to 2003 Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and GMC Sierra, as well as the 2000 to 2003 Tahoe and Yukon (shown above).
GM issued the following statement on the matter, obtained by CNN Money:

How Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra will take on the Ford F-150 profit machine

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — When General Motors engineers were developing the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, some of them joined public tours of Ford's Dearborn, Mich., factory to watch aluminum-bodied F-Series trucks go down the assembly line. The redesign of the Ford F-Series trucks, launched in 2014, set a new standard for fuel economy and lightweight vehicle construction. But armed with stopwatches and trained eyes, the GM engineers believed they saw problems. "They had a real hard time getting those doors to fit," Tim Herrick, the executive chief engineer for GM truck programs, told Reuters. His team did more intelligence gathering. They bought and tore apart Ford F-Series doors sold as repair parts. Their conclusion: GM could cut weight in its trucks for a lower cost using doors made of a combination of aluminum and high-strength steel that could be thinner than standard steel, shaving off kilograms in the process. These pounds-and-pennies decisions will have major implications in the highest-stakes game going in Detroit: dominance in the world's most profitable vehicle market, the gasoline-fueled large pickup segment. What's more, GM is banking on strong sales of overhauled 2019 Silverados and GMC Sierras to fund its push into automated and electric vehicles — a business many investors see as the auto industry's long-term future. The risks are high given the hits automakers have taken from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies. Rising aluminum prices spurred by Trump's tariffs are driving up costs on the Ford's F-Series, while rising steel and aluminum prices likewise drag on GM results. GM also has a significant risk should the United States, Mexico and Canada fail to agree on a new NAFTA trade deal, given GM trucks built at its Silao, Mexico, factory could face a 25 percent tariff if NAFTA collapses. Major profit per truck Interviews with GM executives and a tour at its factory here in northwest Indiana provide a detailed look inside GM's plan for the most important vehicles in its global lineup. These big pickups are everything Tesla's Model 3 or Chevy's Bolt electric car is not. The mostly steel body is bolted to the truck's steel frame, rather than the one-piece body and frame electric vehicles. The majority of trucks will have a V-8 gasoline engine powering the rear wheels — like the classic GM cars of the 1950s. Some Silverados will have new four-cylinder engines, but there is no electric or hybrid offering as of now.

GMC introduces off-road performance package for Sierra AT4

GMC is giving its off-road-focused Sierra AT4 pickup even more performance with some factory-installed upgrades. The package is called the AT4 Off-Road Performance Package. With it you'll get the 6.2-liter V8 engine upgrade, cat-back performance exhaust system, performance air intake and 18-inch aluminum wheels shod in Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. The upgraded performance comes in the form of extra power. Thanks to the bolt-ons, you gain 15 horsepower and 9 pound-feet of torque over the 6.2-liter in stock form. This increases output to 435 horsepower and 469 pound-feet of torque — not too shabby. This package is priced at $4,940, and available for order now. That's a hefty price for what amounts to some minimal bolt-on modifications you could easily do yourself. However, buying it through GM means you get to keep your warranty in place. The Sierra AT4 already has more off-road features than a normal Sierra 1500. You're getting a two-inch lift, four-wheel drive with two-speed transfer case, locking rear differentials, skid plates, Rancho off-road shocks and hill descent control. Both the wheels and tires are available as options already, but this package just bunches related stuff together. It'll be up to you to decide if an exhaust and intake are worth the extra dough. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.