As planned GMC unveiled its refreshed Acadia SUV at the Chicago Auto Show this week, but the GM truck division also prepared a surprise.
In addition to the standard-trim truck, GMC showcased the top-trim Denali version, complete with 20-inch wheels, an upgraded interior and paint-matched body cladding to deliver a more luxurious look.
For more on both vehicles, watch out first look video below.
Nobody expected there to be a second car under cloth at the GMC display this morning, but two CUVs were ready to bare it all shortly after 9 a.m. today at the Chicago Auto Show.
The fancier version designed for more luxury-oriented customers gets a host of upgrades meant to set it apart from the standard model.
“When designing the new Acadia, we considered the contemporary shapes and materials GMC buyers expect from many products they buy,” said Dave Lyon, executive director of design for the Acadia. “The Denali’s attention to detail is the ultimate demonstration of that.”
In a side interview, he said they chose to make the Denali’s interior look “a little warmer, to soften the feeling.” He also mentioned that the steering wheel’s wood inserts are made of real wood, where the standard model gets “real aluminum, but fake wood. Most people just want it to look good. We had trouble getting the aluminium to match the real wood [in the standard model],” he said.
Aside from nice visual touches, the Denali comes with standard blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert systems, which are options in the cheaper model.
The exterior is rethought as well, including a shining chrome grille, 20-inch machined wheels and a chrome exhaust. Customers also get lower, redesigned front and rear fascias. The wrap-around rear window, which is new to both models, gives the Denali an especially luxurious look with tinted windows wrapping around the back and accenting the wheels.
Both the Denali and standard models will be available at dealerships late this year, though pricing details haven’t been announced yet.
Watch AutoGuide’s first look video of the Acadia Denali and Acadia below:
GMC unveiled its 2013 Acadia crossover, alongside a surprise reveal of the more luxury-oriented Denali trim level, today at the Chicago Auto Show.
The 2013 model will feature the same 3.6-liter V6 engine making 288 horsepower, though Tony Disalle, vice president of GMC marketing said the new Acadia will benefit from a new Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission that will improve efficiency and driveability.
The standard Acadia gets a new exterior design featuring LED lighting and standard projector beam headlamps or optional HIDs. Plus, it’s hard to miss the more flat-fronted grille and boxier fender flares, style elements borrowed from the popular Traverse.
Inside the Acadia gets new seats, plus a standard color touch radio, Bluetooth and a backup camera. Optional goodies include GM’s Intellilink system; a version of the MyLink telematics interface found on Chevy products.
There are also new standard safety features, including an industry-first front-center airbag that deploys during a side-impact crash to keep font seat occupants safe from one another during impact.
The Acadia Denali model comes standard with blind spot detection and cross traffic alert systems, both of which can be added to the standard model.
Aside from standard safety features, the Denali model features GMC’s “three dimensional polished grille”, which glistens with chrome. The interior gets a few extra touches as well, with richer-looking wood trim around the shifter than the standard model.
The Denali also gets larger, 20-inch machined wheels to deliver a more luxurious appearance, as well as dual chrome exhaust pipes. See our pictures of the 2013 Acadia below.
Watch AutoGuide’s first look video of the Acadia and Acadia Denali below:
At present, save from slight trim and equipment (such as the Denali trim package shown above) there really isn’t much to differentiate the GMC Sierra from it’s Chevy Silverado counterpart. However, that’s set to change.
During an interview in Detroit, Mark Reuss, GM’s North American President said that for the next generation of GM full-size pickups, due for launch as 2014 models, the plan is to move the Sierra more upmarket with a greater list of standard equipment, more distinctive sheetmetal and corresponding higher sticker prices; a similar strategy has so far proved quite successful for GMC’s line of SUVs.
Such a move finally sweeps away the last vestiges of badge-engineering at America’s biggest automaker, something the “old” General Motors was notoriously known for.
“I think you will see equipment and models attacked very differently,” Reuss declared. “If we are going to carry two brands, we are going to make them pay their way.”
[Source: Autoweek]
Fuel mileage, horsepower and overall performance are key ingredients in the recipe for any successful car these days.
Maybe that’s why GM made the announcement to reporters at the North American International Auto Show that they plan to scrap the unimpressive naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four cylinder found in the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Buick‘s Verano and Regal. In it’s place, a 2.5-liter direct injected (cue fireworks) Ecotec inline four! The new engine will be 18 horses peppier than its predecessor for a total of 190 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. It’s also going to be a lot less noisy, smoother and best of all, more efficient.
GM said they plan to make the transition between engines within the next 12 months, so look forward to a more refined American experience from GM.
The 2012 Detroit Auto Show has just began, but it’s never too early to start talking about the next major American auto show, the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. GMC confirmed that the new 2013 Acadia will debut at the Chicago Auto Show next month, giving their truck division something new to get excited about.
For the most part when GM first debuted their three-row crossovers back in late 2006, they were revolutionary and made strides in changing the market. But now that we’re in 2012, a refresh is desperately needed on many of their models in order to compete with other automakers, and it appears that the Acadia will spearhead the next-generation of GM’s crossovers.
The Acadia shares GM’s Lambda front-drive, three-row crossover platform with Buick‘s Enclave, Chevrolet‘s Traverse and the now defunct Saturn Outlook. Not much has been announced on the new Acadia, but speculation has us believe that it’ll incorporate an updated version of the Lambda platform and could see GM’s 3.6L V6 under the hood with around 315-hp.
The infotainment department will surely get a refresh with all of the current generation toys including GMC’s IntelliLink audio and navigation system.
Making its way on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick for 2012 is the all-new Buick Verano. This raises General Motors IIHS Top Safety Pick award count to 14 in 2012 – not too shabby.
Equipped with 10 standard air bags, the Verano came out with a good score in the IIHS tests for front and side crash tests, roof strength test, and rear impact test. The Verano also features standard electronic stability control, which the IIHS requires for Top Safety Pick designation.
“GM set a goal that every new product would be designed to meet or exceed the third-party metrics that IIHS and others use to communicate crash worthiness to consumers,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety. “We are now seeing the results from that commitment.”
Of the GM vehicles that made it to IIHS’s 2012 Top Safety Pick award list, 13 models had previously qualified for the 2011 award. These vehicles were carried over to 2012 because its structure is substantially the same as the IIHS tested for 2011. Carrying over for 2012 awards are the Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Enclave; the Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic, Volt, Equinox, Malibu and Traverse; the Cadillac CTS (sedan) and SRX, and GMC Terrain and Acadia.
General Motors is targeting a safety issue with new equipment that until now has been unaddressed.
They plan to release a front-seat center-airbag (pictured above) that deploys between the driver and passenger seats. The new feature is supposed to improve safety in the event of far-side impact crashes, which statistics show to be responsible for 11 percent of all crash-related deaths.
When such a crash occurs, the bag deploys in 26 milliseconds using a combination of pressurized argon and pyrotechnic gas. It forms a hard barrier between the passenger and driver sides of the vehicle, protecting against the possibility of two people damaging each other during a collision. The bag is also angled away from the passenger seat to keep the driver from smashing against the center console and is sturdy enough to help protect against a poll during such a crash.
GM developed the device in partnership with Takata, which stays rigidly inflated for several minutes after impact. Expect to see it in the 2013 Buick Enclave as standard equipment and as an option in the GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse. According to MotorTrend, GM chose the crossovers because they are the most likely to carry extra passengers. Despite being an option, the new airbags should appear on about 90 percent of these models.
The safety blitz isn’t stopping there, though, GM is also offering a low-cost safety system that offers both front crash detection and lane departure warning systems for only $295. That’s a bargain compared to the thousands it costs for similar features on Mercedes or BMW cars.
The difference is that GM’s technology takes advantage of a high-definition camera capable of processing 14 images per second through the car’s computer. In doing so, it recognizes pedestrians, motorcycles, cars and trucks while calculating your risk of hitting them. That risk is determined by how quickly the object in question is moving. The camera is mounted on the passenger side of the rear-view mirror, behind the windshield.
The system can be toggled to chirp at near, medium or far settings and can even be shut off completely. It also remembers what distance you set it to last when restarted. The notification system combines a red warning light on the dashboard with a series of eight beeps through the front stereo speakers. The system activates if the driver fails to signal a lane change and lower warning tones come from on the speakers on the corresponding side.
There might be plans in the future for GM to employ more safety features like high beam assist and traffic signal recognition but those features are more expensive because they use radar instead of the camera.
Expect the camera-based features to appear first on the 2012 GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Equinox.
[Source: MotorTrend]
With Chevrolet recently revealing the new 2013 Trailblazer for global markets speculation has begun that GM could be considering a new Envoy for GMC based on the same platform.
It actually makes sense, considering that Chevrolet reportedly has no plans to bring the Trailblazer to North America as of today. Instead, building a new Envoy and letting GMC sell it exclusively would add another formidable midsize SUV to the truck brand. In the recent years, GMC has launched the new Terrain and some revised HD trucks, but that’s about it. Bringing back the Envoy could give GMC some attention and a unique product that fits into their truck brand.
[Source: GM Inside News]
While automakers and outside research firms publish sales figures and earnings reports on a regular basis, one metric we rarely get a glimpse of is how profitable each vehicle is. In an era of re-badging and platform sharing, one would think that the most profitable vehicles are those with a large number of derivatives to spread the cost around. But a new report from Bernstein Research suggests that two factors – price point and volume – are the keys to making big bucks off vehicles. And judging by the list, longevity seems to help as well.
Number 12 on the list is the Toyota Camry, and for good reason. The Camry has a number of factors in its favor – massive volumes, an accessible price point and its made in America (currency fluctuations, particularly a rise in the euro or yen, can make exports unprofitable). Bernstein’s report notes that high volume cars at a medium price point are one of the keys to profitability, and the Camry might be the textbook definition of this formula. The Camry’s twin, the Lexus ES350, was absent from the list, but no doubt earns its keep, as a gilded version of the Camry.
![Meredes CLS Shooting Brake: Lookin’ Fine in Winter Time [Spy Photos]](http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/wp-content/uploads//2012/02/Mercedes-CLS-Shooting-Brake-thumb.jpg "Meredes CLS Shooting Brake: Lookin’ Fine in Winter Time [Spy Photos]")
Meredes CLS Shooting Brake: Lookin’ Fine in Winter Time [Spy Photos]
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