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Left to bear the brunt as General Motors’ sole division devoted exclusively to pickups and sport-utility vehicles, GMC has released most of the evolutionary changes to its lineup for the near future — save for the on-again/off-again chance of producing the small, car-based Granite. Here’s what we know so far about the changes in store for GMC over the next couple of years:
Future
The most speculative news surrounds the Granite, a proposed Scion xB hatch-box lookalike. If produced, the Granite would share the same platform as the front-wheel drive Chevrolet Cruze — a significant departure for the maker of large pickups and SUVs. GM management has gone back and forth about producing a vehicle like the Granite. If it’s given the green light, it likely won’t hit the road until 2013 at the earliest.
Current lineup
GMC’s Canyon pickup receives a stay of execution until 2012, when its production is scheduled to end. Although GM is working on a global replacement for the Chevrolet Colorado, there are currently no plans to sell that vehicle in the U.S.
No big news for the hot-selling, midsize Terrain SUV, aside from a rumored Denali trim level. It’s set to be restyled in 2013, and a possible hybrid is on the way one year later.
A Denali trim level of the Acadia was added recently, but the large SUV continues mostly unchanged for 2011. A more significant update to the lineup will come in 2012, when the 3.6-liter V-6 is replaced by a 3.0-liter V-6.
Although it was rumored that the next generation of the Yukon and Yukon XL would move to the Lambda platform that underpins the Acadia, body-on-frame fans won the argument. The next-gen Yukon, due around 2014, will likely share components with the next Sierra pickup. By then, GM may rework its two-mode hybrid system for better efficiency in towing and hauling.
Compressed natural gas will likely become optional on the Sierra pickup for 2012, and a refresh is due in 2014. The Sierra heavy-duty pickups were reworked for 2011, and will generally follow the timetable for other Sierra upgrades through 2014, with a slight delay.
But GMC’s Savana van will be among the first of the lineup to be CNG-compatible, starting in 2011. It soldiers on as the marque’s lone van offering, against an increasing number of smaller, more efficient competitors.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
I like the Granite because it’s not a badge engineered product, unlike EVERYTHING GMC currently offers. Hey, GMC….the Ford Transit Connect is cool, practical and efficient. How about something along those lines? Small truck sale are sagging because theres NO INVESTMENT IN NEW PRODUCT in this segment. I think all kinds of tradesmen would love to have an efficient pick-up truck of some kind. GMC should focus on one of these.