GMTruckGuy74

http://lancaster.craigslist.org/ctd/2494225641.html I've always been a fan of the '91 & '92 Chevy Caprice, and stalk ones I see in my town (keeping an eye out for "For Sale" signs to appear). Too bad it's way out of my price range, as I'd love this '91 (or even a '92) Chevrolet Caprice LTZ Sedan.

Thanks all for your help!!

I couldn't tell myself, thanks in advance for your help!

I would expect to see these new pickups on sale a year from now (late summer, early fall of 2012 as MY 2013 trucks). If that's the case, how is one year too long? the article you posted says " as the automaker prepares for next-generation full-size pickups, expected in 2013." So maybe they will be MY2014....reasonable, 7 years since the last redo... And that's the Detroit Free Press' words there, Potluck. GM has not spoken about the official release date yet, and in the past they have debutted the trucks earlier as full-size pickups are cash cows for the company. And I'll agree with Cubical in that even if they are MY2014 that still isn't a bad wait... what's really a shame is the GMT-355 program soldiering on as long as it has without any major investments in body, interior, or drivetrain upgrades. There should have been a MCE in 2009 the latest, and nothing.

I would expect to see these new pickups on sale a year from now (late summer, early fall of 2012 as MY 2013 trucks). If that's the case, how is one year too long?

I agree with your comparison of the ASiM vs. MSiM... though in Philadelphia they gave away Philly Pretzels and bottled water

GM to invest $328 million in Michigan assembly plant By CHRISSIE THOMPSON - Detroit Free Press DETROIT General Motors Co. will invest $328 million in its Flint, Mich. assembly plant, creating or preserving about 150 jobs, as the automaker prepares for next-generation full-size pickups, expected in 2013. "That is the bread and butter of General Motors," Dana Rouse, the United Auto Workers bargaining chairman at the Flint factory, said of the pickups. Some of the factory updates are already in progress. For instance, the plant's shutdown during the first two weeks of July allowed some of the work to be done. Still, the plant will likely close for about eight weeks next year to prepare to build the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, people familiar with the plans have told the Free Press. "This investment will allow us to continue building award-winning full-size pickups that offer better fuel efficiency than ever before without sacrificing features and functionality," said Cathy Clegg, GM vice president of labor relations. GM had already said it would add a third shift worth about 750 jobs to the Flint factory this year, with the positions going to transfers and laid-off workers. Monday's Flint announcement is part of the 4,000-job, eight-state hiring blitz CEO Dan Akerson trumpeted in May, as GM prepares for U.S. consumer demand for cars and trucks to continue to grow. GM has already announced the bulk of those jobs, including 2,500 new jobs at its Detroit-Hamtramck factory. GM's burgeoning pickup inventory has worried analysts this year, even before Flint's third shift has started building trucks. The automaker ended June with a 122-day supply, and GM says it wants to trim that to 100 to 110 days' worth. That's still well beyond analysts' typical recommendations. Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, has told the Free Press that GM plans to trim production as truck inventories increase. But GM is comfortable building inventories in the coming years, he said, so it doesn't run short when it transitions to the next-generation pickups. The Flint factory is still waiting for GM to green-light a plan to spend $417 million to build a new paint shop for the truck plant by June 2015, which would allow the factory to become more productive and could require the plant to add a few more workers. The Michigan Economic Growth Authority last month approved state tax credits for that proposal. Link: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/07/18/2106524/gm-to-invest-328-million-in-michigan.html

Source: GM will announce up to $300 million investment at Flint Assembly Monday Published: Friday, July 15, 2011, 7:49 PM Updated: Friday, July 15, 2011, 8:39 PM FLINT, Michigan -- General Motors plans to announce investments of $200-$300 million at its Flint Assembly plant on Monday, money that a source said will be used to gear up the for the next generation Chevrolet Silverado and GM Sierra pickups. GM issued an advisory about Monday's announcement today, saying only that it concerned "positive news" regarding the 64-year-old plant. Cathy Clegg, GM's vice president for labor relations, and Joe Ashton, UAW International vice president, are expected to be at the Van Slyke Road plant for the event. A source familiar with the announcement said the investment was tied to the next generation trucks that the company is expected to start building starting next year. An Automotive News story on July 1 quoted unnamed sources as saying GM will stagger several weeks of retooling at truck plants throughout next year and into 2013, including Flint, to prepare for the next-generation truck. A major plant retooling will be required for the re-designed pickups, estimated to cost the automaker $200 million to $300 million, according to the source, who asked not to be identified. UAW Region 1-C Director Norwood Jewell said he planned to be at the announcement. Jewell said details of the investment will not be released until 11 a.m. but called it "great news for the whole city and county." "I'm very pleased" with what's happening, he said. Monday's announcement is the latest in what has been a string of positive news at the truck plant this year. In June, the company was granted a state tax break for a proposed $417 million paint facility on Van Slyke Road, and in January, officials announced the addition of a third shift at the plant. Link: http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2011/07/source_gm_will_announce_up_to.html

The '47-'54 Advanced Design series pickups, panels, and Suburban Carry-Alls could be accessorized with those chrome strips from the dealership, and I see a few restored examples at truck shows with those options (though I don't believe they are available 'aftermarket'). Here's a picture for reference:' If that's what you saw, or very similar to what you saw on a HHR, I wouldn't say that they don't belong but you're right in that they are very Pontiac-like.

Great write-up, Derek. Not sure how we didn't bump into each other though! The wife and my 5 y-o son joined me for the afternoon visit. We were there roughly 2pm until closing (5pm). Wanted to go earlier and we were waiting for some friends that were going to join us, but they cancelled pretty late. My wife's favorites were the LaCrosse CXL and CXS, the Enclave CXL, and some of the competition. My favorites? The Sierra 2500 HD Denali and the V6 Terrain SLT. I just can't seem to like the 4cyl Terrain no matter what I do. I guess I would sacrifice other models/options (maybe a SLE-2 rather than a SLT-1) for the $1,500 V6 option. The Terrain, IMHO, just seemed to feel better overall with the 3.0L V6 engine. On the flip side, we were very impressed with the Volt test drive and my wife said she'd like one for work commutes. I was impressed with the Cruze LTZ RS I drove (dark red), however the light tan and chocolate brown two-toned interior was not our favorite color combo (though it was nice to see something than solid light tan). I should have jumped into the Silver LTZ RS Cruze just to compare the look of its interior color As far as I can recall, "Auto Show in Motion" was last in Philadelphia at what is now the Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA in 2004. After a 7-year hiatus in the area, I was glad to see "Main Street in Motion" make a return. On a side note, I liked how they color-coded the wrist bands to the vehicle preference you stated in the beginning (at registration). I didn't realize, outside of my son's bright pink band, that they were color-coded and had a meaning (I really wasn't paying attention, as I just wanted to get inside and drive!). I was wondering how the people there knew I preferred trucks, as I did not wear any "GMC" or "Chevy Truck" shirts or hats to this event, but realized soon afterwards that my wife's (Buick) wristband was a light blue to my black one and the lightbulb came on! Definitely will be keeping an eye on the MSiM website for future Philadelphia dates (not driving up to the Meadowlands though!!).

It could be that GM is targeting the Ford F-450/F-550 and RAM 4500/5500 chasis cabs and will introduce an even heavier duty Silverado/Sierra? I seriously doubt GM will re-enter the medium duty truck market again with dedicated vehicles like the Chevrolet Kodiak & GMC Topkick; however, GM may up-the-anty in the pickup truck wars with HD 4500 and HD 5500 chasis cabs (maybe even offer them as pickups with specially designed beds <non-chasis cab>).

Hubcaps??? I thought you had a set of American Racing rims to use on the Mothertruck? What happened to that plan?

I like the roof of the one I posted above more than the roof of the JK8 kit.

ME WANT!!!

ball

Hey, I informed you about the All-GM Nationals in Carlisle last month And C&G does have that neat calendar that people have been posting show dates on

All I have to say friend is this: I know...was moving slowly, but as I watched, the one time I forgot about having a camera...shame. Awesome Ram R/T sighting! Love that color, the wheels, the short bed, reg cab, etc... I'll forgive you (just this once!) Here are some more of the RAM for you to enjoy, since I can't get it off my brain!

The enthusiast in me agrees with your statement because of the El Camino's historical significance to Chevrolet. However the 21st century "New GM" enthusiast in me feels that Chevrolet dealers have enough car and truck product to sell that giving the Ute over to GMC will benefit their dealers from having a unique model to generate sales & traffic. GMC should be the truck division with the unique models. Now if GM were to decide to sell the civillian Caprice sedan and wagon, then by all means I could see the Ute going to Chevrolet just because. However, if GM has no intentions of selling a Caprice sedan and wagon, why not offer the Ute to GMC? A plus for you Camino is that you could always order the available Chevrolet parts to convert a GMC Ute into a Chevy El Camino

+1 That is an amazing fact all by itself Another +1 While a production Hx Concept-turned-GMC may not be a direct competitior to the Jeep Wrangler, as long as it steals customers away from the Wrangler and puts the "Hx" out where Jeep owners can see them in action is good enough for me

All I have to say friend is this:

Dodgefan would be happy with this... I had some time to kill yesterday early evening and decided to cruise through the local Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet dealership lots to see what was new. I found this glorious beast and definitely have a new affection for RAM 1500s... It had these great big bucket seats with a huge floor console and automatic shifter (no column shift for this R/T beast). I will say that when the time comes for me to get my long-desired regular cab, shortbed pickup, I think I will definitely consider a RAM 1500 R/T

I agree with you 100%, balthazar. When the original Yukon Denali and GMC Jimmy-based Envoy debuted in 1998 as 1999 models, that gave GMC a unique product until the Escalade came out and the Blazer-based TrailBlazer arrived on scene. I thought then that GMC was going to be differentiated more from Chevy, but that plan never materialized. However sales of all truck brands (Dodge/Jeep, Ford/Mercury/Lincoln, and GMC/Chevy/Oldsmobile/Buick/Cadillac) took off in the mid-'90s as a result of the SUV and pickup craze. Now with gas price fluctuations, those with a need and wallet for trucks are keeping those sales alive and the CUV offerings for those with the want but without the full wallet (look at how many 4cyl-equipped CUVs are sold today - a decade ago V6s and V8s were all the rage with low gas prices). Your last statement has caused me to think a little more. I too see a ton of commercial-based GMCs on the roads in Mercer, Burlington, and Camden counties (lower central & southern NJ counties for those not-in-the-know). PSE&G and Verizon, for example, have a ton of them in fleet usage. But does that mean that they specifically picked GMC, or did GM Fleet Sales want to move more commercial grade GMCs? I have no problem with that, as I think it's great to see GMCs on the road in any fashion However, as for independent fleet owners (landscape companies, tow companies, municipalities, etc), I tend to see more Ford commercial vehicles (look at your police & fire depts - it seems as if GM is just now making a showing with Tahoes, Suburbans, and Silverados where Ford has ruled with Expeditions, Super Dutys, and Explorers for years). I think it would be great for GM Fleet Sales to concentrate on GMC trucks for commercial sales, but not exclude any business that wants commercial Chevy Trucks, going forward. I also think it was Hyper that said to give GMC more global presence by selling GMCs instead of Chevy Trucks (like as how Holden was pointed out). Chevrolet can be the global CAR company, and GMC could be the global TRUCK company, not to mention the green, earth-friendly benefits to separating the two brands (Chevrolet can earn the title of the gas-saving brand whereas truck duty can be related to GMC). Of course what's working against this plan is that Chevrolet Trucks are already established around the world - but that doesn't mean it couldn't change over to GMC.

I agree, Hyper. The sad fact is that the "old GM" is alive and well in the truck department. Yes there are some differences today - the Acadia looks different from the Enclave & Traverse and the Terrain is separate in design from the Equinox - a great start! But the Savana, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL are not different enough from their Chevy counterparts, and the other sad fact is that GM allowed that to happen (you just have to know that the Acadia and Terrain were styled at or near the same time as the GMT-900 program, so why were they not given that level of distinction from Chevy too?). It all boils down to the fact that GM knew those vehicles would sell regardless if they were very different from their Chvey counterparts, and knew that the Acadia and Terrain would not. However, I feel with the next generation of vehicles, this so-called "New GM" knows that different sheetmetal styling all around is needed - different front ends, different boxes (pickups), different interiors (hell, GM could have done that with the current GMT-900s by giving the basic work truck dash to Chevy and the uplevel dash to GMC & Cadillac), and different side and rear styling for the SUVs (like how the new Durango and Grand Cherokee are different). However, features/options are what customers want and I could say for myself that I would not want to limit what buyers could choose juct because of the brand they go with - maybe go back to the golden age where the newest innovation is featured on the GMC first model year and then rolled over to Chevy Trucks the following year (or mid-year). Total differentiation is what is key to GMC's survival against Chevrolet Trucks. Gone are the days where a different grille, rims and side trim equal a "GMC". Different sheetmetal styling, niche offerings based on standard models (Denali and All Terrain), some unique-to-GMC models (the Granite, the Hummer Hx Concept, maybe even a return to medium duty trucks), and being the lead for innovations (features and options) are the recipe to make a GMC a GMC.

I don't think GMC needs to go completely upmarket with their models, because there are a lot of W/T / SL and SLE models that are sold along with the SLT and Denali models. You don't want to exclude any potential sales by blocking out lower priced models. Offering niche models alongside the standard models is definitely a way for GMC to go. They have a great start with the Denali trim for the luxury-oriented buyers, but they have an untapped market with the All Terrain trim. Currently the Sierra is the only one with the All Terrain option, though the Yukon was shown with a similar treatment for the SEMA show a year or so back and the Canyon comes with an off-road package a'la Z71 (Colorado) that could easily be converted over to All Terrain. Now the package needs to have a Denali-like transformation - look at the 2011 Sierra All Terrain HD Concept truck for what this package could be. Since Hummer as a brand is dead and also carries the connotation of being un-green in this enviromentally-friendly world, the All Terrain trim can offer the best of Hummer while not carrying the stigma of Hummer's reputation. GMC can also focus on green vehicles, such as with the Granite CUV and LUV, that can enlarge GMC's footprint in an untapped-by-GMC market. However, outside of the light duty-based Heavy Duty trucks, there is no Medium and Heavy Duty offerings anymore in GM land (the Topkick/Kodiak and W/T-Series are gone and I don't think there's anyway a General/Astro tractor will make a return). Though I would love to see GMC compete with Ford's Medium Duty trucks (LCF and F650/750). So GMC can continue with their sales trends by offering the standard W/T, SL, SLE, SLT models for the buyers not seeking anything "extra" in their truck purchase, continue with the Denali trim for those customers that want that extra "bling" (show) and go, and add All Terrain models for those that want the off-road show and go. Then when GM has the money I think they can look at re-introducing Medium Duty trucks to compete with International Trucks line (TerraStar, CityStar, DuraStar particularly).