GMC Vehicles Prepared for Do-It-Yourself Project Trends

DETROIT – Springtime is here, which means the hammers and shovels for do-it-yourself home improvement projects are coming out. And from Terrain to Sierra HD, every GMC is capable of carrying the load – big or small – for a variety of home renovation projects.

Home improvement is an ever-growing industry with an expected retail sales increase of nearly 4 percent in 2012 to $269 billion, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute.

“I’ve been a contractor forever so I wouldn’t even consider a vehicle that can’t fit plywood and other materials” said Eric Stromer, host of HGTV’s “Over Your Head,” do-it-yourself expert on “GMC Trade Secrets” and a GMC Sierra Hybrid driver. “The crew cab is good for my kids, I can tow cement mixers and other equipment, and with it being a hybrid, it offers that capability with a lower carbon footprint.”

With Sierra 1500 half-ton, 2500HD ¾-ton, and 3500HD 1-ton pickups, GMC offers a variety of cab layouts, bed lengths, engines, transmissions, and axle ratios. Payload capacity is as much as 6,635 pounds and with the Duramax diesel’s 765 lb-ft of torque, trailers weighing up to 23,000 pounds can be towed. According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, home addition projects that require heavy lumber, bulky insulation, and other materials are on the rise.

For the Acadia midsize crossover, which had its best sales year ever in 2011 and will be significantly updated for 2013, do-it-yourself projects were part of the development process from the beginning.
At the core of the cargo area’s development was the ability to accommodate a 4-foot-wide sheet of drywall or plywood. The second- and third-row seats fold forward to create a practical cargo space with a flat load floor for easy loading. Healthy lifting movements were also considered when the load height was set at an average waist level. Inside, there’s no deep well in the floor that would require excessive bending.

“I’m at the home improvement store all the time and I still haven’t come across anything that won’t fit in my Acadia,” said Sue Eckel, vehicle chief engineer. “I’ve slid the SmartSlide seats forward to fit small trees without tipping them over, and I’ve slid the second row rearward to put heavy pots securely on the floor. SmartSlide is all about that configurability.”

SmartSlide is an industry-exclusive feature in GM crossovers including Acadia that allows one-handed adjustment of and access to the second- and third-row seats. According to Eckel, “you can even slide the second row back enough to recline the front passenger seat fully to carry a ladder.”

The Terrain small SUV, which gets a more powerful V-6 and an upscale Denali model for 2013, offers similar versatility. Its Multiflex rear seats can be moved fore and aft nearly eight inches (200 mm) or folded flat in a 60/40 configuration to free up 63.9 cubic feet (2820 liters) of cargo space.

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Mar/0322_gmc_diy

GMC Dealers

2012 GMC Yukon and Sierra Heritage Editions Announced [New York Auto Show]

Since the current Sierra and Yukon are on their way out—we expect an all-new Sierra pickup to be announced soon—GMC decided to give them one last flash of the spotlight. Heritage editions of both will take a bow at the New York auto show and are supposed to celebrate 100 years of the GMC brand.


Sierra Heritage Edition

Available on Sierra 1500 SLT crew cab models, the special-edition package (pictured above) features “Heritage Edition” exterior badges and embroidery on the floor mats and headrests. Twenty-inch aluminum wheels with chrome accents are standard along with chrome door handles, mirror caps, and door moldings.

A Heritage Edition truck will run an extra $2645 and include the Convenience package (normally a $725 option), which includes rear parking sensors, adjustable pedals, universal home remote, a locking tailgate, and rear fender liners. A rearview camera is also included.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/2012-gmc-yukon-and-sierra-heritage-editions-announced-new-york-auto-show/

GMC Vehicles Prepared for Do-It-Yourself Project Trends

Smart features matched for growth in home improvement market

DETROIT – Springtime is here, which means the hammers and shovels for do-it-yourself home improvement projects are coming out. And from Terrain to Sierra HD, every GMC is capable of carrying the load – big or small – for a variety of home renovation projects.

Home improvement is an ever-growing industry with an expected retail sales increase of nearly 4 percent in 2012 to $269 billion, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute.

“I’ve been a contractor forever so I wouldn’t even consider a vehicle that can’t fit plywood and other materials” said Eric Stromer, host of HGTV’s “Over Your Head,” do-it-yourself expert on “GMC Trade Secrets” and a GMC Sierra Hybrid driver. “The crew cab is good for my kids, I can tow cement mixers and other equipment, and with it being a hybrid, it offers that capability with a lower carbon footprint.”

With Sierra 1500 half-ton, 2500HD ¾-ton, and 3500HD 1-ton pickups, GMC offers a variety of cab layouts, bed lengths, engines, transmissions, and axle ratios. Payload capacity is as much as 6,635 pounds and with the Duramax diesel’s 765 lb-ft of torque, trailers weighing up to 23,000 pounds can be towed. According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, home addition projects that require heavy lumber, bulky insulation, and other materials are on the rise.

For the Acadia midsize crossover, which had its best sales year ever in 2011 and will be significantly updated for 2013, do-it-yourself projects were part of the development process from the beginning.
At the core of the cargo area’s development was the ability to accommodate a 4-foot-wide sheet of drywall or plywood. The second- and third-row seats fold forward to create a practical cargo space with a flat load floor for easy loading. Healthy lifting movements were also considered when the load height was set at an average waist level. Inside, there’s no deep well in the floor that would require excessive bending.

“I’m at the home improvement store all the time and I still haven’t come across anything that won’t fit in my Acadia,” said Sue Eckel, vehicle chief engineer. “I’ve slid the SmartSlide seats forward to fit small trees without tipping them over, and I’ve slid the second row rearward to put heavy pots securely on the floor. SmartSlide is all about that configurability.”

SmartSlide is an industry-exclusive feature in GM crossovers including Acadia that allows one-handed adjustment of and access to the second- and third-row seats. According to Eckel, “you can even slide the second row back enough to recline the front passenger seat fully to carry a ladder.”

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Mar/0322_gmc_diy

March GMC Specials at Ettleson GMC

More GMC Specials at Ettleson GMC

2013 Chevy, GMC Natural Gas Bi-Fuel Pickup Trucks Announced

General Motors announced today it will offer bi-fuel versions of its 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks that run either on gasoline or natural gas.

The two trucks are the 2500 HD (heavy duty) model, and can be ordered in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive and with a standard or long bed.

The pickups are fitted with a 6.0-liter V-8 engine that is modified to switch seamlessly between burning compressed natural gas, or CNG, and gasoline.

GM chose the bi-fuel option, it said, because it relieves buyers of the need to stay within range of a local natural-gas fueling stations.

No range anxiety

"Range anxiety is very real," said Joyce Mattman, director of GM commercial product and specialty vehicles. "We worked with the Chevy Volt team on that, and saw the same issues" among customers who worried about running out of electricity.

The trucks run on natural gas as standard, then switch to gasoline when the CNG runs out (or if the driver pushes a button to do so).

Natural gas-powered vehicles have lower emissions, producing about 25 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile than those running on gasoline.

The fuel is plentiful and domestically produced, with 98 percent of U.S. natural gas produced within the country.

Cheaper fuel costs

And with gasoline costs soaring, the cost advantage of CNG is by far its most attractive feature. Fleet customers may save $2,000 a year or more per vehicle on fuel costs.

Natural gas prices are much less volatile than gas prices, and CNG equivalent to the energy content of one gallon of gasoline costs slightly more than $2 in most areas.

Today, there are fewer than 1,000 natural-gas fueling stations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than half open to the public. Stations are most prevalent in California, Oklahoma, New York, and Utah.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1073663_2013-chevy-gmc-natural-gas-bi-fuel-pickup-trucks-announced

GMC IntelliLink Helps Drivers Get Connected

New system now available in Terrain uses patent-pending technology

DETROIT – The 2012 GMC Terrain smaller SUV’s standard Color Touch Radio is now available with IntelliLink, which provides smartphone connectivity and voice activated control of the audio system.  Simple commands initiate a phone call, change a station, stream internet radio, and even control an iPod.

IntelliLink’s interface is designed to be used with two hands on the wheel as often as possible, and its layout was created with specific emphasis on minimizing distractions. Here are some other important things to know about the system:

• Like most smartphones, the IntelliLink homescreen is configurable. An array of icons for phone, radio, and other functions mimics the displays of popular mobile devices, and each icon can be shifted or removed, based on the driver’s needs and wants.
• IntelliLink has icons for popular internet radio providers Pandora and Stitcher for Bluetooth streaming through a smartphone, Pandora listeners can give a song a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” through Terrain’s seven-inch touchscreen.
• Most of IntelliLink’s features can be controlled through a hands-free voice control system powered by Nuance. Drivers can place a phone call, play an artist, or tune to a radio station without their eyes leaving the road.
• An MP3 player isn’t required to play music through Intellilink. Owners can bring their music collections into the car by plugging a USB flash drive into a port in the center console.
• Album art and artist information for songs playing from a device are displayed on Terrain’s color touch screen. The Gracenote data that allows this also makes voice activation more conversational, identifying nicknames like “The Boss” or “The Stones.”

GMC’s implementation of the Gracenote media database includes a piece of exclusive, patent-pending technology, according to General Motors lead engineer Tony Kraatz.

“Gracenote is typically limited to devices plugged in to the USB port,” he said. “With IntelliLink, we are the first company to run Bluetooth streaming audio through the Gracenote database to display album art for music players connected wirelessly.”

“About 70 percent of all new car buyers want some form of connectivity,” said Micky Bly, executive director leading GM’s infotainment engineering efforts, citing GM research. “Whether it’s because they want to listen to their favorite music or hear movie times on the way to the theater, today’s car buyer expects so much more out of their time in a car.”

The GMC Terrain talks with smartphones in other ways than just IntelliLink. With the OnStar RemoteLink app available for iPhone and Android, drivers can use their phones to lock and unlock doors or check fuel and tire pressure levels. On models equipped with remote start, the app can also start the engine from anywhere a cell phone signal is present.

IntelliLink is available now for the 2012 GMC Terrain SLT-2 V-6 and is coming soon to all SLT models. Last week, GMC debuted IntelliLink connectivity for the redesigned 2013 Acadia and Acadia Denali, on sale in late 2012.

Read More: http://www.media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0214_gm_intellink

Chicago GMC

GMC IntelliLink Helps Drivers Get Connected

New system now available in Terrain uses patent-pending technology

DETROIT – The 2012 GMC Terrain smaller SUV’s standard Color Touch Radio is now available with IntelliLink, which provides smartphone connectivity and voice activated control of the audio system.

Simple commands initiate a phone call, change a station, stream internet radio, and even control an iPod.
IntelliLink’s interface is designed to be used with two hands on the wheel as often as possible, and its layout was created with specific emphasis on minimizing distractions. Here are some other important things to know about the system:

• Like most smartphones, the IntelliLink homescreen is configurable. An array of icons for phone, radio, and other functions mimics the displays of popular mobile devices, and each icon can be shifted or removed, based on the driver’s needs and wants.
• IntelliLink has icons for popular internet radio providers Pandora and Stitcher for Bluetooth streaming through a smartphone, Pandora listeners can give a song a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” through Terrain’s seven-inch touchscreen.
• Most of IntelliLink’s features can be controlled through a hands-free voice control system powered by Nuance. Drivers can place a phone call, play an artist, or tune to a radio station without their eyes leaving the road.
• An MP3 player isn’t required to play music through Intellilink. Owners can bring their music collections into the car by plugging a USB flash drive into a port in the center console.
• Album art and artist information for songs playing from a device are displayed on Terrain’s color touch screen. The Gracenote data that allows this also makes voice activation more conversational, identifying nicknames like “The Boss” or “The Stones.”

GMC’s implementation of the Gracenote media database includes a piece of exclusive, patent-pending technology, according to General Motors lead engineer Tony Kraatz.

“Gracenote is typically limited to devices plugged in to the USB port,” he said. “With IntelliLink, we are the first company to run Bluetooth streaming audio through the Gracenote database to display album art for music players connected wirelessly.”

“About 70 percent of all new car buyers want some form of connectivity,” said Micky Bly, executive director leading GM’s infotainment engineering efforts, citing GM research. “Whether it’s because they want to listen to their favorite music or hear movie times on the way to the theater, today’s car buyer expects so much more out of their time in a car.”

The GMC Terrain talks with smartphones in other ways than just IntelliLink. With the OnStar RemoteLink app available for iPhone and Android, drivers can use their phones to lock and unlock doors or check fuel and tire pressure levels. On models equipped with remote start, the app can also start the engine from anywhere a cell phone signal is present.

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Feb/0214_gm_intellink

Chicago GMC