GMC reported a 34 percent increase in retail sales and 45 percent increase in total sales in the month of June, compared to the same month last year. This is the ninth consecutive month of retail year-over-year sales gains for GMC, and for the calendar year, GMC total sales were up 29 percent over last year.

The Sierra, along with the Acadia and Terrain, drove sales in June. Sierra retail sales rose 27 percent, recording its best retail sales month of the year.

“We are encouraged to see sales increases for the Sierra, Acadia and Terrain, which is proof that GMC is offering vehicles that customers want,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president for Buick GMC sales.

The Acadia and Terrain crossovers continue to post strong sales for GMC as well. Acadia and Terrain total sales were up 27 percent and 315 percent, respectively.

“The June sales numbers show that consumers are looking for professional grade vehicles with the styling, capability, fuel economy, quality and safety that only GMC has to offer,” said Sweeney.

J.D. Power and Associates recently ranked Sierra 1500 the highest in the Large Pickup category in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS).

This summer, GMC will launch the new Sierra HD that offers best-in-class diesel horsepower, torque, payload and towing. In addition, for the first time ever, GMC will be offering the exclusive Denali line in our heavy-duty pickups with the Sierra Denali 2500 and 3500 HDs.

The 2010 GMC Terrain earned the highest-possible rollover protection rating of “Good” in the first rollover tests of midsize SUVs by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and was named a 2010 Top Safety Pick. The Terrain comes with a variety of safety technologies, including six standard air bags, electronic stability control and the safety and security of OnStar

One of the highlights of this year's Detroit Auto Show was the introduction of the GMC Granite Concept which was a huge hit with the general public.

However, due to an issue with the interesting rear-hinged doors, we were not sure if this vehicle will ever go in production.

Well fear no more, Motor Trend is reporting that GMC Granite has been given a green light for production according to some top brat within General Motors.

We must admit that this was one of the most exciting news of the day. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that GMC Granite actually makes it to production.

Auto giant General Motors has recalled more than 1.3 million vehicles in the United States over fears that an electrical fault could cause them to catch fire, US government documents showed Tuesday.

The problem, linked to the vehicles' windshield wiper fluid system, affects at least 18 models ranging from Chevrolet trucks to Hummers, documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed.

GM's Buick, Cadillac, and GMC brands are also affected, particularly high-end SUVs and pick-up trucks.

In a letter to customers and US watchdogs, GM -- which received a massive government bailout to stay afloat -- said many of the models had already been involved in a 2008 recall linked to possible electrical shorting.

"However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents," GM said.

The Detroit, Michigan based firm said the new incidents resulted from a flaw in fluid systems' heat insulation.

The incidents ranged from "minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the... fluid chamber."

"In rare circumstances, it is possible for the heated (windshield) washer module to ignite."

At least four fires are thought to have occurred.

GM first notified the US government of potential problems in September 2009, but could affect models dating back to 2006.

In a letter to customers, GM said it would fix the problem "at no charge" and give a "satisfaction payment" of 100 dollars from dealers, spelling a potential payout of more than 136 million dollars for the firm.

The recall is a body-blow to the firm, which is fighting to escape from the shadow of a high-profile bankruptcy.

GM entered a government-backed reorganization on June 1, 2009, with liabilities of 172.8 billion dollars.

The company emerged from bankruptcy on July 10 with 48.4 billion dollars in debt.

In May, the firm saw a quarterly profit for the first time in three years on the back of a jump in sales and cost-cutting measures.

The carmaker said that sales of four brands it retained following restructuring -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 31.8 percent from May last year.

General Motors said Wednesday its US sales rose 16.6 percent in May from a year earlier, the eighth consecutive month of gains for the top US automaker.

GM said 223,822 cars and trucks were sold in May, outpacing April sales of 183,091 vehicles.

The carmaker, which was rescued from bankruptcy by the federal government last year, said that sales of four brands it retained following restructuring -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 31.8 percent from May last year.

Steve Carlisle, vice president of GM's US sales operations, said that GM's brands have outperformed the US auto market thanks to the company's newest products.

"Each of our brands has new products that are being received well by customers. In fact, these new vehicles now account for about one in every four retail sales in the US," he said.

Last month, GM reported a post-bankruptcy quarterly profit for the first time in three years on the back of a jump in sales and cost-cutting measures.

GM entered a government-backed bankruptcy reorganization on June 1, 2009, with liabilities of 172.8 billion dollars.

The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on July 10 with 48.4 billion dollars in debt.

The US government -- which has provided some 50 billion dollars in financing -- received a 60.8 percent stake in the new firm called General Motors Company.

Canada, which extended 9.1 billion dollars in loans, has an 11.7 percent stake and a United Auto Workers union retiree healthcare trust fund holds 17.5 percent

The GMC Acadia satisfies more customers than any large crossover SUV, according to Vehicle Satisfaction Award surveys counted by Southern California-based market research firm AutoPacific.

The brand, category and product winners were announced Thursday.

“The AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award is an honor to receive and we are thrilled that the Acadia was named top large crossover SUV by our owners,” said Lisa Hutchinson, director of marketing for GMC. "It is a special honor when our GMC owners recognize our vehicles, and we are proud that six of our vehicles rank in the top ten within their segment.”

Other GMC receiving a top 10 ranking within their segment include:

GMC Terrain – Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV
GMC Sierra HD – Heavy Duty Pickup
GMC Sierra 1500 – Large Light Duty Pickup
GMC Yukon and Yukon XL – Large Sport Utility
GMC Canyon – Compact Pickup

The 14th annual AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfactions Awards are determined by more than 42,000 surveys that are completed by owners of new cars and light trucks in the United States in the first quarter of 2010. As an industry benchmark, the study measures overall satisfaction an owner has with their vehicle.

GMC announced today that the new 2011 GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups have increased towing and payload ratings through ongoing development and testing, making them the most capable and powerful heavy-duty pickups in the segment. The ratings have been increased to 21,700 pounds of towing and 6,635 pounds of payload.

“When developing the Sierra HD our focus has consistently been to deliver customers the most capable heavy-duty trucks in the market, along with premium features and styling that distinguish GMC amongst the competition,” said Rick Spina, GM Full-size Truck global vehicle line executive. “Our first set of capability tests confirmed that the team had exceeded the payload and towing targets by a significant margin. Ongoing testing demonstrated a clear opportunity to increase the true capabilities of these trucks.”

The GMC Sierra HD engineering team was able to achieve the increase in towing capacity to 21,700 by putting the Sierra HD through a wide variety of tests over various terrains, grades and weather conditions. Extensive design and lab analysis, climatic wind tunnel testing, and actual on-road extreme ride and handling testing methods were all used to confirm stable handling and performance of the powertrain, drivetrain and brake components at maximum gross combined weight rating (GCWR). The GCWR is increased to 29,200 pounds.

To achieve the increased payload capacity, engineers used higher strength steel for the cargo box sills. The team conducted a significant amount of testing where maximum payloads tested the stronger cargo box and rear axle components. The maximum payload rating has been increased to 6,635 pounds.

“We encourage consumers to test drive the Sierra HD against the competition,” said Spina. “Based on our test results, we are confident our HDs will prove to be the best choice for real-world towing and hauling needs.”

For the first time ever, GMC will be offering the exclusive Denali line in our heavy-duty pickups with the Sierra Denali 2500 and 3500 HDs. The Denali version is distinguished by its iconic four-bar, chrome grille with round air inlets, along with body-color bumpers, chrome door handles, chrome accents and and 17- (Dually), 18- and 20-inch polished forged aluminum wheels.

The GMC Sierra HD is the segment leader in diesel horsepower and torque (397hp, 765

lb-ft), conventional towing (17,000 lbs.), 5th-wheel towing (21,700 lbs.), payload (6,635 lbs.) and maximum GCWR (29,200 lbs.). Production for the Sierra HD begins next week at Flint Assembly in Flint, MI and customers can expect to start seeing the heavy-duty trucks on dealer lots shortly thereafter.



GMC announces the new 2011 Sierra Denali HD, the first offering of the exclusive Denali line on a heavy-duty GMC pickup, will now be available in both 2500 (3/4 ton) and 3500 series (1-ton) configurations. The new Sierra Denali HDs lead a comprehensively redesigned lineup of 2011 Sierra heavy duty trucks that go on sale this summer – including the most powerful diesel engine in the segment.

Due to positive responses received from consumers, media and dealers to the recently announced 2011 Sierra Denali HD 2500 series, GMC is adding additional Denali variants to the Sierra full-size pickups. Already announced is the 2500 series (3/4 ton), crew cab, 4WD version. Now, a 2WD version of the Denali HD 2500 series (3/4 ton) will be available as well as Denali HD crew cab versions of the 3500 Series (1-ton) for both single rear wheel and dually versions in 2WD and 4WD applications. The 3500 series is also available in standard (6-foot 6-inches) and dually long box (8-foot) versions.

“Our Denali line sets the premium standard for the industry,” said Lisa Hutchinson, GMC product marketing director. “We received such an overwhelming response to the new Sierra Denali 2500HD, that we worked quickly and decided to extend the model into the 3500HD series so those GMC buyers can also benefit from blending capability with premium features and styling.”

A Vortec 6.0L gas V-8/six-speed automatic powertrain is standard and the new Duramax 6.6L turbo diesel/Allison 1000 six-speed transmission powertrain is available on all Denali HDs. The workhorse Duramax 6.6L turbo diesel V-8 is more powerful and durable for 2011, delivering segment-best horsepower and torque – 397 horsepower (296 kW) at 3,000 rpm and 765 lb.-ft. of torque (1,037 Nm) at 1,600 rpm – lower emissions and B20 biodiesel capability that promotes a domestically produced renewable fuel.

The iconic Denali four-bar, chrome grille with round air inlets distinguishes the Sierra Denali HDs on the outside, along with body-color bumpers, chrome door handles, chrome accents and 17- (Dually), 18- and 20-inch polished forged aluminum wheels. On the inside they include Denali-specific brushed aluminum trim, power-adjustable pedals, a Bose premium surround audio system and 12-way power seats. Along with an optional heated steering wheel, heated and cooled leather-appointed seating is available. The exterior is offered in three colors: Black, Stealth Gray and White.

All 2011 Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks have the best warranty coverage in America: a five-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, plus roadside assistance, courtesy transportation and other features that provide assurance that GMC backs its trucks for everything the road offers.

US safety regulators are probing the risk of brake failure in about six million older-model General Motors trucks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a preliminary investigation on March 30 after being contacted by a driver whose corroded brakes burst, causing "a sudden loss of brake effectiveness and extended stopping distance," the agency said.

The safety administration has received a total of 110 complaints from drivers who reported a "loss of braking effectiveness due to brake line rupture because of corrosion" in the affected vehicles.

Three of the complaints involved crashes, but there were no injuries or fatalities.

The brake line failure was confirmed by a dealer in 37 of the complaints.

The investigation involves 1999 to 2003 model years of the Chevy Avalanche, Chevy Silverado, Chevy Suburban, GMC Sierra, GMC Tahoe, and GMC Yukon.

General Motors has announced a recall of 5,000 heavy-duty vans over engine fire risks, promising to halt production and sale of the vehicles until it can fix a faulty alternator.

The safety recall, announced on Friday, concerns Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana passenger and cargo vans built in February and March this year.

GM urged customers who purchased the vans to stop driving them, park them outside away from buildings and other vehicles and to disconnect both battery cables if possible.

"Relatively few" of the faulty vans have been purchased by customers, the automaker noted.

About 1,300 of them are in rental and other fleets, it added. GM issued a stop sale order on Friday to prevent fleet-owned vans from being rented and those on dealer lots from being sold. Other vehicles were being held at dealerships or ports before exportation.

Only the 2500 and 3500 Series vans were affected by the recall, as light-duty Express and Savana vans use a different alternator.

"The stop sale and production halt are measures being taken to assure customer safety until we have a repair procedure," GM executive director of safety and interiors Jeff Boyer said in a statement.

Although limited in scope, the recall was the second in a month for GM, which announce early this month it was recalling 1.3 million Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 cars in North America over a potentially faulty power steering motor.

The problems come amid heightened safety concerns at GM's Japanese rival Toyota, whose series of defects have led to the global recall of more than eight million vehicles.

In order to meet growing customer demand for hot-selling Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain models, General Motors is implementing a unique plan to add a third shift at its award-winning Oshawa Assembly Plant to support new Equinox production there.

The Equinox and Terrain are currently produced at GM’s CAMI Automotive plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Under the plan, CAMI’s Body Shop capacity will be expanded to produce extra Chevrolet Equinox units beyond the plant’s existing capacity to paint and assemble them. These Equinox body assemblies will then be shipped to the Oshawa plant for paint and final assembly alongside the current Chevrolet Impala production. The plan also enables CAMI to increase GMC Terrain volumes.

“This plan for CAMI and Oshawa allows us to meet customer demand for hot products while avoiding a potential production over-capacity situation by creatively using our assets and facilities,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “This innovative approach enables us to ramp up in a timely and cost-effective way and highlights the importance of these plants and communities in our North American plans.”
The third shift to support Equinox production in Oshawa will be added on the Consolidated Line in October and is expected to return approximately 600 employees to the plant. At CAMI, all laid off employees will soon be recalled and the additional body shop volume required to support the Equinox build in Oshawa is expected to result in the need for approximately 70 new jobs, at CAMI by August of this year.

“This is the latest in a series of very positive growth initiatives and new product mandates for our Canadian facilities,” said Kevin Williams, president of GM Canada. “By the end of this year, we expect to recall all laid-off production employees in Oshawa to support the new Equinox, Regal and Camaro convertible production planned there and, at CAMI, we will even be hiring some new workers – truly great news for the employees, dealers, suppliers and communities affected.”

General Motors of Canada (GMCL) is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario and employs 9,000 people nationwide. GM of Canada manufactures vehicles and powertrains, and markets the full range of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and related services through the largest automotive dealer network in the country.