Following our foray into the future model strategies of GM’s Baojun and Wuling brands, we return to the US to look at GM’s truck-and-SUV-themed brand, GMC. It’s one the few GM brands that made it through the firm’s 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring process unscathed thanks to a product range dominated by profitable SUVs and pickup trucks.
SUVs
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Sat in the middle of GMC’s SUV range in terms of size is the Acadia. This family-friendly model is available with up to seven seats and is geared more towards on-road driving than some of the company’s more rugged models. It’s based on General Motors‘ C1xx platform that also underpins the Cadillac XT5, Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave.
The Acadia is built at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant where the firm used to construct its ill-fated Saturn-branded cars. Production began in 2016 and should continue until 2026 when the car’s replacement will be released. A facelift is expected in 2020 that’ll bring sharper styling and updated on-board features to keep pace with rivals.
Next-up is the Canyon-based SUV that’s expected to join the GMC lineup towards the end of 2020. If it goes on sale on time, it could remain in production until 2028 with a facelift appearing in 2024. It’s thought GMC is readying this model in response to the upcoming Ford Bronco SUV which will combine a relatively compact body with strong off-road prowess.
Its name, styling and specification is yet to be confirmed but it’ll be based on the aforementioned pickup truck’s more rugged underpinnings. This should give it greater off-road abilities than the Acadia or Terrain. Entry models will use turbocharged gasoline or diesel four-cylinder engines with six-cylinder units reserved for more powerful models.
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By GlobalDataGMC is thought to have another SUV on the cards and, while the name hasn’t been confirmed, the firm extended its trademark on the name Graphyte in 2016. The logical position for this vehicle would be a smaller, more affordable entry point into GMC’s SUV range, probably based on the same GM Gamma II platform that underpins the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore.
It could appear as early as the latter half of 2019 and, if so, would remain on sale until around 2026 with a facelift sometime in 2023. Gamma II vehicles are made all over the world including South Korea, Russia, China, Spain and Belarus so it’s quite likely that the GMC Graphyte wouldn’t be built in the US where higher labour costs favour more expensive cars with larger profit margins.
In production since 2017 is the Terrain mid-size family SUV. This model uses the firm’s D2xx platform that’s also found under the Opel Astra, Chevrolet Equinox and Buick Envision. Two turbo gasoline and one turbodiesel make up the engine range with the former coming mated to GM’s nine-speed transverse torque-converter automatic.
It’s thought this model will continue in production until 2026 with a facelift due in 2021. It’s built in San Luis Potosi, Mexico but early plans suggested Ontario, Canada would’ve been the production base leading to disappointment from GM’s employees who worked at the Canadian CAMI plant.
At the top of GMC’s SUV range are the mighty Yukon and long-wheelbase Yukon XL. These models went into production at the end of 2013 and will remain on sale until 2021 when a replacement model is expected to launch. Small cosmetic and specification updates were applied in 2016 and 2017 while top-spec Denali trim received a 10-speed auto in 2018.
It shares GM’s K2xx platform making it mechanically similar to the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and Cadillac Escalade. Unsurprisingly, as GMC’s largest SUV, it gets a choice of the firm’s largest engines with gasoline units going up to 6.2 litres and diesel ones going up to 6.6 litres.
Pickup trucks
Moving to GMC’s pickup range, the entry point is the Canyon. This sits in the compact pickup class in the US which has seen renewed interest in recent years with the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger being well received by critics and consumers. Engine choices include 2.5 and 3.6-litre gasoline units and a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel.
It went into production late in 2014 and is expected to be facelifted for the 2020 model year. It’ll continue on sale until 2022 when a successor is expected to be announced. The Canyon is built at GM’s Wentzville factory in Missouri alongside its platform mate, the Chevrolet Colorado.
Above the Canyon is the simply gigantic Sierra pickup truck. This is GMC’s version of the Chevrolet Silverado and, as such, is essentially mechanically identical while offering a slightly more upmarket ownership experience. Progressively heavier-duty versions are offered with greater towing and payload capacities depending on the application.
The current Sierra went into production in 2013 and was facelifted in late 2015. The replacement Sierra was revealed in March and will go into production in 2019. It’s currently built in Flint, Michigan; Fort Wayne, Indiana and Silao, Mexico. Despite the new model’s imminent arrival, versions of the outgoing Sierra will continue to be built as a lower-cost option.
Turning to the replacement 2019 Sierra, GMC has bestowed the new model with a range of upgrades. Chief among which is the truck’s new platform dubbed VSS-T that’ll underpin all future GM body-on-frame vehicles. That platform is modular and customisable meaning it’ll accommodate full-sized trucks, large SUVs and some mid-size models. Plus, it’s offered with a six-way folding rear tailgate that makes accessing the cargo bay easier.
The outgoing entry-level engine – a 4.3-litre gasoline V6 – will be dropped from the range in favour of a new 2.7-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit that offers more power and better fuel economy. In addition, it’ll be the first model fitted with the new straight-six diesel built by GM’s Flint Engine Operations. Production begins starts at Michigan and Indiana in late 2018.
Topping the GMC pickup range is the Sierra HD, or Heavy Duty – available in muscular 2500HD or steroidal 3500HD forms. This model is still based on the K2xx platform from the outgoing Sierra although a replacement using the new VSS-T architecture is expected to arrive in 2020 following the 2019 Sierra.
GMC previously offered even larger medium-duty models called the 4500 and the 5500 that were employed in many commercial applications. While Chevrolet has committed to continue offering these models in the future, GMC has said it will not produce equivalents due to lack of demand and its greater focus on its high-margin upmarket Denali-trimmed models.
Vans
Closing GMC’s commercial vehicle range is the Savana van. This large, rear-wheel drive van competes with its platform mate, the Chevrolet Express as well as the Ford Transit. Traditionally it was offered with V6 or V8 engines but more recent models were offered with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel unit for reduced fuel consumption.
This model has had an astonishingly long lifecycle with production starting in 2002 – although it actually has many mechanical similarities to the original 1995 Savana. It was due to be replaced around 2009 but the financial crisis and GM’s bankruptcy ultimately cancelled those plans. Faced with resilient customer demand after the crisis, GMC decided to continue building it until 2023, presumably with a healthy profit margin. It’s likely that, when a replacement eventually arrives, it’ll be based on the Sierra’s new VSS-T architecture.
Future model plan reports for other manufacturers can be viewed in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future product program intelligence
More detail on the past, current and forthcoming models for General Motors brands can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of QUBE.
