2008 Gmc Sierra 2500hd Crew Cab Pickup Truck, 6.0l Vortec V8, Automatic W/ Tow on 2040-cars

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2015 Chevy Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon unveiled

General Motors has today unveiled its new family of fullsize SUVs, including the 2015 Chevy Tahoe, its longer Suburban sibling, and their GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Yukon Denali cousins. More efficient powertrains, improved aerodynamics, increased connectivity and better overall refinement are what Chevy and GMC say will separate their new SUVs from the current generation.
Sporting a tried-and-true body-on-frame architecture, these full-size SUVs feature platforms that are stronger and offer a wider rear track for "a more planted stance," according to Chevy and GMC. Mounted at the front of each SUV is an EcoTec3 powertrain, which consists of a standard 355-horsepower, 5.3-liter V8 (or a 420-hp, 6.2-liter V8 for the GMC Yukon Denali alone) with direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing, that's paired with a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission. The setup is said to be more efficient than before, though official EPA fuel economies for each vehicle are not yet available. To help the powertrain achieve the best possible fuel economy in these 5,000+ pound SUVs, the new styling was developed with aerodynamics in mind. For the same reason, electric power steering also makes its debut in the Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon family.
The front fascias of the Chevy Suburban/Tahoe and GMC Yukon are distinct, but from the base of the A-pillars back, they share most of the same styling cues. This now includes inlaid doors that tuck into the door sills, instead of over them, which improves aerodynamics and fuel economy, and lessens interior noise. The hoods and liftgate panels now are made of aluminum in an effort to reduce vehicle weight. Chevy and GMC also tout that the Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon don't share a single piece of sheetmetal or lighting element with the brands' full-size pick-up trucks.

Pickup sales may hit 2M units for first time since 2007

Even as fuel prices creep back up, trucks are still a hot item among new-vehicle shoppers. To see how popular pickup trucks still are, you don't have to look any further than how much effort automakers put into the continual one-upmanship of their trucks. Backing this fact up, USA Today is reporting that the segment could top two million sales this year - a total not matched since 2007, though still far from the pre-recession, three-million-unit levels.
Through August, the Ford F-Series continues to be the segment leader with almost 500,000 units sold, but the Chevy Silverado (328,269), Ram 1500 (234,642), GMC Sierra (122,232) and Toyota Tacoma (110,293) are all seeing at least 20-percent sales increases, helping to account for around 1.44 million truck sales so far this year - not including possible outliers like the Suzuki Equator and Chevy Avalanche.
This year alone, General Motors has completely redesigned its fullsize trucks, Ram and Toyota have significantly updated their offerings, the next-gen Ford F-150 will be out next year and Nissan is promising an all-new Titan around the same time with an eventual Cummins diesel under the hood. It would seem, then, that truck sales are poised to continue their upward trend.

2014 GMC Sierra [w/video]

Big And Boxy Might Be Best
As immense fans of the Back to the Future trilogy, we sometimes like to envision an alternate timeline in which General Motors had killed off GMC and kept Pontiac instead. The G8 GXP would still be on the road handily beating German sport sedans costing twice as much, while the lowly G3 would morph into a true subcompact-killer based on what is now the Chevrolet Sonic RS. While we're at it, let's go ahead and imagine the G6 has become the best-selling car in the US and the Torrent crossover is selling 20,000+ units per month. Far-fetched, we know.
The thing is, these fanciful statements would have to be true to make the case against keeping GMC. Pontiac may have offered more excitement than GMC, but money talks, and a full line of trucks, crossovers and SUVs have made a lot more money for GM than the arrowhead brand ever did. How much? As we learned last month, about two-thirds of GM's global profits came from its fullsize trucks, and GMC's trucks typically have thicker margins than their Chevrolet counterparts.