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Posts Tagged “Sierra”

chicago auto show

2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid Revealed Ahead of Chicago Auto Show

Good evening and welcome to a new two-mode hybrid pickup from the maker of many a job boss's chosen executive suite on wheels. It's the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid, the latest among gas-electric trucks built like a hunk of lithospheric mineraloids, or so sang one gravel-larynx'd Detroiter. The Sierra follows its corporate cousin the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid into a still-sketchy market for gas-electric work trucks. GM says its hybrid pickups achieve an average mileage boost of 25% over their all-gas counterparts (with a peak of 40% more in the city). That from a combination of GM's hybrid EVT transaxle and 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS), hooked to a six liter V8 sporting cylinder deactivation gewgaws. We're hoping it means a trickle-down effect of less-expensive plumbers' visits and cheaper home remodeling. But something tells us it won't. More »

classic ad watch

The Ford Sierra XR4 Is Angry... Very Angry!

We knew the double-winged turbocharged Ford Sierra as the Merkur XR4ti on these shores, and the TV ads for the car weren't all that interesting. But this Spanish-language ad really shows how mean the car really was. It growls! Slinky babes can't resist a man in an XR4- this ad is the proof!

industry news

GM, UAW Agreement Details Out In Open: C3XX Is The New GMT-900 In 2012

In addition to the news on the discontinuation of discounted AOL service and a small rear-wheel-drive platform named Alpha, there's also news from GM's wide world of pickup trucks. Those pretty brand-spankin' new GMT-900 pickup trucks and SUV's from Chevy and GMC? They've already got a replacement platform, and the General's calling it "C3XX." And really, that's all we know — in 2012 (2013 for the Arlington, Texas plant), C3XX will be the new GMT-900. That is all.

This is not our country, these are our job cuts? GM's cutting 1,100 jobs from the Oshawa truck plant in Canada. [Reuters]

GM to cut pickup truck production. [Oakland Press]

high gas prices suck

Our Country, Our Truck, Our Sales Incentive

The General's following Toyota and dropping sales incentives on top of their GMT-900 truck-twins, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. However unlike ToMoCo, they're probably offering up the deals because of this — and not things like this. They'll be offering reduced-rate financing on 60-month loans, 0% financing deals on the 36-month loans or between $1,250 and $1,500 cash back if you decide to not take the financing. More »

news

Proof Is In The Pictures! AutoWeek's Phil Floraday Breaks Embargo On Buick Enclave

At car industry events, Phil Floraday normally can be found arm-in-arm with his fellow AutoWeek mag o' war man, Bob Gritzinger. Somehow we're unsure if we'll be seeing either of them invited to another event of the General's. If you'll remember, Gritzinger was the motor-man who broke open the seal on the new-for-2007 GMT-900 twin pickups, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Gritz dropped the AutoWeek piece well before the media drives were even completed by dropping into a local Chevy dealership where he snagged 20 minutes in a Silverado for a test drive. And with today's broke-as-a-joke embargo break of the drive review of the Buick Enclave it looks like Floraday's cribbing notes from the other member of the dastardly duo. Phil claims to have gotten his hands on Tiger's Buick's Enclave for a quick little jaunt courtesy of a "local Buick dealer." Despite Phil being our bud, we're totally calling shenanigans on AutoWeek's little ruse right now until we see some photos of Phil at the wheel on Telegraph Rd....or Woodward. Hell, we'd even take 696 at this point. More »

retro: racing

Sierra! Astra! Starion! Rally!

Look! It's random rally footage featuring Sierra Cosworths, a Vauxhall Astra and a couple of unfortunate schmoes who manage to plow their poor, beleagured Starion through a fence. Note to Starion drivers: the Drift King says, "Do not upset the car!" More »

retro: racing

IMSA Merkurs! Yes!

Back when Ford was preparing to launch Merkur, they decided it might raise a bit of brand awareness to campaign the XR4Ti in IMSA's GTU class. With a slight dip in displacement over the car's Pinto-based 2.3 mill, the cars, prepared and campaigned by Kent Racing. A bit later, FoMoCo shifted the XR4Ti's mission to Trans-Am and over-two-litre IMSA competition, with the Merks running under Roush's aegis. Peter Cipolla, a man from the Show-Me State we can throw our weight behind, has rescued a couple of these mighty orphan warriors from bygone days, and for that, we owe him a package of schnitzel and an ice-cold MGD. More »

retro

Lutz Explains Why the XR4Ti Failed

While Lutz recently explained to Automotive News why the reborn Goat went so soon to slaughter, we might want to look back at another Bob Lutz project that combined great-for-its day power with a rear-drive IRS package: The Merkur XR4Ti. Pulled from a 1998 interview, Lutz explains what killed Ford's 3-Series rival in the American market after the jump. More »

retro

The Ford P100: Sierrachero!

Oh man. We absolutely need one of these in Cosworth trim. There is literally no doubt about that. Or what about an XR4ti version with Merkur and Ranchero badges? Mind. Boggling. Now. More »

jalopnik reviews

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra, Part 2


Exterior Design:
Silverado: ****
I've always though an aggressive centerline on the front of a vehicle creates a unified central point that draws the eye forward. The Silverado's got that. One star deducted for the odd looking rear-wheel flares. More »

jalopnik reviews

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra, Part 1


It's a turbulent time for full-sized pickups. For the past three decades, the Ford F-series has been the segment's undisputed king of the hill. But a recent slowdown in demand and production means its crown may be up for grabs. Toyota's gearing up to launch the newest Tundra, the product of a titanic undertaking to match the domestics on their own turf. And then there's General Motors, which is launching its latest full-size light-duty pickups — the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra — this month, and they no longer want to merely be a part of that action, they want to dominate it. And damned if they aren't ready for a brawl. More »

sema

SEMA Show: The GMC Sierra NFL Pickup -- For The NFL Fan With Everything But A Girlfriend

Really, the NFL-logo grill is what does it for us. And no, we're not spelling that wrong — we meant grill. Full gallery below. Brats and Hebrew Nat's not included. More »

news

Toyota And Nissan To Delay Heavy Duty Trucks; GM, Ford And Dodge Can Hardly Contain Selves


Gee, and we always thought that the "HD" meant "high definition." Man, how wrong were we? It actually stands for "Heavy Duty" or "Professional Grade" or whatever each company calls their big ol' trucks for construction sites and other mud n' dirt needs. Heavy Duty's different than most other pickups offered by automakers, which are more usually called "lame" (or poseurs — we're trying to bone up on our French for obvious reasons). Anyway — Toyota's much long heralded arrival to the HD scene's apparently gonna take a little bit longer than originally thought — as Automotive News is reporting they'll be delayed, and won't see an official release until...well...it's been indefinitely halted. Nissan on the other hand is planning a heavy-duty pickup, but they won't make it until 2009 at the earliest. That's good news for Chevy, Ford, Dodge, GMC and any other American brand we may have missed who've seen profits from a segment growing 12% last year — despite softening sales in the lighter end of their pickup lineups. More »

news

GM Hates Bob Seger: Chevy To Sell New Trucks By Getting A Bit Mellencampy


Despite much love being showed to the old "Like A Rock" ad campaign for Chevy trucks in our polls, GM and Chevy apparently want nothing to do with Bob Seger's crooning voice and a Rock-like image for its new GMT-900 Chevy Silverado trucks. Instead, according to Automotive News, the folks at Chevy would rather hurt so good to get a leg up on the competition by throwing down some R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A., trading in one small town middle-aged fat crooner for another, going with the just for men gel using John Mellencamp to sing a little diddy for truck buyers. Although if the reportedly $400 million ad campaign doesn't give the General... More »

news

Like a Nuttendiesel: Bob Seger Prefers Ze Porsche


We were all excited a few weeks ago after the results of our poll asking folks if they wanted Chevy to bring on the return of the old Bob Seger "Like A Rock" song / slogan as they herald in the new GMT-900 based pickup trucks. We found a whopping 49% of you answered "Yes! Dude, that song defines Chevy trucks." — with the response of "It's a fucking truck. Just tell me how much it hauls and shut the hell up." at 37.6% the only close contender. We were all set to begin our holy war against the RenCen to ensure they knew what the people wanted — because over the years it's been obvious that that's not something which happens readily. But then, we were stopped cold by an article submitted by our friend Cole Coonce that claims Seger's personal garage now holds a Porsche Boxster, a Nissan pickup and a couple of Ford Mustangs. Although he does own an "11-year-old Chevy van for business purposes, there's not a Chevy pickup among his four-wheeled possessions. That being the case, is there even a way to reconcile these seemingly irreconcilables between Seger and Chevy to make a "Like A Rock" slogan return a possibility? We've no idea — but we're willing to try — as long as y'all are with us. So, like we always do — let's do it democratic-like: More »

news

You're With Me, Sierra? GMC And ESPN Huddle Up On New Pickup Advertising


The General just released the media marketing strategy for the GMC Sierra, and it's filled with all sorts of marketing buzz terminology about how it's designed to "leverage a non-traditional marketing platform designed to reach today's savvy consumer beyond the traditional thirty second television advertisement." So in english it appears GM means that it'll be using a mix of not-so-much interactive internet ads — paired with the acknowledged Hail Mary of advertising — "football-themed TV promotional spots...co-branded with ESPN." Because apparently, if the ad is "football-themed" it's "non-traditional." More importantly, if the ads are "co-branded with ESPN" — then they're so non-traditional that they're actually become a "non-traditional marketing platform." All the General needs to do now is toss Chris Berman and some scantily-clad cheerleaders (sorostitutes work in a pinch) up onto the "platform" and we've got everything kids in the 18-35 demo need to wet their pants. While we go and vomit a little, check out the full press release after the jump. More »