New Luxury Detroit 2010: Granite is the smallest GMC ever

Mention GMC and the mental image for most will be full-sized trucks and SUVs with a mega grille to fit those three alphabets, but as we all now know, even the Americans are now turning to smaller vehicles that are more friendly to the wallet and environment. Which brings us to this, the GMC Granite concept, the smallest car ever to wear the famous logotype.

The Granite is 0.6 m shorter than the Terrain crossover, GMC’s current “baby”, but its interior is spacious and flexible to fit the needs of “active people”. Generous cargo space and flipping/folding seats, for example, enable a mountain bike to be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed. A decent 2,631 mm wheelbase means the claims are realistic.

“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,” said Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”

It seems to be a must-have these days, so the Granite gets rear-hinged “suicide” doors. GMC describes the Granite as an urban loft apartment on wheels with “urban-industrial design”. It reminds us a liitle of the Kia Soul, although this concept looks more butch, with a lower roof and wider stance. The glasshouse is very slim, but the flanks don’t look slab sided thanks to those deep creases that “cut through” the car. The wheels are pushed out to the extreme ends of the box and wheel arches are prominent. Looks quite cool to us!

Power comes from a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine matched with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine should be the ECOTEC turbo from the Chevy Cruze which makes 138bhp and 200Nm of torque.

The 2010 GMC Yukon

The Yukon is a large affordable SUV, which is produced and sold by General Motors. The Yukon is very similar to the Chevrolet Tahoe, which is also sold and manufactured by General Motors.

The full size SUV comes with various trim levels and a few different engine options. The first option for the Yukon, which comes standard with the SLE and SLT trims, is a 4.8 liter eight cylinder engine. This choice gets about 295 horsepower and 305 pound feet of torque. It is widely perceived that the smallest engine option is not sufficient for many drivers.

The next available engine, which comes standard with the 2010 XL, is a 5.3 liter eight cylinder. The Vortec 5300 V8 engine produces 320 horsepower and 340 pound feet of torque.

The last option for the 2010 series is a 6.2 liter eight cylinder engine. This Vortec 6200 V8 engine comes standard in the 2010 Denali and produces 403 horsepower and 417 pound feet of torque.

To help with fuel efficiency, General Motors installed an Active Fuel Management system which shuts off four of the eight engine cylinders when they are not needed (such as when the driver is cruising or idling). This has helped with fuel efficiency as the base model can now get 22 miles per gallon on the highway, compared to last year's model which got only 19.

The SLE and SLT trim levels come standard with two wheel drive, but can be upgraded to all wheel drive. The XL and Yukon trim levels come standard with all wheel drive. Another improvement over previous year's models is the introduction of a six speed automatic transmission. This transmission is an upgrade over last year's four speed transmission.

GM Recalling More than 26,000 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC SUVs and Trucks

General Motors is expanding a previous recall concerning a faulty rear-axle cross pin to include another 26,751 SUVs and trucks from the 2011 model year. The first recall was issued in late December and concerned approximately 1,260 Cadillac Escalades, Chevrolet Avalanche and Silverado 1500s, and GMC Sierra 1500s, all from the 2011MY.

The updated recall now covers certain 2011MY Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; and GMC Canyon, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles.

The Detroit automaker said the rear axle cross pins were not properly heat treated and could fracture and become displaced within the rear axle.

"Should the pin shift out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock. The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning," said GM in a statement on NHTSA's website.

As expected, GM's dealers will install a new rear axle cross pin free of charge, with the safety recall to begin before the end of the month

GMC Shows More of its Detroit-Bound Sierra All Terrain HD Concept

We first reported on the new GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept in mid-December, but since then, General Motors has released a slew of new photos. The updated gallery includes the first photos of the design study's interior that has been spruced up with higher quality and more luxurious materials than the standard Sierra, upon which it is based.

Set to debut at next week's North American International Auto Show, GMC says the concept model is an exploration of heavy-duty truck capability combined with greater off-road versatility. Even if the Sierra All Terrain HD Concept doesn't make it as is onto the road, chances are that it will inspire a future production version. Full HD gallery after the break.

GM Introduces Cell Phone Charging Mats at CES, Production Begins in 2012

Thanks to induction technology, mobile electronic devices, such as phones, can be wirelessly charged, just by placing them on special pads. At the 2011 CES in Las Vegas, General Motors announced plans to introduce the wireless charging technology in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products, beginning from the second half of 2012.

The Detroit automaker revealed that is has signed a commercial agreement with an Israeli company called Powermat that specializes on the new technology. GM Ventures, the company’s venture capital subsidiary, will invest a total of $5 million in Powermat to help accelerate its development and support efforts to grow Powermat’s business globally, the company said in a statement.

The new technology is said not only to eliminate the need for charging cords, but, according to Powermat CEO Ran Poliakine, it’s also safer and more efficient.

The Chevrolet Volt will be one of the first cars to benefit from the new equipment.

“Imagine a mat or shelf where you could put your iPhone, your Droid or other personal device and charge it automatically while you commute to work, run errands or as you’re driving on a family vacation”, said Micky Bly, GM’s lead electronics executive. “The Chevy Volt will be one of the first applications, but we intend to expand it across our vehicle portfolio”, Bly added.

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept 2011

The new Sierra HD underpins the All Terrain HD concept, with a modified, production-based 4WD chassis and the Duramax diesel/Allison 1000 six-speed powertrain. The enhanced suspension and unique body dimensions, including increased ground clearance and wider track, as well as greater approach/departure angles, deliver off-road capability while maintaining HD levels of payload and trailering capacity. The All Terrain HD is painted Iridium Metallic – a dark charcoal color that reveals a reddish, anodized inflection when viewed from certain angles.

Based on the chassis of the 2011 Sierra HD trucks, the All Terrain HD features a fully boxed steel frame with exceptional strength and torsional stiffness. It incorporates the production models’ new independent front suspension and asymmetrical rear leaf-spring suspensions, but with a wider 73-inch (1,853 mm) track (front and rear) that enhances stability during off-road and highway driving. A production Sierra 2500HD has front and rear tracks of 68.8 inches (1,748 mm) and 67.3 inches (1,709 mm), respectively.

The GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept is propelled by the new, production 6.6L Duramax turbo-diesel V-8 and Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission powertrain combination offered in the 2011 Sierra HD trucks. The Duramax is rated at 397 horsepower (296 kW) and 765 lb.-ft. of torque (1,037 Nm).

The powerful 6.6L Duramax is more fuel-efficient – with up to 11-percent greater fuel economy than previous versions – and reduces NOx emissions by up to 63 percent. The powertrain’s efficiency is assisted by the Allison 1000 transmission, which requires less engine power to funnel torque to the axles. It also incorporates a “smart” exhaust brake feature that helps save wear on the brakes on downhill grades, a feature available on production Sierra HDs.

GM Issues Separate Recalls on Cadillac CTS and Escalade, and Chevy and GMC Trucks

General Motors is recalling close to 100,000 vehicles in two separate campaigns. In a posting with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], GM said the first recall affects almost 96,000 Cadillac CTS sedans from the 2005-2007 model years over concerns that some of the vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the passenger seat may break the connection. The company said that if this occurs, the sensor may not detect the presence of a front seat passenger and will disable the air bag.

Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge, however, GM has yet to provide an owner notification schedule for the CTS recall.

The second recall from GM concerns approximately 1,260 Cadillac Escalades, Chevrolet Avalanche and Silverado 1500s, and GMC Sierra 1500s, all from the 2011 model year. These trucks may have a faulty rear-axle cross pin, which could fracture and become displaced within the axle.

GM said that if the pin shifts out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock, in which case, the driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without prior warning.

The company added that this safety recall is expected to begin during January 2011.