Truck Thursday: GM Spending "Several Hundred Million" On Full-Size Truck Update
According to our data, the full-size pickup segment declined by 29.4 percent last year. Of all full-sized pickups, the Chevy Silverado lost the most volume, dropping 32 percent and an eye-popping 148,521 units compared to 2008. GMC Sierra dropped 33.6 percent, or about 56k units. Overall, GM shed half a million pickup sales last year, as its total truck sales fell to 1.2 million. When you’re losing that kind of volume in a shrinking segment, you know it’s time for a hold-em-or-fold-em moment. According to the Detroit News, GM is doubling down on its full-sized truck ambitions, allocating “several hundred million” of your tax dollars towards a re-working of the GMT 900-based trucks.
A GM spokesman explains:
We’re not saying trucks are more important than small cars. In every segment we compete, we now have the money and resources to build the world’s best vehicles,
The main impetus for the move seems to be meeting fuel efficiency standards (24 mpg average for 2011 model light trucks) as much as addressing the hemorrhaging sales. Though new exteriors, interiors and aerodynamics are being promised, the new models won’t arrive for two or three years, which means GM’s trucks woes could drag on for some time.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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See, I didn't even know someone offered a heated steering wheel. For the he past few weeks I'd have been more interested in that than a mpg or two better. GM does an excellent job of highlighting their competitors' features.
Hey its the top selling vehicle in the United States by a wide margin. I would say any efforts to improve it are a good idea.
Whew! For a second there, I thought GM was squandering taxpayer dollars on chasing a shrinking segment and one with more competitors meaning less profit per unit.