GMC Teases Upcoming All-Electric Sierra Denali

If you thought there was an explosion of competitors in segments like the compact luxury crossover game or so-called ‘four-door coupe’ SUVs, it would appear you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The number of all-electric pickup trucks is piling up like cords of wood, with the latest to show its face being the GMC Sierra Denali.

I mean, you knew GMC would ante into the table with a Denali trim, right? While they’ve already got their foot in the door with the Hummer EV (which is technically a GMC, remember) it will be the Sierra that will democratize EV motoring on the pickup truck side of GMC showrooms. After all, the Hummer will trade as a six-figure toy, one whose Launch Edition will bend the scales north of 9,000 lbs, by the way. The Sierra is going to be several orders of magnitude less expensive overall – even if this Denali variant will probably knock on the door of 80 or 90 grand by the time your friendly finance manager tacks on the p-pack and doc fees. Plus a market adjustment, of course.

GMC isn’t spilling many beans about motor and battery particulars, though it’s known that the truck will use batteries from the Ultium family and not the troublesome units that have been flummoxing owners of the Chevy Bolt. That’s the same architecture on which the Hummer EV and SUV will be based, though it’s safe to say this machine won’t simply drape Sierra clothes over the Hummer skeleton. While there will surely be plenty of shared parts, the days of just slapping a different grille on the nose and calling it a day are long gone, as evidenced by the distinctly GMC face of the rig shown in the teaser video above.

“Sierra Denali holds tremendous equity for GMC and our customers,” said Duncan Aldred, GMC vice president. “We now have an opportunity to evolve Sierra’s capabilities and technologies, as afforded by transitioning to an all-electric propulsion while also elevating the luxurious design and comfort associated with Denali.” That’s an awful lot of marketing speak to explain that Sierra (and Denali) are well-known names with a ton of brand recognition.

As for what was shown in the film, it seems the Sierra EV will have similar trick forward lighting that illuminates sequentially as the truck is being charged, along with other lamps to give the whole thing an otherworldly glow. Whether it’ll all be able to shine while bombing along I-80 in Nebraska is another question.

The truck will be revealed next year – perhaps at CES, maybe at Chicago – and will be assembled in General Motors’ Factory ZERO Assembly Plant in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan.

[Image: GMC]