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John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 10-16-2019 It was announced this afternoon that GM and the United Auto Workers have reached a tentative contract agreement. Please pardon the brevity of this report. GM has not issued any details yet. We will update this story when the UAW and GM provide details.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 10-10-2019 Costco's Season of Values Automotive discount program has begun and will run through January 2nd, 2020. The program offers Costco members amazing deals on qualifying Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs.. “Costco Auto Program continues to deliver excellent value to Costco members,” said Mark DerGarabedian, Costco Services director. “Whether members prefer horsepower, fuel efficiency or extra passenger space, this year’s vehicle lineup has something for everyone. We are excited about the opportunity this promotion brings Costco members.” The discounting includes: -GM Supplier Pricing -Compatible GM Incentives for which they qualify -Costco Shop Card after completing a Costco Auto Program survey - $700 for Executive Members - $300 for Gold Star and Business Members Did you know the Costco Auto Program includes more than just new vehicles? The program also includes prearranged pricing on certified pre-owned vehicles (CPO). Costco members also receive a discount on the majority of parts, services and accessories at participating automotive service centers. “I'm thrilled with my Buick Encore that I got through Costco Auto Program,” shared Costco member Elsa H. about her promotional purchase. “Saved a TON! Got a terrific small SUV that drives like a dream and found out about so many other products and services that Costco offers. Who knew?" To check out the deals, visit CostcoAuto.com for more information.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 10-3-2019 If there was any doubt that General Motors' new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was the hottest supercar in the world, today's reveal of the car fitted with a retractable hardtop ended that debate. “We put the world on notice when we introduced the first mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette a few months ago, and now we’re raising the bar with the first-ever hardtop Corvette convertible,” said Brian Sweeney, Chevrolet U.S. vice president. The two-piece convertible top can be raised or lowered at speeds up to 30 mph and it retracts in as few as 16 seconds. The top is powered by six electric motors and uses encoders for precise motion control. Chevy says electric motors are more reliable than hydraulic systems. A body-colored roof is standard. Those who want some added pizzazz will like the optional Carbon Flash metallic-painted nacelles and roof. Despite the roof needing a place to go when down, the new Stingray convertible has ample storage. The rear cargo area is the size of two golf bags. The frunk is still there as well, and it can hold a carry-on bag size piece of luggage. “Our goal from the beginning was to make sure customers didn’t have to sacrifice any functionality, performance or comfort when choosing the hardtop convertible,” said Josh Holder, Corvette program engineering manager. “We managed to keep the same design theme as the coupe, as well as the exceptional storage capacity and track capability.” Chevrolet engineers ensured that engine could breathe when stored underneath the tonneau cover. When down, the top is stored in a compartment made from lightweight composite panels and shielded from heat damage by engine heat.The divider glass window in the middle of the car is power actuated and can be lowered when the top is either up or down. Like most convertibles this divider glass glass helps to manage wind noise in the cabin for improved quietness. Performance is also not impacted. The convertible has identical drag to the coupe. Chevy also tweaked the chassis for the convertible's suspension to provide the same level of performance as the coupe. The new 2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible will be priced $7,500 more than the entry 1LT Stingray coupe. Those interested in configuring a new Corvette can check out the Chevy build site. A dedicated Chevrolet Corvette Concierge team is also available to provide customers with answers about the vehicle discovery, buying and ownership process. The team can be reached by calling 866-424-3892

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 10-1-2019 A components shortage due to the United Auto Workers' strike against General Motors in the United States has resulted in a GM plant in Mexico being closed. GM reports its has shut down its pickup truck and transmission factories in Silao, Mexico. The Associated Press quotes GM Spokesperson Dan Flores as saying that production at the factories ended Tuesday morning, affecting 6,000 workers. This marks the third North American plant outside of the United States that GM has closed due to the strike action against the company. GM had already been forced to close a Mexican engine plant and an assembly plant in Canada due to the strike. As of late last week, GM had over 80 days of Silverado inventory on hand at dealers. The company had upped production and increased dealer inventory ahead of the strike which is now entering the middle of its third week. So far, workers at the GM plants who are on strike have missed on paycheck. They are not missing their GM 97% subsidized health benefits. GM is continuing to pay for workers' health insurance despite them not being on the job. The United Auto Workers opted to pay themselves $250 each from the Union's nearly $1 billion in strike pay fund yesterday. The money is not subject to federal income tax. Trucks, and the American jobs creating them, are protected by a 25% import duty in the United States and have been since the Johnson Administration in the 1960s. However, Canada and Mexico are excluded from that tariff as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Photo courtesy of GM is for representation purposes only.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 9-26-2019 The general vibe today is that the nationwide United Auto Workers strike against GM over a contract renewal is about to wrap up. GM opted to pay UAW members' health care benefits after all. While knowing very little about how the negotiations are actually going, that certainly seems like a gesture that GM can point back to as part of its image maintenance. Today is Thursday. This author feels that the strike may wrap up over the weekend. GM's motivation to put workers back on the lines certainly does not seem to be a lack of available vehicles on dealer lots. At our request, the folks at iSeeCars.com were kind enough to spend a bit of time and energy calculating their estimate of how many "days of inventory" GM's dealers had of top-selling GM models. The numbers indicate that the dealers are likely glad to be moving some of this iron off the lots. Here's the breakdown we got from iSeeCars: As you can see, the dealers may have a shortage of some individual "hot" trims, but overall, the inventory is healthy. This study corroborated others we have seen reported that showed up to 11 weeks of inventory were built up ahead of the UAW action. We find it interesting that the imported from Korea Buick Encore is the model with the most days available. With about 80 days of trucks available, there is also no shortage of pickups on dealer lots overall. As this story is published, the strike is still on. How long do you think it will last?

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 9-26-2019 GM is using the Texas State Fair to show off its two most popular tims, which it is bringing back to the new generation Silverado for 2020. Chevy says the new 2020 Silverado Midnight and Rally Editions will be available for order in October and will arrive at dealerships later this year. “Customer choice is a competitive advantage for Chevrolet, because no two truck drivers are alike,” said Mark Sobczynski, Silverado marketing manager. “Whether it’s the sinister Midnight Edition or a sporty Rally Edition – special editions offer our customers a custom look direct from the factory that fits their unique personality.” Sobczynski added, “Whether at auto shows, local car shows or on the road, people turn their heads when they see our special edition trucks. Our dealers often put these special editions at the front of their lot because they attract people into the store and draw attention to the entire truck lineup.” Midnight Edition - Off-Road Focused Chevy offers the Silverado Midnight Edition on the LT Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss trims. This trim includes a 2-inch factory suspension lift and comes with the Z71 Off Road Package with Rancho off-road shocks, a locking rear differential, skid plates, 18-inch black painted wheels and off-road tires. The Midnight Edition styling has its classic an all-black theme with black Silverado badging, a black grille, black Bowties, black bumpers, black exhaust tips and black off-road assist steps. To give the truck some color, Chevy adds red recovery hooks. The Custom Trail Boss Midnight Edition is available with either a 5.3L V-8 engine with six-speed automatic transmission or the up-powered 6.2L V-8 engine with 10-speed automatic transmission. The LT Trail Boss Midnight Edition comes only with the 6.2L V-8 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. Street-Focused Rally Edition The Silverado Rally Edition is available on the Custom and RST trims. It has a sporty vibe and is, available in Black, Red Hot, Silver Ice Metallic or Summit White colors. The street-focused Rally edition includes a body-colored grille, black Rally stripes on the hood and tailgate, black Chevrolet tailgate lettering, black badging, black Bowties, black exhaust tip(s) and black assist steps. The Custom Rally Edition will have 20-inch black painted wheels and comes with Chevy's new 2.7L Turbo engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. The RST Rally Edition has bigger 22-inch black painted wheels and can come with the boosted four, or two additional choices, the 5.3L V-8 with 8-speed automatic transmission or a 6.2L V-8 with 10-speed automatic transmission. Tell us which trim you like better in the comments below. We will add more preview images when GM makes them available.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 9-24-2019 Would you ever buy a rear-wheel drive truck? Or a front-wheel drive truck? Surprisingly, many folks do. Not by percent, but every major automaker in America offers a 2WD truck. At landscape and construction companies your author has worked at, 2WD trucks were very popular with both the workers as personal vehicles and as work trucks at the companies. iSeeCars.com has just finished up a study looking at which states have the highest percentage of AWD and 4WD vehicles. Of course, the numbers are skewed by location. Snow and ice are big incentives to opt for a vehicle that powers all of its wheels. Not surprisingly, mountain states have the most 4x4 vehicles. “‘Montana’ translates to ‘mountain’ in Spanish and has over 100 mountain ranges within its boundaries as well as many dirt roads,” said iSeeCars CEO Phong Ly. “The state receives snow most months of the year, leaving roads snowy or icy, which helps explain why these all-weather vehicles are so popular.” If you have a 2WD truck tell us in the comments below if you wish you had opted for 4x4 of if you are glad you made the choice you did.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 9-11-2019 General Motors has announced that NHTSA is mandating a safety recall for the following vehicles: 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Pickups (1500 / 2500 / 3500) 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade NHTSA reports that the amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time. The group says that as the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, and that this increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash. This new recall covers 3.4 million vehicles. The Problem: The brake pump uses engine oil to lubricate itself. If the pump becomes clogged with engine oil sludge the units ability to create vaccum is diminished over time. As a result, braking force and ability also drops. The issue is usually accompanied by a "Service Brake Assist" warning message in the dash. The Fix: GM will reprogram the computer that controls the secondary brake assist pump. The secondary pump will now activate at lower speeds and different situations quicker to compensate for any lost output from the main pump. Since the pumps are not failing, GM has decided not to replace them. GM's number for this recall is N192268490. In compliance with federal law, GM will notify owners, typically by snail mail. GM says that its dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module. However, GM has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. If you own one of these vehicles and wish to check to see if your vehicle is included (or not) you can do so at this link immediately. As with every safety recall, customers will not be charged by GM for the needed repairs or modifications. NHTSA's public information on this issue indicates that many accidents have been reported to NHTSA including some with injuries. This recall is the result of a NHTSA investigation that lasted nearly a year. In its investigation report, NHTSA noted the following details about the problem:

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 8-30-2019 General Motors has committed to an "all-electric future." However, that commitment is hard to see in practice. The most recent additions by the company are a long list of crossovers powered by conventional engines that are all imported to the U.S. and a new Corvette that still has a small block V8. Hey, don't take us the wrong way, we love Corvettes and V8s, but a little truth in marketing would be refreshing. Mary Barra, at last check, drove an Escalade. To its credit, GM has had the most most success with affordable EVs of any manufacturer in America. Its Volt EREV* remains the top-selling affordable EV in America of all time. It was a top-3 seller when GM killed it off in March. That left the Bolt BEV* to carry forth the torch (or maybe rechargeable LED flashlight) for GM in the green car world we hear so much about via the daily news feed. The problem with the Bolt is that, despite being a top-3 affordable EV seller, EVs are tanking in the marketplace. EV sales were down across the board in America last month and also in China. We bet you didn't see that headline in the New York Times. What makes the Bolt's sales situation a bit scary is that it is no longer maintaining a 1,000 unit per month run-rate. Just for comparison, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD has maintained a 10,000 unit-per-month rate for the past few months. The Prius remains at about a 5,000 unit-per-month rate. Affordable green cars still sell, just not EVs. The Bolt's top sales month was December of 2017. In that month, Chevy sold 3,227 Bolts, and Chevy had an average of about 2,000 Bolt sales per month for well over a year. Last month, Chevy sold just 985 Bolts. Dealers and GM are certainly helping as much as possible. Five-figure discounts on Bolts are now common. In Massachusetts, a target state for EVs, multiple dealers are offering discounts of over 10,000 on Bolts - a quarter of their MSRP. The Bolt also has the taxpayers' support. There is a federal tax deduction available of $3,750 and a state rebate of $1,500. That totals $18,500 in discounts on the Bolt. Base Bolts are now costing consumers under $20K. Yet sales are diving. Inventory is not an issue, just one dealer in Mass has 80 in stock right now. August will set an all-time record for vehicles sales revenue in America. In a report today, J.D. Power's spokesperson said, "August will be a blockbuster month for the industry. Sales are expected to post the largest year-over-year gain since December 2016. Strong volumes coupled with higher average sales prices means that consumers will spend more purchasing new vehicles in August than any month in history." It would be easy to believe that the Tesla Model 3 is taking the sales away from all of the other EV models on the market. Except the Model 3 was down in July and is now selling at about half its former run rate in the U.S.. Welcome to the all-electric future. *Note: EREV= Extended Range Electric Vehicle. BEV = Battery-Electric Vehicle

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 8-29-2019 Multiple sources are reporting that Federal Investigators raided the Detroit home of United Auto Workers Current President Gary Jones and the California home of former President Dennis Williams in recent hours. The Detroit News reports that this is part of a long-running investigation into bribes, kickbacks, and attempts by automotive manufacturing executives to influence contract negotiations with the union that builds many of America's vehicles. The investigation has already resulted in many arrests and charges. “This weakens the union’s position at the negotiating table,” said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor. “The team could be in handcuffs in a week.” “It is rare if not unprecedented to raid a UAW former or current president’s house,” said Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley who specializes in labor and the global economy. “The timing is particularly disturbing.” The UAW is presently in negotiations with three automakers over contracts. More on this to follow as the story develops. Image Note: GM's Mary Barra shown with former UAW leader Dennis Williams. Second Image is Gary Jones.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 7-30-2019 Polaris buyers can now order their side-by-side ATV with the loudest, highest-performing audio system available direct from the factory. Polaris has teamed up with Rockford Fosgate, an industry leader in high-performance audio systems, to delivery high-quality audio on is new General and RZR XP. "In working with the team at Polaris we see that they are as passionate about off-road as we are about our music," said Bill Jackson, Rockford CEO and President. "We both strive to deliver class leading products to enthusiasts of our brands, and I believe that the fact that Polaris recognized this opportunity to give their owners features they demand in vehicles fully equipped from the factory reinforces their position as a market leader." These are audio systems specifically designed for off-road use. "Our team of designers here at Rockford are proud to be leading the way for the next generation of audio in off-road vehicles," explained Jake Braaten, Rockford Vice President of New Product Development and Engineering. "It was a challenge to figure out the best solution to integrate premium sound into these models, but after optimizing the speakers and their locations, we knew that we could deliver an amazing sound experience in the General." Rockford Fosgate also offers systems for Polaris vehicles that have already been acquired. Learn more at the company's website. GM-Trucks.com staff have sampled Rockford Fosgate audio in many vehicles and have always been impressed. This pairing seems like a perfect match to us.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 7-24-2019 Ford has been working hard behind the scenes to develop the world's first mass-produced, mainstream electric pickup truck. That development is now to the point where Ford is ready to start showing off a bit. This week, Ford's chief engineer for the F-150, Linda Zhang, hooked up the test mule to ten double-decker rail cars. She then tugged that train 1,000 feet. To add a bit of drama, she then loaded up 42 F-150s into those rail cars and did it again. Clearly, electric trucks will be tow monsters. Ford is one of the best-positioned automakers to advance its fleet with electric drive. Ford is now a partner with not only Rivian, who is developing a luxury EV pickup, but also with VW. No other automaker has as much to lose by falling behind in the EV transition, and no other automaker seems better positioned to profit from EVs when they are finally ready for the masses. Related Story: Is GM Working On EV Pickups?

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 7-9-2019 GM-trucks.com is testing the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer over the coming two weeks. We are just a few days into the testing and we are already in love with this vehicle. It has many great features that we are planning to go into great detail on in a long-format review soon. One of the most impressive features is the new rear camera mirror our RS tester came equipped with. The new camera mirror is dead simple to operate. The mirror is still a reflective mirror until you flip up the little tab we used to call the dimmer. Once that is done, the image changes to the camera view. The camera view is wider, brighter, and higher in resolution than what one sees in the reflective mirror. It is so good, and so wide, we found that we no longer needed the side-view mirrors in most circumstances. The camera performed great in daylight, at night, and in the rain. GM cleverly incorporates a washer for the camera that is located directly next to the backup camera on the rear tailgate above the license plate. When you wash the rear window the camera also gets a spritz. If you happen to be at a GM dealership ask someone there to let you check out the new rear camera mirror in one of the vehicles. You will instantly fall in love with this new technology. If you own a GM vehicle with the camera, please tell the membership how you like it so far in our comments section below.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 7-2-2019 The new Ford Ranger did pretty well on its newest safety tests by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS), but it did not have the scores to earn either level of the Top Safety Pick award. The Ranger fell short in three ways overall. First, it scored Acceptable for its passenger side small frontal overlap crash test. Like some other manufacturers, Ford does not reinforce the passenger side of its Ranger as robustly as it does the driver's side. That boots the Ranger off of the Top Safety Pick Plus designation. Next, the Ranger's best headlights are only Marginal. That boots it off of the Top Safety Pick list. Finally, the child safety anchors are scored Marginal, which does not factor into the IIHS scores, but makes parents swear quite a bit. You can see detailed score info at this link. IIHS has a good video with more details below.

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 6-19-2019 If you are a fan of vintage Chevy trucks, you need to check out Wheeler Dealers Episode 3 of season 20. You can find it on the "Motor Trend" channel on your TV feed, or you can go to this link and watch it on your computer free (if you sign up for a 14-day trial.) GN-Trucks.com has no affiliation with Motor Trend. If you had "Velocity" on your TV feed, this is the replacement channel for it. As a fan of Wheeler Dealers who has seen every episode, I will warn you that this particular one is unusual in some ways. In many episodes Ant actually builds his own tools to do maintenance and repairs, and he even fabricates parts from scratch. This turnaround is more of an upgrade to an already awesome truck. There is a great transmission shop scene and the shots of the underside of the truck when they work on the suspension will make anyone living in the snow belt jaw drop. The truck is PERFECT underneath. We can't show you much more of the episode or even images without stealing from someone else's family bread, but you can see a quick shot of the truck in the image at the top of our page. Feel free to weigh in if you've seen it, or to chat about Wheeler Dealers in general. Just for the record, I loved Edd, but I am now also a big Ant fan (Makes sense if you know the show).