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GM expanding Lansing Lambda CUV plant

Considering that crossovers are a rapidly growing portion of the US auto market, it's not surprising to hear that General Motors is preparing to build even more of them. The company is investing $63 million to expand its Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant that builds Lambda platform CUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
According to GM, the expansion will add roughly 263,000 extra square feet of space to the plant. Of that, 181,000 square feet will be for an updated body shop with cutting-edge robots. There will also be 54,000 square feet of additional room in the paint shop and 28,000 square feet of more area for general assembly.
GM isn't saying as much, but there is the possibility that this extra space could allow for additional models produced at the factory. Cadillac reportedly dropped plans to build a three-row SUV on the Lambda platform earlier this year, however, dealers for the luxury brand were recently pitched the possibility of adding large and small CUVs, an ATS convertible or a sedan below the ATS.

2015 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra heavy duty trucks unveiled

Proving just how important trucks are in the Lone Star State, General Motors has chosen the State Fair of Texas to reveal its new heavy-duty trucks from Chevrolet and GMC. Looking to take some of the wind out of the sails of the 2014 Ram HD and 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty, the 2015 Chevy Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD will have plenty to brag about when they go on sale in the first quarter of next year.
The bragging starts right up front with two available engines. The standard engine is a Vortec 6.0-liter V8 that produces 360 horsepower in the 2500HD and 322 hp in the 3500HD to go along with 380 pound-feet of torque in all applications. The true benefit of this powerplant is that buyers can opt for it to run on straight gasoline, E85 FlexFuel or even compressed natural gas (CNG). For maximum towing and even more flexibility, the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel B20-capable V8 is the way to go, with its carryover 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque. Though the max towing abilities of 23,200 pounds (with a fifth-wheel trailer) are less than the 30,000-pound rating of the new Ram, the GM HD trucks offer better conventional trailer towing (19,600 pounds) and payload (7,374 pounds) than rival heavy-duty trucks...for now. The Duramax is paired with a six-speed Allison automatic transmission, while the gas engine gets GM's six-speed Hydra-Matic - no manual transmissions are offered.
Including the engines, GM continues to offer a broad range of configurations (more than 150, to be exact) including three cabs, two cargo bed lengths, numerous trim levels and, of course, the choice of single- or dual-rear wheels on the 3500. The HD trucks have faces that are similar to their half-ton counterparts, with the exception of a larger grille and bigger for improved air flow, and like the current HD offerings, the new Silverado HD and Sierra HD DRW models feature a one-piece bed design incorporating the fender extensions.

2014 GMC Sierra [w/video]

Big And Boxy Might Be Best
As immense fans of the Back to the Future trilogy, we sometimes like to envision an alternate timeline in which General Motors had killed off GMC and kept Pontiac instead. The G8 GXP would still be on the road handily beating German sport sedans costing twice as much, while the lowly G3 would morph into a true subcompact-killer based on what is now the Chevrolet Sonic RS. While we're at it, let's go ahead and imagine the G6 has become the best-selling car in the US and the Torrent crossover is selling 20,000+ units per month. Far-fetched, we know.
The thing is, these fanciful statements would have to be true to make the case against keeping GMC. Pontiac may have offered more excitement than GMC, but money talks, and a full line of trucks, crossovers and SUVs have made a lot more money for GM than the arrowhead brand ever did. How much? As we learned last month, about two-thirds of GM's global profits came from its fullsize trucks, and GMC's trucks typically have thicker margins than their Chevrolet counterparts.