(This article originally appeared on GMC.com)

Unique chrome accents, 22-inch wheels offer upscale style

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – GMC today announced the 2016 Yukon SLT Premium Edition – a chrome-trimmed special model offering a premium, personalized appearance on SLT models.

It goes on sale this summer, offered on Yukon and Yukon XL models. Features include:

• Unique design 22-inch chrome-wheels
• Unique design chrome grille
• Bright chrome body-side moldings
• Polished exhaust tip

“The new Yukon SLT Premium Edition adds distinction and personalized style to the already well-appointed Yukon SLT model,” said Stu Pierce, senior marketing manager, GMC Trucks & Full-size SUVs. “For discerning customers seeking uncompromising capability and unparalleled refinement in a full-size SUV, Yukon SLT Premium Edition delivers with the latest in technologies, amenities and a unique and premium style.”

Yukon and Yukon XL SLT models are powered by an advanced 5.3L V-8 engine that offers the segment’s best V-8 fuel economy: an EPA-estimated 23 highway mpg (2WD models).

Additional standard and available features on SLT models include:

• Fold-flat second- and third-row seats that enhance cargo capability and convenience, including an available power-folding feature
• Power rear liftgate with multiple programmable height settings and hands-free operation
• Wireless phone charging
• Standard 8-inch-diagonal color touch-screen radio with enhanced IntelliLink and available navigation
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone projection compatibility
• Keyless Open and Start
• 8,500-lb. max trailering for Yukon and 8,300-lb. max trailering for Yukon XL (2WD models)

The Yukon lineup also incorporates technologies that help protect the driver and passengers before, during and after a collision. They include a forward radar system and the segment’s only Front Center Air Bag (models with front bucket seats), which deploys from the inboard side of the driver’s seat and inflates between the driver and front passenger, providing added protection for both front occupants in side impacts.

Phone projection technology

Through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability, Yukon’s IntelliLink infotainment system provides simple and intuitive use of smartphones in the vehicle. It integrates certain phone functions onto the 8-inch-diagonal color touch screen, allowing you to call up music, navigation apps and more.

Read the entire article at GMC.com!

(This article originally appeared on GMC.com)

Factory- and dealer-installed features add convenience, confidence to towing duties

DETROIT – New available features including a gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailering prep package and a trailering camera system complement built-in technologies to help make trailering with the 2016 GMC Sierra easier and more comfortable than ever.

The gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailering prep package is offered on Sierra HD models and makes them ready to tow larger trailers right from the factory, while the trailering camera system is available for Sierra 1500 and HD models. It was developed with Echomaster to help reduce blind spots on the highway and when reversing with a trailer.

“GMC’s reputation was forged on the ability to perform heavy work with a premium touch, and these new options do more to make that work comfortable and confident,” said Sierra Marketing Manager Stuart Pierce. “With a 112-year legacy of professional-grade trucks behind them, the entire Sierra lineup handles the toughest tasks with the utmost ease.”

Gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailering prep package

The new gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailering prep package is a $350 option featuring a frame-mounted hitch platform and tray that accommodates a gooseneck ball hitch or fifth-wheel hitch mounting brackets.

The platform is concealed beneath the truck’s bed floor and when the hitch isn’t needed, it can be removed for full use of the bed’s cargo capacity. Caps for the openings in the floor are included and a bed-mounted seven-way trailer wiring connection comes with the prep package.

Additionally, a new gooseneck completion kit is available from GMC dealers that features a 2-5/16-inch ball hitch and two chain tie-downs. It carries a retail price of $315. GMC dealers also offer CURT Manufacturing fifth-wheel hitches compatible with the factory-installed hitch platform. They are available in 20,000-lb. and 25,000-lb. versions for $939 and $999, respectively (not including tax, installation and labor charges).

The 2016 Sierra HDs’ fifth-wheel trailering ratings are aligned with SAE J2807 standards, with maximum capacities including:

• 2500HD trailering rating of 18,000 pounds (8,165 kg)
• 3500HD single-rear-wheel trailering rating of 17,500 pounds (7,938 kg)
• 3500HD dual-rear-wheel trailering rating of 23,200 pounds (10,523 kg)

Read the entire article on GMC.com!

To donate visit ourbravest.org/enlistme or call 844-BRAVEST

DETROIT – In honor of Military Appreciation Month, and as part of the ongoing relationship between GMC and veteran support program Building for America’s Bravest, the brand is calling on its staff, fans and fellow Americans to support the foundation’s work to build life-changing smart homes for severely injured service members. GMC has committed to contribute up to $2 million by the end of 2016 and is asking people across the country to “enlist to unlist” the more than 200 severely injured service men and women currently waiting for smart homes.

As part of the campaign, a continuation of the #enlistme activity started in 2015, GMC has enlisted the support of actor Josh Duhamel as campaign ambassador, in an effort to increase awareness and raise funds to make significant differences in the lives of these courageous service members.

Speaking on why he chose to support, Duhamel referenced his strong ties to both the military and the GMC brand. “I grew up near a military base in North Dakota. My aunt was in the military and completed a number of tours overseas and my grandfather was a proud veteran. I feel it’s my duty as an American, and as a supporter of our veterans, to do as much as I can to bring awareness to the work of Building for America’s Bravest. I have owned a GMC truck since 2004, so when GMC asked me to step up and work with them, it was a no-brainer. I hope you will join me in enlisting to support this incredible cause.”

GMC and its parent company have supported the U.S. military for more than 100 years, working with the mantra of “Helping, Hiring & Driving,” through a mixture of employment programs, veteran support programs and offering the best possible automotive military discount during Military Appreciation Month, which is offered to all 21 million veterans and their families through May 31, 2016.

Read the entire article at GMC.com!

(This article originally appeared on GMC.com)

DETROIT – Today through May 31, 2016, GMC will expand its military discount program for all 21 million U.S. military veterans and their spouses, in honor of National Military Appreciation Month.

“These brave men and women have done so much for our country,” said Steve Hill, GM vice president of U.S. sales and service. “Making sure all veterans can take advantage of our military discount to celebrate Military Appreciation Month is one small way we can express our gratitude.”

GMC offers the industry’s most comprehensive automotive military discount program. The military discount program is typically available to U.S. military veterans within one year of separation, active-duty personnel, reservists, retirees and their spouses. In honor of May’s National Military Appreciation Month, the program expands to include all veterans – regardless of their separation date – and their spouses.

The discount is available for popular models, including the GMC Acadia, Sierra and Yukon. Because the discount can be combined with most current incentives, veterans could save thousands of dollars on some vehicles. For more information, visit gmmilitarydiscount.com.

GMC’s support for the U.S. military began more than 100 years ago when the U.S. Army began to rely on its trucks during WWI. Today, the tradition continues as GMC’s recently launched #enlistme campaign helps the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation and its Building For America’s Bravest program build smart homes for veterans with serious combat injuries.

“Too many severely injured servicemen and women are returning to homes that just don’t meet the needs of their individual conditions,” said Duncan Aldred, U.S. vice president, Buick and GMC Sales, Service and Marketing. “With the #enlistme campaign, GMC invites everyone to honor these brave veterans by showing their support on social media and making a donation.”

Read the entire article on GMC.com!

(This article originally appeared on GMC.com)

Win marks brand three-peat for the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Award

DETROIT – GMC today was recognized as the Most Refined Brand in the 2016 Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards. It is the third consecutive year the brand has received this award.

Brand Image Award winners are based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Strategic Insights’ Brand Watch study. Brand Watch is an online brand and model perception tracking study tapping into more than 12,000 in-market new-vehicle shoppers annually on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. The comprehensive study provides insight on how shoppers identify important factors influencing their purchase decision and captures brand/model familiarity and loyalty among new-vehicle shoppers.

Driven by its luxury-focused Denali sub-brand, GMC received high ratings for comfort, interior layout, technology, prestige and sophistication. In previous years, Kelley Blue Book has praised Denali vehicles for offering plush features while maintaining a more rugged persona than offered by most luxury automakers.

“Premium quality and exterior styling are the top two reasons customers choose GMC vehicles,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC. “Unprecedented refinement and attention to detail provide our customers with a truly Professional Grade experience.”

More than 850,000 GMC Denali vehicles have been sold since the introduction of the 1999 GMC Yukon Denali. The sub-brand accounted for 23 percent of GMC retail sales in 2015, outselling the entire product lines of several premium automakers such as Land Rover, Jaguar and Porsche.

For more information about the 2016 Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards, visit http://www.kbb.com/new-cars/brand-image-awards/.

(This article originally appeared on Buick.com)

Classic artisan techniques inspire contemporary Buick Avista concept

DETROIT – The collaborative energy inside the Buick design studio shows how proven artistic methods and cutting-edge technology work together to create beautiful vehicles.

Interior designers of the award-winning Buick Avista were tasked with creating an interior of equal beauty to the exterior. While sketching and refining the door in digital mockups they reached the point where they wanted to see it in physical form. They gave the detailed sketch to the clay sculptors and left the next step in their hands. For a designer, the transition from 2D to 3D is the moment of truth.

“We are really fortunate to work with such a talented team of sculptors,” said Aaron Stich, creative designer for Buick. “They brought the design to life in a way we never could have imagined; it was absolutely inspiring to see how they interpreted what we had done with pen and paper. This is what it’s like in the Buick studio right now, there’s so much energy, and everyone is itching to contribute. It’s fueling the creative renaissance of the brand.”

Mark Dybis, creative sculptor, remembers his initial reaction when seeing the drawing of the door and quips that it reminded him of an M.C. Escher artwork. Dybis, who has spent the majority of his decade long career as an automotive sculptor in the Buick studios explained the lofty nature of making this proposed door design work.

“It was an amazing door design, but it was longer than we’re used to, so we knew we’d have to pay special attention to the curved lines to make the physical model look just as graceful as it did on the paper,” Dybis explains. “Our job is to bring the designers’ vision to life, and we know there are things that have to be considered when transitioning a drawing into the tangible world. In the end, I appreciate that a modern-looking car like the Avista, and all Buicks, are styled with time-honored methods like hand drawing and sculpting.”

Read the entire article on Buick.com!

(This article originally appeared on GMC.com)

The News
Ahead of its debut at the New York International Auto Show, GMC today introduced the 2017 GMC Terrain Nightfall Edition – a stylized special edition combining blacked-out exterior details and wheels, with popular technologies such as IntelliLink with available 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot.

It joins the Canyon Nightfall Edition and the all-new Sierra All Terrain X as the latest GMC vehicle to offer an exclusive, personalized appearance with the Terrain’s premium features and refinement.

Product Details
The Terrain Nightfall offers an edgy appearance with 18-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels and gloss black spokes, a charcoal grill with a gloss black surround and accents, gloss black front and rear fascia accents, gloss black rear license plate surround trim, gloss black outside mirrors and black luggage rails. Terrain Nightfall Edition will be offered on SLE-2 and SLT models with four exterior color options: Summit White, Onyx Black, Graphite Gray Metallic and Crimson Red Metallic.

On Sale
Fall 2016

Quotable
“Building on its best year ever, Terrain continues to attract new and style-conscious customers to GMC,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. “The new Terrain Nightfall Edition adds another great-looking and well-equipped choice for this popular SUV – one that will stand out in a crowd.”

About the Terrain
Coming off a record sales year in 2015, the restyled 2016 Terrain is a capable crossover with room for five, premium features and technologies that allow passengers to stay connected wherever the road or trail takes them. It also offers an EPA-estimated 32 mpg highway (FWD models) with the standard 2.4L engine.

GMC IntelliLink with a 7-inch-diagonal color touchscreen is standard on the Terrain Nightfall Edition’s SLE-2 and SLT trims, along with available 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot.

Read the entire article on GMC.com!

(This article was originally posted on GMC.com.)

Spaciousness, Comfort and Family-Friendly Features Make Yukon the Best Option for Families

DETROIT – U.S. News & World Report today announced the 2016 GMC Yukon is the Best Large SUV for Families, praising the vehicle for its capability, features and comforts.

“The Yukon has the most family-friendly features in the class,” said Jamie Page Deaton, managing editor for U.S. News Best Cars. “The Apple CarPlay and in-car Wi-Fi are really cutting edge, standout features. The Yukon also won because it has such a high US News score – it gets really positive reviews not only for its space and comfort, but also its performance.”

Evaluation and methodology for the award included: overall sentiment of professional automotive reviews, safety and reliability ratings, seating and cargo volume and the availability of family-friendly features.

“The GMC line-up is designed with the expectation of premium comforts, utility and unique features for any passenger,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. “The Yukon is no exception as it is highly sought-after for its styling, spaciousness and family-oriented design. It is an exceptional honor to be named the best large SUV for families by U.S. News & World Report in a category so important to our customers and our brand.”

The Yukon also was recently ranked highest in its segment for the third-straight year in the 2016 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, with innovation and engineering excellence built into all GMC vehicles. The brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC’s highest-volume vehicle, the Sierra pickup, is the most powerful light-duty pickup on the market, and the first full-size pickup to receive the highest-possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its New Car Assessment Program for the 2011 model year. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.