Thursday, October 6, 2011

GMC Sierra 3500HD wins Best in Class



Did YOU HEAR?  The GMC Sierra 3500HD won PickupTrucks.com’s “Heavy Duty Hurt Locker” comparison test, a grueling showdown among industry heavyweights that included towing 19,400-pound fifth-wheel trailers up and over some of the most demanding grades in the United States.
“We procured similarly equipped trucks from Ford, Ram and GMC and put them through the paces, towing up and down some of the toughest grades in the country covering a total of 2,200 miles,” said Mike Levine, editor of PickupTrucks.com. “When we analyzed the data, the GMC Sierra 3500HD simply outperformed the trucks from Ford and Ram.”
The results of the comparison conducted July 11-18 between Denver, Colo. and Laughlin, Nev., reflect improvements to the 2012 Sierra 3500HD that give Sierra best-in-class towing for both conventional and fifth-wheel trailers.
“Customers choose full-size trucks for their capabilities,” said Rick Spina, vehicle line executive for full-size trucks. “For 2012, we built on the foundation we created in 2011, with engineering changes and additional validation designed to make the most capable heavy-duty pickup even better. Based onPickupTrucks.com’s test results, it looks like we got the job done.”   See the Comparision Test Video: http://bcove.me/o4obc0n0
For enhanced fifth-wheel towing, engineers strengthened the pickup box sills and other box structures, rear springs, u-bolts and box mounts, and upgraded the shock tuning. As a result, Sierra 3500HD now has a best-in-class tow rating of 23,000 pounds, up from 21,700 pounds in 2011.
Check out how nice this 3500HD is: http://youtu.be/amq53w_4XPY
Sierra also will lead the class in dually payload, with a 7,215-lb. payload for the 3500HD regular cab gasoline dually. Updates to the trailer hitch receiver increase conventional towing to 18,000 pounds, up from 17,000 pounds. Both changes will be on models arriving in dealerships in the fourth quarter.
“We know heavy-duty pickups are one of the most-competitive segments, with some of the most knowledgeable customers there are,” said Spina. “For 2012, we worked on making our trucks even more capable than before.”


2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD
2012 Ford F-350
2012 Ram 3500
Max. fifth-wheel towing (lb./kg):
23,000 / 10,433
22,700 / 10,297
22,700 / 10,297
Max. conventional towing (lb./kg):
18,000 / 8,165
17,500 / 7,938
12,050 / 5,466
Max. payload capacity (lb./kg)
7,215 / 3,273
7,110 / 3,225
5,190 / 2,354
Max. GCWR (lb./kg)
30,500 / 13,835
30,000 / 13,608
30,000 / 13,608


Other updates for 2012 Sierra HD trucks include a new navigation radio with enhanced display and a hard drive, eliminating the need for discs with map data.
Sierra continues to offer OnStar, a segment exclusive, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth for phone and USB connectivity.
Come by and Test one for yourself at Biggs Cadillac Buick GMC Trucks. We have a full line of GMC Trucks on the lot and, we truly go the extra mile, for all of our customers. www.biggscadillac.com

Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring

A Brief History of How GMC Started

 A Brief History of How GMC Started

On December 22, 1901, Max Grabowsky established a company called the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, which developed some of the earliest commercial trucks ever designed. The trucks utilized one-cylinder engines.
In 1909, the company was purchased by General Motors to form the basis for the General Motors Truck Company, from which "GMC Truck" brand name was derived.
Another independent manufacturer purchased by GM that same year was Reliance Motor Car Company. Rapid and Reliance were merged in 1911, and in 1912 the marque "GMC Truck" was first shown at the New York International Auto Show.
In the early decades, the initialism "GMC" was simply an abbreviation of "General Motors Corporation".
 In 1916, a GMC Truck crossed the country from Seattle to New York City in thirty days, and in 1926, a 2-ton GMC truck was driven from New York to San Francisco in five days and 30 minutes.
During the Second World War, GMC Truck produced 600,000 trucks for use by the U.S. military, like the DUCK shown here.
In 1925, GM purchased a controlling interest in Yellow Coach, a bus manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois which was founded by John D. Hertz. After purchasing the remaining portion in 1943, GM renamed it GM Truck and Coach Division.

Here is a great short film on GM and how the Futurliner was a part of GM history http://youtu.be/7ZDbv567vbs

The Division manufactured interurban coaches until 1980. Transit bus production ended in May 1987. The Canadian plant (in London, Ontario) produced buses from 1962 until July 1987. Rights to the RTS model were sold to Transportation Manufacturing Corporation, while Motor Coach Industries of Canada purchased the Classic design.

GMC currently manufactures SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty trucks. In the past, GMC also produced fire trucks, ambulances, heavy-duty trucks, military vehicles, motorhomes, and transit buses.    


Keep it between the lines,
Happy Motoring                        
For more information  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_(automobile)