Auto news Popular GM trucks set to roll off line earlier December 8, 2005 Email this Print this BY ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER A 2006 GMC Sierra Short Box Extended Cab. Production of the new Sierra (not shown) and the new Silverado is expected to begin in October, with sales of 2007 models starting the following month. (General Motors Corp.) General Motors Corp. has moved up production of its Silverado and GMC Sierra by 13 weeks in an effort to get the hot-selling vehicles to market quicker and increase cash flow. GM officials said Wednesday that production of the trucks would be moved up to October 2006 and go on sale the following month as 2007 model-year vehicles. Production of the full-size trucks originally was scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2007, with the vehicles to go on sale as 2008 model-year trucks. "We learned enough when we pulled production of the SUVs ahead to accelerate the launch of the pickups by 13 weeks to October 2006," Gary White, vehicle line executive for GM's full-size trucks, said Wednesday. GM announced in March that it would move ahead, by more than a month, production on new versions of several large SUVs. The new Chevrolet Tahoe is expected to hit showrooms in January, followed by the Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon. Other new SUVs will follow in the second quarter. White said pushing the pickup launch forward would allow GM to sell "tens of thousands of units" of the new trucks in the 2006 calendar year. The announcement wasn't a complete surprise to Michael Robinet, managing director of CSM Worldwide Inc., an automotive consulting firm in Farmington Hills. "We've known about this for a long time," he said. Nevertheless, the decision speaks to the troubled automaker's need to stem the financial bleeding. The world's largest automaker has lost $4.8 billion in North America so far this year, and retail sales have fallen more than expected since employee pricing discounts were stopped in the fall. Also, GM continues to feel the heat of falling market share and the encroaching presence of Toyota Motor Co.

:worthless:

Not because of you Harley, because of GM's lack of showing us these trucks. They better be out at the Los Angeles or Detroit shows!

:worthless:

Not because of you Harley, because of GM's lack of showing us these trucks.  They better be out at the Los Angeles or Detroit shows!

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I doubt they'll debut at either of those, since they won't be out for 11 months. I'm betting on Chicago (where the refreshed ones debuted in 2003) or New York. If they debut in Detroit or LA it is also possible that they will steal some limelight from the SUVs and Lambdas.

Nevertheless, the decision speaks to the troubled automaker's need to stem the financial bleeding.

The world's largest automaker has lost $4.8 billion in North America so far this year, and retail sales have fallen more than expected since employee pricing discounts were stopped in the fall. Also, GM continues to feel the heat of falling market share and the encroaching presence of Toyota Motor Co

By ending the story with the above, it is emphasized too much.

Isn't the real story:

We learned enough when we pulled production of the SUVs ahead to accelerate the launch of the pickups by 13 weeks to October 2006," Gary White, vehicle line executive for GM's full-size trucks, said Wednesday.

If the above is true (why not) isn't it important for all GM launches and GM profitability going into the future?

I feel a little bit like maybe I'm FOG's long lost uncle on this one.

Now the question is, when do we get to see what the trucks will look like?