Autoblog

General Motors has informed its dealers that production of some of its 2008 full-size trucks and SUVs has been halted due to the ongoing American Axle strike. The affected vehicles include the GMC Yukon, Denali, Sierra heavy-duty regular and extended cab, its commercial-duty pickup and variants of Chevrolet trucks and Tahoes. According to the General, a basic lack of parts is the reason for the stoppage and dealer orders for the week of May 8th and May 15th have been cancelled. While a lack of production is bad news for any automaker, we can't help but think that it couldn't have come at a better time for the General as SUV and truck sales are down overall.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

The Chicago Auto Show wasn't that eventful, but that's what we lead off Autoblog Podcast episode #87 with. The Challenger was the biggest deal, followed by the Denali XT, and then a bunch of inconsequential things. We did find ourselves talking about the Suzuki Equator and the Ford Transit Connect, too. We give you our first up close and personal impressions of the Challenger SRT-8 in this podcast. We also saw the VW Routan, which certainly doesn't conjure warm, fuzzy memories of Type IIs gone by. Chevy's Traverse calls into question the usefulness of Saturn's Outlook in the product lineup. Speaking of GM badge-engineering, we got word this week that Pontiac will not be getting a Trans Am companion to the Camaro, dang. Another disappointment is the rumor that Cerberus is going to let the Viper run down without rewinding the clock for a third generation. We wrap up by touching on the possibility that an Indian pickup could be the first diesel hybrid in the US, even though it's not even being imported yet, and we're sure that when it gets here, it'll generate even more hate than the new Acura RL. 42 minutes, that's it. Sorry it's a little late this week, it's all Alex's fault, I swear.

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At the GM Style event tonight held next door to General Motors' world headquarters, hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z walked the runway with a special blue GMC Yukon Denali. Apparently Jay-Z came up with the special shade of blue and it includes platinum dust. At a press conference after the show, Jay-Z and GM VP of marketing Michael A. Jackson announced that a limited run of the Denalis would be made available for sale.

The full press release is available after the jump and a gallery of high-res images is available by clicking on the image above.

Looks like GMC has gotten into the bike game. Jeep did pretty well with their mountain bikes. And Ferrari, Porsche, Spyker, Cadillac and BMW have all done the road bike thing as well. Now we find GMC doing...both. Perhaps wanting to emphasize their off-road ruggedness with a smooth on-road ride, the 7 GMC bicycles from Kent (the manufacturer of the Cadillac bikes) cover both mountain and street. Buyers so inclined can choose from the Topkick, Denali, Yukon, Yukon XL and Envoy. Prices range from the $180 everyday Denalis through the $400 Yukon XL race bike. Knowing GMC as a truck-only company, the race bike seems a bit odd, to say the least.

The dual suspension Topkick is what we would consider to be the most GMC-like model. The description says it lives up to the GMC name because it is rugged, good looking, and built for the long haul. There's even a pair of Denali bikes for the tykes priced the same as the adult versions. If any of these sound appealing to you, we have some good news: Amazon has a few of them on sale and is offering free shipping.

[Source: Kent Bicycles via GM Inside News]

After a day behind the wheel of the new GMC Acadia crossover SUV, the folks at Popular Mechanics report some new information that snuck out in a conversation with a particularly chatty GM staffer.

He revealed that the Acadia will get the Denali treatment and, along with the usual trim level upgrades, a V8. The more interesting news is that the V8 under the hood of the Acadia Denali, and most assuredly the Buick Enclave as well, will be from an entirely new engine family being developed for transverse applications.

He stopped short of giving up specs, but the 3.6-liter V6 as tuned for use in the new crossovers makes 275 horsepower, so figure 300+ for sure. Hey General, how about 400?

Thanks to Ben at Popular Mechanics for the heads-up!

[Source: Ben Stewart / Popular Mechanics]

As General Motors moves towards "value pricing," it has announced that the 2007 GMC Yukon will come in at $34,690 including $875 for destination; $890 less than the 2006 model. The XL is $37,790, $840 less than the 2006 model. The Denali, which is the top-of-the-line model in the Yukon stable, comes in at  $47,990 and $50,490 for the XL; $2,070 and $1,220 less than their respective 2006 predecessors.

The move towards lower pricing is part of GM's effort to rely less on incentives by moving the price of the vehicle closer to what it costs when it ultimately leaves the showroom.