Daily News Briefs: Aug. 1, 2012

GM entered the month of July with more than five months’ worth of pickup trucks at its Chevy and GMC dealerships. That's the most the company has held since April 2009, Bloomberg News reported today. GM says its building up its truck inventories in preparation for the all-new models that'll come out next year. The model changeover at GM's plants will slow down initial production – GM's truck plants will be closed for 29 weeks — and could constrain supply, which is its reasoning for bolstering truck supplies, according to the newswire. But with demand sinking for GM’s trucks —  Chevrolet Silverado sales were down 12.5% and GMC Sierra sales down 11.8% in July — dealers are resorting to steep discounts on the model. Some experts told Bloomberg that GM’s plan could potentially backfire if truck sales don’t  "pickup."

In other news:

Daily News Briefs: June 8, 2012

With a federal survey released last December suggesting that half of all drivers in their early 20s send texts or emails while driving, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Thursday pledged $2.4 million in federal support for pilot programs in California and Delaware to end distracted driving. LaHood also unveiled a strategy dubbed the "Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving," whose tenants include calling on the remaining 11 states without distracted-driving laws to get on board and asking the auto industry to adopt more guidelines to curb driver distraction. This comes after a Massachusetts teen was convicted of homicide as a result of texting while driving.

In other news:

Daily News Briefs: May 17, 2012

New models will come fast and furious in the 2013-16 model years, according to Bank of America/Merrill Lynch's annual product pipeline analysis, dubbed the "Car Wars" report. Bank of America sees an above-average level of new model launches starting in the 2014 and 2015 model years, when 105 all-new models will be launched.

GM will have a dramatic replacement rate, according to the investment bank, including the launch of a new Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and an all-new generation of full-size crossovers (including the Chevrolet Traverse). New versions of the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain will also dramatically transform GM's lineup in the next four years. GM's market share is said to increase slightly over the next three years, to an estimated 18.2% by 2015.

Ford will see an above-average replacement rate, too, says Merrill Lynch. It projects that the automaker will have a "solid product cadence," culminating in an all-new Ford F-Series in the 2015 model year.

Despite Chrysler's current massive product surge, the investment bank says the carmaker will have a below-average launch of new vehicles in the coming years. Chrysler will launch a slew of new crossovers, such as the new car-based Jeep Liberty replacement, and other small and midsize Fiat-based vehicles, such as the new Chrysler 200 and 100, in the coming years. Expect an all-new Ram truck in the 2017 model year, the report says.

Korean, European and Japanese automakers are expected to have below-average replacement rates for the 2013-16 model years. In fact, after Hyundai and Kia had a strong product launch for the 2011 model year, the bank describes the coming years as "volatile" for the Korean carmakers and believes there's a strong indication of decreasing market share for each over the next few years.

In other news:

Many Automakers' Latch Systems Difficult to Use, Study Finds

Installing a child-safety seat can be a difficult and automakers aren't making it any easier with their Latch systems, according to a new study.

The study evaluated 98 of the best-selling passenger vehicles from the 2010 and 2011 model years and found that only 21 of them had easy-to-use Latch systems. The Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system, which is found in cars from the 2003 model year and on, standardizes the in-car equipment for car-seat installation.

It's supposed to make it easier for parents to get the proper car-seat fit and ensure that the child riding in the car seat is protected in a crash.

GMC Celebrates 100 Years With Heritage Edition

To commemorate its 100th anniversary of the brand, GMC will offer a Heritage Edition package on select model-year 2012 pickups and full-size SUVs. They include the GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL models in SLT trim.

The package includes specific badging, chrome trim, unique wheels and the contents of the Convenience (Sierra) or SLT-2 (Yukon) Equipment Packages. The special package starts at $1,820, depending on the vehicle.

New GMC Heritage Edition Ready to Debut (PickupTrucks.com)

Totally New Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra Coming Next Year

If you're shopping in the highly competitive pickup truck market, expect to see a completely redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra next year, according to our friends at PickupTrucks.com.

The Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 were last redesigned in 2006. They got a new body, frame and suspension. This time around, expect more of the same. We should see a totally new exterior and interior design, a new frame and heavily revised engines, PickupTrucks.com reports.

PickupTrucks.com Heavy-Duty Shootout: Hurt Locker Edition

PickupTrucks.com has done heavy-duty Shootouts before, but with manufacturers increasing their vehicles’ capabilities all the time, there always seems to be a new top-of-class claim.

Editor Mike Levine and his staff put three trucks — the 2011 Ford F-350, 2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD and 2011.5 Ram 3500 — through a grueling 2,200-mile test measuring every conceivable metric buyers of these haulers would want.

These work trucks can haul 19,400 pounds according to their specs, so that’s how much PickupTrucks.com put on their beds across the American Southwest. Check out the full report to see which one came out on top. [Hint: If you read the last Heavy-Duty Shootout, it’s the same winner.]

PickupTrucks.com 2011 Heavy-Duty Hurt Locker

Recall Alert: 739 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC Trucks, SUVs

GM is recalling 739 vehicles from the 2011 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The affected vehicles are the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV 1500; Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe; and GMC Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL.

The affected vehicles are being recalled because the intermediate steering shaft attaching bolts might not have been tightened properly. This could cause the joints to separate and lead to steering loss, increasing the risk of a crash.

The recall is expected to begin on July 13. GM dealers will inspect the intermediate steering shaft bolts and tighten them, if needed. For more info, owners can call Cadillac at 800-458-8006, Chevrolet at 800-630-2438, GMC at 866-996-9463 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

Hybrids Surge on Cars.com, Trucks Suffer

Yesterday, we illustrated how higher gas prices can affect consumer preferences on Cars.com and ultimately real-world car purchases. After analyzing the last 30 days of search data, we see that hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles are the biggest beneficiaries of the sudden rise in gas prices, and heavy-duty trucks, large luxury cars and SUVs are the biggest losers.

Out of the 15 vehicles that have seen the most improved search traffic over the last 30 days, eight are hybrids.

The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid saw an 1,836% increase in traffic month-over-month on Cars.com. The Sonata Hybrid originally hit dealerships in January, according to Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson, but the car was delayed soon thereafter over impending legislation requiring noisemakers in hybrids and electric vehicles. Miles says the Sonata Hybrid has a noisemaker, but owners have the option to turn it off, which is similar to the system in the Nissan Leaf. Hyundai modified the system in the hybrid so it doesn’t have an option to turn off the virtual engine sound anymore. The car went back on sale sometime this week.

GM Wants More Volts, Already Building More Trucks

Word broke Monday that General Motors was contemplating yet another boost of the Chevy Volt’s production targets, in anticipation of a likely spike in gas prices. But on the same day of this fortune-telling, the automaker officially announced immediate actions to boost production of its more popular gas-thirsty heavy-duty pickups.

GM is trying to meet demand for its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups by adding an extra shift in the second quarter, according to PickupTrucks.com. GM is trying to nip any of the potential supply constraints, like the ones that happened with its SUVs and small crossovers last summer. The resigned Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain simply couldn’t be built fast enough to meet the demand. Months later, the plant has added capacity, and the two vehicles have seen a 60% increase in sales, for three consecutive months.