With gas prices staying around $4 a gallon and no drop anytime soon, new truck dealers like GM are focusing on stocking their lots with fuel-efficient trucks and SUVs. As a matter of fact, GMC is boosting the fuel economy of its truck and SUV lineup by as much as seven percent overall by making them more streamlined and lighter.
For the Chevrolet Silverado, for instance, GMC has improved the efficiency by about one mile to the gallon. That means it will get 15 mpg when driving around the city and about 21 mpg on the highway. These trucks will have a special XFE badge (extra fuel economy) when they arrive at your local GMC dealer and other new truck dealers as soon as next quarter.
The changing focus of the new truck dealers is in response to a 23 percent decline in truck and SUV sales through July of this year. But the automaker is trying to get the new efficient trucks and SUVs on dealer lots and in showrooms “as quickly as possible,” according to GM’s chief for full-size trucks Gary White.
In addition to the Silverado, the Sierra, Tahoe, and Yukon are also getting a number of changes to make them more efficient. GM is also working hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra to attract more customers to new truck dealers across the nation.
