GMC is launching an all-new Sierra pickup tomorrow, and according to a new report, it will be arriving with an exclusive carbon fibre bed.
While GMC's offerings are largely rebranded versions of Chevrolet siblings, the decision to keep GMC in the lineup has paid well for General Motors. The brand offers a more premium vehicle and that lets it access a growing luxury market.
Now GM is trying to give GMC some new features that set it apart from cross-store Chevy rivals. One of those, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, is a carbon fibre truck bed.
Carbon fibre has only arrived to the car market in the last 10 years or so, and then almost exclusively on high-end exotics. The material is like fibreglass, but using fibres made from carbon instead of glass. The material can have very high tensile strength, and, importantly, is very light. A carbon bed could be 50-75 percent lighter than a steel one, and 25-50 percent lighter than one made from aluminum. That would launch it ahead of Ford's F-150 in the lightweight truck race.
That lower weight pays two dividends. It increases fuel economy, but it can also give the truck a higher payload and tow rating. The truck is just as strong, but there's now less of it to haul around.
The new material takes longer processes to make than steel, and is more expensive. And that's why it makes sense to offer it on the Sierra and not the Silverado. The more upscale GMC Sierra sells on average for 25 percent more than the Chevy in the US. Customers pick higher trim levels more frequently and add more options. That makes the carbon bed's expected higher price less of a shock on the sticker.
It's not the first time GM has tried a composite bed. In 2001, it offered a plastic Pro-Tec bed on the Silverado in the early 2000s. It was an $850 option and a massive flop. The option was dropped after two years. GM also has experience with carbon on the Corvette, which has seen carbon trim, aerodynamic add-ons, and even hoods made from the material.
The Journal reports that the new Sierra will have some other features to help set it apart from the Silverado and the rest of the pickup market. But we'll have to wait until tomorrow's reveal to see what they are.
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