Despite all the excitement around the new generation of mid-size pickup trucks, the huge praise heaped on the Chevy Colorado has not yet translated into huge full-year sales numbers.  At least, not by US pickup market standards — where the F-Series from Ford nears 800k units annually in a good year.  (Not this launch year, mind you, with lots of factory down-time in the aluminum transition.

Since the launch of the GMC Canyon and its bro, the Chevy Colorado, the two have been burning up the sale growth charts.

Despite initial impressions of the GMC as the better-looking of the two based on initial images, the Colorado is the only one of the duo that we have driven. And it does appear to be more butch, more off-roady and more youthful than the Canyon.

In the 2015 sales through August, the Colorado is outselling the Canyon by more than 2-to-1: 55k units from Chevy versus 20k for GMC.  The Chevy was always going to be the better seller, but the ratio is pretty striking nonetheless.

For all these reasons and more, the Canyon needs more of a push for 2017. The new Duramax diesel engine option will certainly help,

As such, the Canyon Denali.

This is the first time the Denali upgrades have graced a GMC mid-size truck, with a megalux cabin including almost everything as standard for the first time versus the SLE and SLT trimlines below this new rangetopper.

20-inch wheels and a massive new chrome grille are certainly striking, but it is the higher ride height and standard running boards that really butch up the Canyon Denali from most angles. Fresh LED taillamps are a nice treat too.

Yet we can’t help but wonder how the Canyon Denali would look with a gloss-black finish for the nose….   Perhaps some additional renders in the future.  As a teaser of how a DIY Denali Black might look? Below! =]   Plus a driving video of the new truck, its official release details from GMC, and confirmation that the Canyon Denali is arriving in stores by the end of 2016 as a 2017 model-year.

Unclear why these extremely minor tweaks need a full year of lead time, but that is the word from GMC.

 

 

 

 

August 2015 Pickup Sales Ranker (GoodCarBadCar)

 

#1	Ford F-Series	71,332	68,109	4.7%	494,800	497,174	-0.5%
#2	Chevrolet Silverado	54,977	49,201	11.7%	387,179	331,977	16.6%
#3	Ram P/U	45,310	43,775	3.5%	294,045	283,256	3.8%
#4	GMC Sierra	21,241	19,847	7.0%	141,799	130,526	8.7%
#5	Toyota Tacoma	16,230	14,338	13.2%	122,064	102,736	18.8%
#6	Toyota Tundra	10,057	11,834	-15.0%	81,582	80,133	1.8%
#7	Chevrolet Colorado	7114	—	—	55,898	73	76,473%
#8	Nissan Frontier	3645	6770	-46.2%	42,644	48,510	-12.1%
#9	GMC Canyon	2423	—	—	20,094	5	401,780%
#10	Nissan Titan	1268	1231	3.0%	8443	8719	-3.2%
#11	Honda Ridgeline	4	1347	-99.7%	513	10,593	-95.2%
#12	Chevrolet Avalanche	—	5	-100%	8	87	-90.8%
#13	Cadillac Escalade EXT	—	1	-100%	2	50	-96.0%
—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
—	Total	233,601	216,458	7.9%	1,649,071	1,493,839	10.4%

 

2017 GMC Canyon DENALI

 

 

GMC Introduces 2017 Canyon Denali

Exclusive design cues, content elevate industry’s first premium midsize truck

DETROIT – Denali is the ultimate expression of GMC’s professional grade style, luxury and capability – and it is coming to the Canyon midsize truck.

The 2017 Canyon Denali is being introduced today, ahead of its public debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes on sale in late 2016.

“Canyon is the segment’s first and only premium midsize truck, offering unparalleled capability and efficiency matched with maneuverability and refinement,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of GMC Sales and Marketing. “The all-new Canyon Denali builds on that award-winning combination with the distinctive styling, luxurious interior and elevated content that has defined the Denali nameplate since its introduction nearly 17 years ago.”

Like all Denali models, the new Canyon Denali is distinguished with a unique chrome grille and unique wheels – 20-inch ultra-bright-machined aluminum wheels with painted accents. Exterior cues include chrome fog lamp bezels, five-inch-diameter rectangular chrome assist steps, a polished exhaust tip and a standard spray-in bed liner.

The Canyon Denali will be offered in six exterior colors.

Inside, a Jet Black interior features Mulan leather-appointed seats with perforated, heated-and-ventilated front seats – exclusive content in the Canyon lineup – along with unique instrument panel and console trim; and Denali-logo sill plates and floor mats.

Standard technologies include Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning. Additional standard features include:

• Heated steering wheel
• GMC IntelliLink with Navigation, an eight-inch-diagonal color touchscreen and phone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• OnStar 4G LTE connectivity with a Wi-Fi hotspot
• Automatic climate control
• Full-color driver information center

• Remote vehicle starter system

• Two USB charging ports on the rear of the center console ad another USB port inside the console.

The Canyon Denali is offered on crew cab models and in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive configurations. Powertrains include a standard 3.6L V-6 that tops competitors’ V-6 offerings with up to 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) of maximum trailering and an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 26 mpg highway on 2WD models.

Also available is the all-new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel, which includes a maximum trailering rating of up to 7,700 pounds (3,493 kg) and EPA-estimated fuel economy of 31 mpg highway (2WD). It is the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors and meets some of the toughest U.S. emissions standards, thanks in part to a cooled exhaust gas recirculation system.

The engine is paired with the Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission, which uses a unique Centrifugal Pendulum Vibration Absorber in the torque converter to reduce powertrain noise and vibration.

Diesel models also feature smart diesel exhaust braking and an integrated trailer brake controller. Smart diesel exhaust braking enhances vehicle control and reduces brake wear by varying the amount of brakes needed for the vehicle, load and grade. The integrated trailer brake controller system works with the anti-lock brake system to provide immediate and measured brake force with the electronically controlled trailer brake system.

 

Critical acclaim

In 2015, Canyon won Cars.com Midsize Pickup Challenge for its segment-leading capabilities and efficiency, including the latest in safety features, cargo-hauling and trailering versatility. Autoweek named Canyon as the “Best of the Best Truck for 2015,” while WardsAuto recognized the Canyon as one of its 10 Best Interiors for 2015, based on criteria including design harmony, ergonomics, materials, driver information, safety and comfort.

 

Elevation of luxury

Named for Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America, the GMC Denali brand represents the pinnacle of luxury, design and performance – the ultimate expression of professional grade.

GMC’s top-of-the-line models include the signature Denali chrome grille – premium materials and the latest safety and infotainment technology. Features such as a 10-inch reconfigurable instrument cluster on the Yukon Denali series and Magnetic Ride Control on Sierra Denali are exclusive to their respective vehicle segment.

The luxury-focused Denali models outsell the entire product lines of some of the most aspirational marques, including Land Rover, Jaguar and Porsche, with almost 60 percent of all GMC Yukon/Yukon XL models and more than 45 percent of Sierra HD sold wearing the Denali badge.

Overall, Denali vehicles have accounted for about 25 percent of all GMC retail sales in 2015 and more than 850,000 have been sold since the nameplate was introduced on the 1999 Yukon.

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, with innovation and engineering excellence built into all GMC vehicles. The brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC’s highest-volume vehicle, the Sierra pickup, is the most powerful light-duty pickup on the market, and the first full-size pickup to receive the highest-possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its New Car Assessment Program for the 2011 model year. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.