What if you strung up the GMC Sierra 1500 using four winches attached to the truck’s two front recovery hooks and the available trailer hitch assembly, then reeled in the chains, thereby lifting the truck in the air by its frame? Would it hold up? The answer? Yes! Yes, it would. And it did. And there’s proof.
During a new commercial (available below) for the 2013 GMC Sierra and its Pro Grade Protection Plan, the Sierra was lifted off its tires a total of 46 times over the course of two days by four heavy-duty dock winches – the kind that moor massive cargo ships – tugging the truck in opposite directions in the process. Luckily, the Sierra’s hyroformed steel frame was designed to withstand years of abuse, and aside from a bit of scuffed metal at the mounting points, GMC‘s truck drove away from the shoot in as good a shape as it was when it arrived.
“We considered countless tasks and conditions where our trucks would head to work when developing the Sierra’s frame, but to be honest, this challenge caught us by surprise,” said Rick Jayroe, engineering group manager for chassis structure and body mounts. “Not only would this test the four mounting points, but only a very strong frame will stay perfectly straight hanging in the air with the weight of the body, powertrain and interior components on it. The Sierra handled it with ease.”
In other words, the truck’s structure took the abuse like a champ… did you expect anything less?
Launched on February 1, Pro Grade Protection provides two years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first) of standard scheduled maintenance for every 2013 GMC Sierra purchased through April 30… best of all, the plan is included in the price of the truck — making for the best pickup coverage in the industry.
The GM Authority Take
If nothing else, the ad — and the methods behind it — are unique.
Comments
One of many pointless truck advertising featured on TV.
I wish the truck spots would leave all this crazy foolish advertising alone bet it a Toyota pulling a shuttle or Ford pulling a ship or Dodge doing what ever silly thing Dodge is doing.
Lifting a truck from the tow points is silly to any real truck owner and only impresses the guy with a Honda that can do it with his car.
GM you have and can do better than this.
I said this before when Lexus tried the same thing years ago in a super bowl ad.
Showing the “strenght” of a car’s platform in tension is not as impressive as showing the strenght of a car’s platform in compression.
Hanging 5 Lexus’s end to end or stringing up a Sierra at it’s corners aren’t proving anything.