GMC will usher in a world of carbon-fiber pickup truck beds with the GMC Sierra CarbonPro. However, buyers itching for the latest technology and materials will need to hunt down a model.
Automotive News (subscription required) reported Monday that production numbers for the GMC Sierra CarbonPro and its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic bed will be very limited. For 2019, GMC plans to build just 1,000 models. Production should surely ramp up in 2020, right? Slightly.
GMC chief Duncan Aldred said the premium truck division plans for fewer than 20,000 Sierras with the carbon-fiber bed.
Prices reflect the cost of carbon fiber, which is a high-end material often reserved for supercars and sports cars. The cheapest way to drive home a Sierra with the CarbonPro bed is the Sierra 1500 AT4 CarbonPro, which will start at $66,635. Buyers can also shop the Sierra 1500 Denali CarbonPro, which will boast a $70,020 price tag. Yes, that’s over $70,000 for a light-duty pickup truck.
The CarbonPro bed does feature numerous benefits baked in, however. Pickups with the premium bed material have a higher payload rating and no spray-in bedliner is required. The carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic is incredibly durable, enough that whacking it with a baseball bat or throwing bricks in without care won’t harm it one bit.
The Sierra likely isn’t the end of the road for carbon-fiber usage in more mainstream vehicles. GM has left the door open to using the material in other vehicles, though it will largely depend on cost and consumer benefit. The Chevrolet Silverado is a very likely candidate. The automaker said any component made from steel could theoretically be stamped with carbon fiber instead.
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Source: Automotive News
Comments
Thanks for the additional information on the CarbonPro Edition. It seems like pulling teeth for GM to provide any actionable information on the CarbonPro model. I am trying to understand GM’s strategy in creating/retaining customer loyalty as it pertains to the roll out of the CarbonPro Edition. The information in this article, though it provides more information, does little to direct an interested party who is planning to drop $70K-$80K for a CarbonPro Edition. Dealers I have contacted are trying to talk me out of a CP model since they don’t have confidence in getting any. Can’t we get any guidance in what dealers will have the opportunity to order a CP Edition and when?
At those prices, which are not likely to be discounted much, there should be plenty to go around. I’ll stick with my spray-on-liner which was included in the Denali’s trim price anyway.
The cheapest way to get a CarbonPro bed is $66+ grand. Uh huh. I’ll just take a plain ‘ol bedliner and maybe get more better options instead.
Hmmmm. $500 spray in and a $400 bed rug. Got it covered for as long as I will own it.