GMC, Chevrolet diesel pickup prices cut by $1,500 as they power conquest sales
More than half of buyers are new to GMC
Nikola founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton discusses working with General Motors on a new electric truck, called The Badger.
General Motors is dropping the price of its diesel pickup engines to leverage the feature’s appeal to new customers.
The turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder motor is optional on several trim levels of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickups and delivers best-in-class fuel economy of up to 33 mpg on the highway.
When the diesel was originally launched in 2020, GM priced it the same as the 6.2-liter V8 that is the larger of the two eight-cylinder engines that are also offered in the trucks, but is now dropping the price by $1,500 on both the remaining 2020 and upcoming 2021 models.
GMC and Buick VP Duncan Aldred told the Detroit Free Press that the engine has been a potent conquest weapon.
“Over half of the people buying the diesel are new to the GMC brand," Aldred said.
According to Automotive News, about 10 percent of Sierra 1500 buyers have been choosing the diesel option. The new pricing makes it a $995 step up from the available 5.3-liter V8.
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Overall, Sierra and Silverado sales were up 6% and 4.1%, respectively, through the first half of 2020.
The diesel will soon be available on GM’s full-size SUVs, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade, which are based on its light-duty pickup platform.