The Car Tech blog

The Saab deal unravels: Is the Swedish tech innovator dead? What we're looking for at the L.A. auto show. The best time to buy a car may surprise you. BMW revamps the 5-Series and makes a run at the kind of diesel America never loved and Europe always has. And we take a ride in the GMC Terrain.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

• BMW launches new 5-series online

• BMW set to offer small, 4-cylinder diesels in U.S.

• Bad news for Saab: White knight turns and rides off

• Ferrari hybrid seems imminent according to what looks like a cocktail napkin sketch

• CNET Video: What you'll need to replace your factory car stereo

General Motors announced it will invest more than $21 million to produce the 2011 Chevrolet light-duty crew cab at the GM assembly plant in Flint, Mich., beginning in mid-2010.

GM Flint Assembly is GM's sole producer of GM's heavy-duty crew cab trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Flint Assembly also produces the heavy-duty regular cab Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The $21-million investment in the Flint Assembly plant will include renovating the existing heavy-duty assembly process, new machinery, equipment, and tooling to support the light-duty crew cab production in the plant.

The 2010 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra have best-in-class fuel economy at 15 miles per gallon in the city and 22 highway.

Construction at Flint Assembly is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009 and production is scheduled to begin in July 2010.

It's no secret that a lot of NFL players choose to customize the whips they drive. Apparently, one company that many NFL stars choose to pimp their rides is Unique Auto Sports, a custom car company that even has its own TV show called "Unique Whips". These guys have delivered tricked-out rides to NFL players such as Jericho Cotchery and Larry Johnson, as well as other pop culture icons such as 50 Cent.

This vid gives you a hint of the type of work they do, as this web video depicts the delivery of a custom GMC Yukon to Bob Sanders of the Indianapolis Colts. The wheels are slick, the interior is impeccable, and the quadruple woofer set in the back is breathtaking. I'd really to have a look under the hood, but I guess we'll just have to assume it's as hot as everything we see here. Keep up the good work, Unique!

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Astronomical gas prices last year seemed to kill the SUV market, but automakers at the New York auto show disagree. Mercedes-Benz rolls out a hybrid version of its ML-class, offering a high-tech power train in a luxury SUV. Jeep tries to make a case for its continued survival with a modern-looking Grand Cherokee featuring an impressive cabin tech roster. And GMC shows off the Terrain, an all-new model to add to its large line of SUVs.

SUVs make comeback at the 2009 New York auto show--photos

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid is either the first guilt-free full-size SUV or an example of unrestrained excess. The Yukon is big, with three rows of seating and a cliff-like front-end. And it uses one of the bigger engines available in the Yukon line, a 6-liter V-8. But it adds GM's new two-mode hybrid system to give it surprisingly good fuel economy. In city traffic, we're talking close to 20 mpg. Good thing it has hybrid labels around the body to fend off public rancor.

The cabin electronics are the same as GM has been offering on its bigger vehicles, with a touch-screen LCD and an easy-to-use tabbed interface for accessing navigation and audio functions. The Yukon Hybrid also gets a decent Bose stereo, but it relies on OnStar for hands-free calling.

Read the review of the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid.

GMC unveiles the Denali XT concept at the Chicago Auto Show.

(Credit: GMC)

GMC takes a major step in reimagining the SUV with the Denali XT concept unveiled at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. Although this concept uses a pickup truck style body, all of its tech innovation can be applied to an SUV, a class of vehicle that includes the current production GMC Yukon Denali. Unlike traditional SUVs, which consist of a body bolted onto a frame, the Denali XT is built on a unibody architecture, similar to how today's cars are built. Unibody vehicles are considered to have better handling, and a more comfortable ride. However, they are not considered good tow or work vehicles. GMC made the body of the Denali XT stiffer than current body-on-frame trucks to increase towing and work capabilities.

The Denali XT borrows design elements from Chevrolet's Camaro concept.

(Credit: GMC)

Besides its looks, much of the Denali XT's story centers on the engine. GMC developed a 4.9-liter V-8, and coupled it to the two-mode hybrid system used in the current GMC Yukon Hybrid. GM is a big proponent of ethanol fuel blends, so GMC made the Denali XT flex fuel capable. It's the first example of an E85-capable engine paired with a hybrid system. GMC said the Denali XT gets 50 percent better fuel economy than other small trucks. The truck also has an air suspension, so its ride height can adjusted for different conditions. The interior shows similar design characteristics to the Chevrolet Camaro concept launched last year, including brushed aluminum accents and rectangular, rather than circular, openings.