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Pickups with fuel efficiency in mind

High fuel-efficiency pickups will take center stage as GMC reveals two vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday.

One of them — the 2009 Sierra hybrid full-size pickup — goes on sale late this year. The other — the Denali XT — is a slick and sporty concept vehicle that’s a good bet to make it into production in a year or two.

The auto show kicks off with two days of news conferences and vehicle introductions in Chicago’s appealing McCormick Place lakeside convention center Wednesday and Thursday. After a black-tie charity preview Thursday night, it’s open to the public Friday through Feb. 17.

General Motors says the crew cab Sierra hybrid can tow 6,100 pounds and uses GM’s new two-mode hybrid system for a 40% increase in city fuel economy and 25% improvement in overall fuel economy. GMC hasn’t revealed Environmental Protection Agency figures, but compared to a 2008 Sierra with the same 6.0-liter V8 engine, GM’s claimed improvement works out to just over 18 miles per gallon in the city.

The Denali XT concept uses a new chassis, the hybrid system and a new direct-injected 4.9-liter, 326-horsepower version of GM’s storied small-block V8 engine. GMC says that would give it a 50% increase in combined city/highway fuel economy versus small trucks like the Honda Ridgeline. That suggests around 26 m.p.g. in combined driving for a Denali XT hybrid and city fuel economy that could approach 30 m.p.g.

The Denali XT shares its chassis with the Pontiac G8 sport sedan that goes on sale this spring and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sport coupe.

“It’s sort of a hyper El Camino, and that’s not a bad thing,” said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics, a Birmingham market analysis firm. He referred to a small sporty truck Chevrolet sold from the late 1950s to the ’70s. “It redefines the style pickup in a way that fits the new fuel-economy mode. It will get them some incremental sales.”

GM’s top management is close to deciding whether to build a version of the four-passenger Denali XT. The concept is about two inches shorter than a crew cab four-door version of GMC’s Canyon midsize pickup or the short-bed model of the Sierra full-size pickup. At 62.5 inches high, the rear-wheel-drive concept is only about 4 inches taller than cars like the Chevrolet Impala or Chrysler 300.

“It’s very eye-catching,” said Russ Clark, GMC product chief. “A portion of the pickup market could be attracted to vehicles like the XT. There are some folks who want the advantages of a pickup bed but don’t need all the towing and payload capability of our other pickups.”

GM executives will study public reaction to the Denali XT as the company looks for new models to expand the brand’s lineup. The concept’s bed measures 55 inches long, but the cabin’s rear wall folds away to accommodate longer cargo.

“It looks fabulous,” said analyst Rebecca Lindland of Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. “It’s definitely a GMC, but it could appeal to people who don’t want a big, old-style truck.”

That could help fill GM’s needs as tougher fuel economy rules take effect.

GMC is one of the auto industry’s most underappreciated brands. It is General Motors’ second-best-selling brand in the United States after Chevrolet.

GMC sold 505,746 vehicles in 2007, more than Cadillac, Buick and Hummer combined, and its upscale appeal makes it a consistent profit center for GM. Last year, sales of GMC’s profitable lineup of trucks and SUVs also topped Acura, BMW, Hyundai, Lexus, Mercedes and Subaru.

GMC began broadening its lineup last year with the Acadia crossover SUV. Like the Acadia, the Denali XT concept uses a car-type unibody chassis rather than the heavier structure traditional to trucks.

“GMC has to broaden its lineup for fuel-economy reasons,” said analyst Stephanie Brinley of the Southfield office of consultant AutoPacific. “There’s no reason for the Denali XT not to happen.”