GM pleased with introduction of redesigned big pickups

The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado truck is displayed during the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, US, on January 15 (file). General Motors Co’s introduction of its redesigned full-size pickup trucks, which are critical to boosting profits, has probably been the US automaker’s smoothest product launch ever, chief executive officer Dan Akerson said yesterday. The introduction of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra is crucial, as the big trucks generate more than $12,000 per vehicle in profits. It is the most important vehicle introduction for the Detroit automaker since its bankruptcy and $50bn US taxpayer-funded bailout in 2009.