Active safety technologies and
patent-pending child restraint safety feature
a full payload of midsize truck segment-leading capabilities, but
segment safety firsts including a patent-pending child safety feature.
Smaller jump
seats found in extended cab midsize trucks may have too little lower seat
cushion length to meet many child restraint manufacturer’s recommendation to
have at least 80 percent of the child restraint base fit on the seat cushion. General
Motors’ engineers have designed a patent-pending solution for the 2015 Canyon
extended cab to help keep kids in child restraints safer in a collision.
Using the rear
jump seat headrest on the passenger side of the extended-cab Canyon, the jump seat
cushion can be extended by removing the head rest and inserting it horizontally
into the seat base. This helps the extended-cab Canyon satisfy the seat base
recommendation of most child restraint manufacturers.
“It’s an
elegant solution that makes efficient use of the limited space in the rear seat
in this type of vehicle, by allowing us to adapt the seat cushion length for
child restraint installation,” said Eduardo Bugelli, safety performance team lead.
“The additional seat cushion length provides more support to the child
restraint, which helps to reduce the rotation and the risk of injury in a
crash.”
In addition
to this patent-pending design, the all-new Canyon will be the first midsize
truck to offer Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning technology as
part of the available Driver Alert Package.
Forward
collision alert technology helps prevent frontal crashes by alerting the driver
when the truck is closing in on a vehicle ahead too quickly, giving the driver
additional time to react and avoid a crash.
Lane
Departure Warning technology can alert the driver when the truck drifts over a
lane line when traveling at least 35 mph.
In a
collision, the Canyon’s all-new cab structure is made from over 70 percent
high-strength steel to better protect its occupants. It also comes standard
with six air bags, including head curtain side air bags
that can also reduce the risk of occupant ejection.
Safety and
convenience technology continues with a standard rear vision camera and
available next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system. IntelliLink can seamlessly
integrate the capability of a smartphone into the vehicle so that hand-held
phones may be safely stowed while driving. Features such as smartphone voice
recognition pass through, including text message support and Siri Eyes Free,
enable the driver to be alerted to new text messages and have them read aloud
and respond, depending on the functionality of the smartphone). Siri Eyes Free
enables iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 users to access Siri via the steering wheel
controls and check calendar entries, have text messages read and respond to
them, place calls or call up music.
Android phone
users can also use the steering wheel controls to access their phone’s voice
recognition features.
The Canyon
will be assembled at GM’s Wentzville, Mo., assembly plant. GMC will continue to
work on and develop the Canyon until the start of production in fall 2014.
GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, with innovation and
engineering excellence built into all GMC vehicles. The brand is evolving
to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and
crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC’s
highest-volume vehicle, the Sierra pickup, is the most fuel-efficient V-8 light
duty pickup truck on the market, and the first full-size pickup to receive the
highest possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its New Car Assessment Program
for the 2011 model year. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at
http://www.facebook.com/gmc.
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