GMC Sierra 1500 Shows Its Fitness with 46 Push-ups

Behind the scenes of Sierra’s demanding new TV role 

DETROIT – The 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 full-size pickup has a hydroformed steel frame designed to withstand years of abuse. But how does it withstand the force of four heavy-duty dock winches – the kind that moor massive cargo ships – tugging the truck in opposite directions?
The answer: Just fine, thank you.

A new TV spot demonstrates the Sierra’s ability to handle such abuse. But what it doesn’t show is just how much torture the truck’s structure was subjected to by the film crew.

With the four winches attached to the two front recovery hooks and to each end of Sierra’s available trailer hitch assembly, the black Sierra Denali was lifted off its tires a total of 46 times over the course of two days. Aside from a bit of scuffed metal at the mounting points, the Sierra drove away from the shoot none the worse for wear.

“We considered countless tasks and conditions where our trucks would head to work when developing the Sierra’s frame, but to be honest, this challenge caught us by surprise,” said Rick Jayroe, engineering group manager for chassis structure and body mounts. “Not only would this test the four mounting points, but only a very strong frame will stay perfectly straight hanging in the air with the weight of the body, powertrain and interior components on it. The Sierra handled it with ease.”

The TV spot was developed to promote Sierra’s new Pro Grade Protection plan, which launched on February 1 and has been extended for any 2013 Sierra purchased through April 30.

In addition to a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and three-year/36,000-mile bumper to bumper warranty, every Sierra 1500 now includes two years or 24,000 miles – whichever comes first – of standard scheduled maintenance. With those three elements, Pro Grade Protection offers the best pickup coverage in the industry.

Coverage is included in the price of the vehicle. Pro Grade Protection includes regularly scheduled oil changes, oil filter replacements, tire rotations and multi-point vehicle inspections. Customers will be eligible whether they lease or purchase and the coverage is completely transferable between owners. See full details of the program here.

View the Sierra “Chains” TV spot on Youtube here, and see what others are saying using the Twitter hashtag #PullTheChains.

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. The 2014 Sierra half-ton pickup boasts all-new powertrains and design, and the Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks ever built by GMC. Every retail GMC model, including Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs, is now available in Denali luxury trim. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.