GMC Yukon confirmed for Australia
But GMSV’s answer to the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol won’t arrive until early 2025The giant GMC Yukon Denali will go on sale in Australia from early 2025 as a high-end Toyota LandCruiser and Y63 Nissan Patrol fighter.
Confirmation of the full-size American SUV’s local release follows months of speculation and hints, and comes alongside official news that local General Motors distributor GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) will also introduce an upgraded 2024 Silverado 1500 pick-up and the Chevrolet Corvette e-Ray supercar.
The November 15 ‘world-first’ announcement we reported yesterday is separate to today’s news from GMSV, and GM Australia and New Zealand (GMANZ) is still expected to confirm the Cadillac brand and its Lyriq electric SUV for Australia next week.
Like the full-size Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pick-up with which it shares its underpinning T1XX architecture, the Yukon will be remanufactured to right-hand drive in Melbourne by the Walkinshaw Group.
It will be the first full-size SUV to be locally remanufactured by an officially-backed program. Walkinshaw also converts the top-selling RAM 1500, while RMA recently started rolling out RHD Ford F-150s.
The fifth-generation Yukon will be available in Australia only in high-end Denali specification, with V8 power and seating for up to eight.
In the USA, the Yukon Denali is priced from $US74,805, which converts to $A117,500. But that doesn’t take into account the shipping costs from the Texas factory where it is built and the remanufacturing process that will add many thousands to the local price.
For example, the Silverado ZR2 costs the equivalent of $A113,000 in the US, but the local asking price is $133,000.
On that basis you can expect the Yukon Denali to be priced closer to $150,000 in Australia, putting it in competition with the top-end Toyota LandCruiser Sahara ZX and GR Sport, as well as the incoming Y63 Nissan Patrol, which is promised to be a dramatically improved vehicle than the Y62 it replaces.
The Yukon will also likely line-up against big luxury SUVs from brands including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover, but official pricing and specification for the Yukon won’t be announced until much closer to its arrival in showrooms.
GMSV announced the arrival of the Yukon Denali on its third anniversary and as the 8000th converted Silverado emerged from the Walkinshaw facility (early examples were actually sold by HSV rather than GMSV, which replaced Holden).
“GMSV has made a real impression in the local market and, thanks to this success, we’ve been able to make a strong business case for additional models and this latest arrival is testament to these achievements,” said GMSV director Greg Rowe.
“I’m excited to confirm the new GMC Yukon, will be remanufactured here in Melbourne and will be available in Australia and New Zealand.
“The GMSV journey started in November 2020 with the launch of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, together with the announcement of the very first manufactured right-hand drive Corvette, the C8,” Rowe said.
“The popularity of GMSV and the vehicles we sell through our network has grown substantially in a few short years and this success was what inspired us to investigate the possibility of adding an all-new model to the line-up.”
The Yukon is from the same platform family as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the Cadillac Escalade.
It measures up at 5334mm long, 2057mm wide, 1943mm high and has a 3071mm wheelbase. There is also an extended Yukon XL that is 5720mm long.
The standard Yukon Denali powertrain is a 313kW/623Nm 6.2-litre V8 engine mated to a 10-speed auto and rear-wheel drive or 4x4.
A 277kW/623Nm 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel mated with the same 10-speed auto is optionally available.
The base kerb weight is 2643kg in 6.2-litre 4x4 form. Claimed fuel consumption is 16.8L/100km city and 11.76L/100km highway. The maximum braked towing capacity is up to 3700kg. Cargo volume is as much as 3480 litres.
Available Yukon Denali kit in the USA includes Super Cruise hands-free autonomous driving, air springs and magnetic shocks, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, a power sliding centre console and 20-inch polished alloy wheels.
Related: Toyota LandCruiser-baiting GMC Yukon gains steam for Oz
Related: GMC Yukon: GMSV says ‘stay tuned’
Related: GMC Yukon trademarked for Australia
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