GMC to add Denali version of Acadia

Look for more bling from the rough-and-tough GMC brand.

The Acadia crossover will get a Denali trim, joining the Yukon SUV and Sierra light- and heavy-duty trucks, said Lisa Hutchinson, GMC product marketing director. The Acadia will get features such as an upgraded grille, 20-inch available wheels, body-colored rocker panels, ambient lighting and interior trim.

GMC announced the 2011 Sierra 2500 would be available with a Denali model for the first time Wednesday at a work truck show in St. Louis. It joins the Sierra light-duty, which got Denali trim in 2007. The Yukon debuted the upmarket brand in 1999, and about 45 percent of its volume are Denalis.

“It allows people an opportunity to step up from a mainstream vehicle,” Hutchinson said.

It also helps differentiate GMC from its Chevrolet counterparts.

“We’d like to continue to dial that up,” Hutchinson said.

The Terrain is also a possibility for Denali dressings, she said.

Why add an uplevel trim to a work truck like the Sierra? Hutchinson said its demographic tends to skew toward customers who want all of the function, but may also want a premium image. Denali customers tend to be more educated and have higher incomes.

“Pretty affluent people who need it for work--but might own the business,” she said.

By Greg Migliore