General Motors Corp (GM) is releasing new, more fuel-efficient versions of its full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles later this fall.
The XFE — or extra fuel economy — versions of the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks and Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs will get one mile per gallon (0.42km per liter) more in both city and highway fuel economy than non-XFE versions.
The boost will give them a total of 15 miles per gallon (6.38km per liter) in the city and 21 miles per gallon on the highway.
On XFE models, GM improved the aerodynamics by extending the front lower air dam, lowering the suspension and revising the chassis tuning.
The automaker also reduced the mass of the vehicle with aluminum parts, including an aluminum spare wheel and 43cm aluminum wheels. They also gave the vehicles low rolling resistance tires and powered them with a 5.3-liter, ethanol-capable V-8 engine that has an aluminum cylinder block and heads.
GM stressed that the vehicles still have the same towing capability.
The XFE pickups and SUVs will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. GM spokesman Brian Goebel wouldn’t say how much more they will cost than non-XFE versions.
GM began offering an XFE version of its Chevrolet Cobalt small car earlier this year. The automaker said it sped development of the XFE trucks and SUVs because of consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles. GM’s truck and SUV sales fell 23 percent in the first seven months of this year.
GM also offers hybrid versions of the Tahoe and Yukon and plans to bring out hybrid versions of the Silverado and Sierra in the first half of next year.
The company said last week that about 4 percent of its Tahoe and Yukon sales have been hybrids so far this year.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft