Walkinshaw Automotive won’t rule out converting the full-size off-road SUV for the Australian market
The Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser are on notice, because there’s a new big-rig eyeing off Australia’s full-size off-road SUV market – the GMC Yukon 4×4.
Based on a variation of the ladder-frame chassis under the Chevrolet Silverado, which is already ‘remanufactured’ to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw Automotive and sold in Australia by General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV), the GMC Yukon can tow more than 3.8 tonnes thanks to a pair of petrol V8s and an inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel.
And evidence continues to emerge that it will soon be available in Australia, where vehicles like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series push deep into the $140,000 bracket with top-spec Sahara ZX ($141,481) and GR Sport ($140,481).
GMSV has refused to rule out the Yukon project, saying ‘stay tuned’ on the matter in March, when an Australian trademark application for the GMC Yukon and Yukon names was uncovered.
Walkinshaw won’t be drawn on the potential for the Yukon to join its ever-expanding list of vehicle conversion programs, which currently include the Silverado, RAM 1500 and Toyota Tundra.
But when carsales asked communications manager Andrew Wiles about the Yukon at the launch of the Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme, which was developed by Walkinshaw, he didn’t confirm or deny the project.
“We’ve always got capacity and [a desire] to future-proof the business, but we’ll just keep discussions to Mitsubishi today,” he said.
The GMC Yukon is essentially a short-wheelbase wagon version of the Chevy Silverado pick-up, meaning the engineering of a right-hand drive version for Australia would be relatively straight-forward and could be fast-tracked.
Measuring 5350mm long, the Yukon 4×4 slightly bigger than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and its ladder-chassis underpinnings, two-speed transfer case with low range and significant ground clearance should give it the off-road chops to lock horns with rugged Toyota.
It beats the LandCruiser’s 3500kg towing capacity with a maximum rating of 3820kg.
Three engine types are offered in North America, including a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel straight-six and both 5.3-litre and 6.2-litre petrol V8 engines.
The latter is standard in GMSV’s Silverado 1500 and, if the Yukon was green-lit for Australia, likely to be the only engine option offered here.
Discussing engineering capacity and the Walkinshaw group’s ability to accommodate more new models, chief engineer Trevor Barallon explained how the former Holden hot shop has been expanding its facilities over the last couple of years, allowing it to juggle several models at once.
“From an engineering perspective, we’ve got an hours count of what each of our programs consists of and we phase that across the next 24 months and figure out what our resources are at that time. So that goes up and down depending on what programs come along,” he said.
“We’ve got the Silverado and Tundra programs in Dandenong, Clayton is RAM and also Triton Xtreme now,” he added.
It remains to be seen whether the GMC Yukon will be added to that list, but even with RAM Trucks Australia targeting annual production of 12,000 pick-ups in Clayton, making it Walkinshaw’s biggest client, there’s clearly still remanufacturing room for the Yukon in Dandenong.
“There’s 1200 staff at the Walkinshaw Automotive Group today and in 2009 we had 450 staff and produced under 5000 units. Now it’s over 12,000 – last year was 12,000 units – so the expansion runs pretty quick and we hope it continues to grow,” said Wiles.
The success of Walkinshaw’s vehicle conversion business has been so significant that auto giants like Toyota have now employed the group to convert the Tundra pick-up, which will eventually be sold in Toyota Australia dealerships.
Even Ford is getting in on the action, setting up its own facility in Melbourne’s north to convert Ford F-150s, sales of which will commence soon.
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Keyword: Toyota LandCruiser-baiting GMC Yukon gains steam for Oz