1999 GMC Sierra...Continued

GM engineers have attended to the whoa end of the performance curve with the industryâs first standard four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brake electronics for a full-size truck.

Banking on the conservative nature of truck buyers, GM didnât make as radical a change as their big three counterparts. They hope that there will be enough buyers to bring them back into competition with Ford, which has dominated the market in the 90s.

Unfortunately, the GM process is possibly a little more expensive than their competition, and some features such as the protective plastic cladding on the top sides of the truck beds are available only as options on the fleet side trucks, while others offer similar features as standard.

A few years ago, trucks were only working vehicles, and the rare dress-up option consisted of chrome bumpers and two-tone paint. Few trucks built 25 years ago had air conditioning, automatic transmissions, stereo systems, or bucket seats. Prior to 1970 few vehicles were sold with 4-wheel drive.

The technology that brought us four-wheel drive has made the bizarre High-Riser creations possible. Low profile tires and sports car suspensions accelerated the low-rider craze. Trim, convenience and performance items have kept the after market vendors happy and wealthy.

The big trucks are still the kings of the road, and there is little demand for them overseas. GM has identified markets in countries such as Africa, Australia and the mid-east, and will be active there.

One unexpected area of competition involves running trucks on race courses. With some work on the springs and shocks, they are almost as quick as NASCAR stock cars. They have been the most popular competitors in off-road racing, and are now being added in a special class in drag racing.