GMC ANNOUNCES 2007 YUKON!

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - General Motors unveiled the vehicle platform that will be the basis of a redesigned 2007 model-year line of full-size sport utility vehicles, including new versions of its Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade, on Tuesday.

The 2007 SUVs will be more powerful and offer better fuel economy than their current counterparts, GM said in a statement.

The automaker said the new vehicles will have a "sleeker, cleaner and athletic form," which will contribute to their improved performance efficiency.

The new SUV platform supports two wheelbase lengths, three bodystyles and 12 different models, GM said.

The Tahoe, a best-seller, along with the GMC Yukon/Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade, will be available in first quarter of 2006.

Extended wheel-base versions -- including the Chevy Suburban and Avalanche, GMC Yukon XL and Yukon XL Denali, Cadillac Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT -- will be introduced in the second quarter of next year.

"The breadth of products means customers don't have to compromise when accommodating their lifestyle choices, and vehicle-wide improvements increase the capability of the new vehicles in exactly the ways that drive customers to full-size SUVs," said Gary White, vice president and vehicle line executive for full-size trucks at GM North America.

GM said the models feature wider front and rear tracks with a lower center of gravity, features that contribute to greater stability, as well as new brake and steering systems.
New safety features, including crash avoidance technology and roof-mounted air bags, are integrated into the vehicle structures.

The new SUVs will be available with hybrid gasoline/electric drivetrains some time in the year 2007, Robert Lutz, GM's vice chairman of global development, told reports, according to the Website CarConnection.com.

Despite the improvements, Lutz told reporters that he didn't expect to see increased sales of large SUV's next year, according to a report in Automotive News, an industry newspaper. He felt GM may be able to maintain its current level of sales while overall sales of large SUVs fall due to high fuel prices, according to the newspaper.