GMC Yukon for Australia

[Sprintey]

It begins. The success of the US pick up conversions here has led to their wagon body cousins getting the same treatment. Ready for some moar Americana on our roads?

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-new...stralian-roads

We already have the smaller size Grand Cherokee imported in RHD by Jeep, but the Yukon is that size bigger. It's based on the same GMT T1XX platform as the Silverado.

I know some of you hanker for those old Suburbans...

What could this lead to? Imagine Ford imports the Explorer to compete with the Grand Cherokee (would be very interested in this!) and then similarly brings the Expedition to convert alongside the F150... imagine!

Those inner city Melbourne councils will be going ape at this news.

[fatgas]

Walkinshaw doing the conversions... HARD PASS

[Franco Cozzo]

GM Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala.

Imagine being the 'managing director' of a company which doesn't exist in the country anymore, they probably work from their lounge room in their pajamas and have no staff

[kypez]

I love the idea of this car. I want a good size 4x4 (I wouldn't be buying one with 24 inch wheels). Patrol size is much more comfortable in the second and third row compared to the 300 series.

I just don't think I can bring myself to buy a GM product.

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[janddbone]

Great decision, although I am surprised its a GMC and not a Chevrolet version.

[.:4:.]

Does anybody remember 1998? The rhd converted 'holden' suburban? Pretty much the same thing. I think the yukon will sell a few more then the suburbans sold back then only due to the current market.

[Big_Daz]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Does anybody remember 1998? The rhd converted 'holden' suburban? Pretty much the same thing. I think the yukon will sell a few more then the suburbans sold back then only due to the current market.

Yep, my best mates dad bought one brand new from Holden. 16 year old me thought it was the coolest thing ever, id never seen a vehicle so big, and was a heap of fun the next year when said mate got his P's and we would take it out to get up to no good... I remember getting a laugh from the fact that if you unbolted the Holden badge on the grill, the Chev bow tie was there. Not a new grill, just a chrome cover... I really need to find the old photo's of 17 year old me and some of the crazy shit we did in that thing.. Ahh, memories...

But anyway, Yukon could be interesting, but 2 problems for mine:

1. GM have burned bridges in AU
2. If they have to have it converted to RHD, will it not then be too expensive in comparison to competitors. Look at Camaro as a prime example. $20k+ more than Mustang (its main competitor) here because Mustang was made RHD, Camaro had to be converted...

[Citroënbender]

Is it going to be the Yukon or Yukon XL?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Big_Daz

Yep, my best mates dad bought one brand new from Holden. 16 year old me thought it was the coolest thing ever, id never seen a vehicle so big, and was a heap of fun the next year when said mate got his P's and we would take it out to get up to no good... I remember getting a laugh from the fact that if you unbolted the Holden badge on the grill, the Chev bow tie was there. Not a new grill, just a chrome cover... I really need to find the old photo's of 17 year old me and some of the crazy shit we did in that thing.. Ahh, memories...

But anyway, Yukon could be interesting, but 2 problems for mine:

1. GM have burned bridges in AU
2. If they have to have it converted to RHD, will it not then be too expensive in comparison to competitors. Look at Camaro as a prime example. $20k+ more than Mustang (its main competitor) here because Mustang was made RHD, Camaro had to be converted...

Keep in mind the GMC Yukon is going to have no competitors in Australia as we sit currently,

What SUVs do we have in our market that are:

- Based on American ute platforms (large vehicle)
- V8 powered

Their closest competitors are the 300 series Landcruiser (No V8 anymore) and the Y62 Patrol, but they're not road going SUVs they're designed to be off road focused 4x4s.

American SUVs are the SUVs to end all SUVs - big engines, big vehicles, designed to eat up long drives in comfort.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Keep in mind the GMC Yukon is going to have no competitors in Australia as we sit currently,

What SUVs do we have in our market that are:

- Based on American ute platforms (large vehicle)
- V8 powered

Their closest competitors are the 300 series Landcruiser (No V8 anymore) and the Y62 Patrol, but they're not road going SUVs they're designed to be off road focused 4x4s.

American SUVs are the SUVs to end all SUVs - big engines, big vehicles, designed to eat up long drives in comfort.

There’s the MB GLS, BMW X7 and Lexus LX600. These are all pushing $200k.
Just checked price of GMC with the 6.2 starts from $71k usd, 110k AUD. Probably not going to get much change from $200k for these after conversion and GM will prob import the ones with all the fruit as opposed to base model.

But the big risk will be American build quality coupled with the conversion.
Apparently these 6.2s are grenading themselves. Yanks been building all alloy small block for nearly 30 years and they still can’t get it right.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by smoo

There’s the MB GLS, BMW X7 and Lexus LX600. These are all pushing $200k.

Price, yes. Size, not quite. The Yukon is bigger than all of those cars by some margin (more than 30 CMS different to the Lexus!). If we get the XL, that's huge!

[Big_Daz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Keep in mind the GMC Yukon is going to have no competitors in Australia as we sit currently,

What SUVs do we have in our market that are:

- Based on American ute platforms (large vehicle)
- V8 powered

Their closest competitors are the 300 series Landcruiser (No V8 anymore) and the Y62 Patrol, but they're not road going SUVs they're designed to be off road focused 4x4s.

American SUVs are the SUVs to end all SUVs - big engines, big vehicles, designed to eat up long drives in comfort.

Having now had a look, I was mistaken... I thought the Yukon was the smaller SUV in GMC's lineup (confused it with the Acadia) so agreed on your point in regards to competitors. If we can get it with the 3.0 Duramax Diesel/10 Speed combo (206kw/625nm) and somewhere near 300 Series $$ it could be worth a look...

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Big_Daz

Having now had a look, I was mistaken... I thought the Yukon was the smaller SUV in GMC's lineup (confused it with the Acadia) so agreed on your point in regards to competitors. If we can get it with the 3.0 Duramax Diesel/10 Speed combo (206kw/625nm) and somewhere near 300 Series $$ it could be worth a look...

We're predominantly a diesel SUV market but one wonders if it's because the unleaded options sans Ford Ecoboost in SUVs have always been trash naturally aspirated 4 cylinder junk vs turbo diesel.

Wonder if they'll gamble with the 6.2L V8 and offer it to us as well as the diesel.

**** I hate naturally aspirated 4 cylinder junk, should have died 15+ years ago. Especially in heavy vehicles like SUVs or 'sports cars' like the MX5 and BRZ/86 - right joke those things are naturally aspirated, 'sports' car my Equus africanus asinus.

[MITCHAY]

Its the next step bringing in the massive SUVs on top of the trucks that have been very successful.

Fair play to taking a punt and winning. I thought no chance but RAMs and to much lesser extent Silverados everywhere here. Aussie jobs too.

[Sprintey]

Yep, it's now the Aussie auto industry. Perhaps one day I can have an Expedition.

So all you dual cab guys, please go out and buy an F-150 so Ford goes 'well the F-150 is selling well, lets bring in the Expedition.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNvPvbFDZFY

[Ben73]

Reddit won’t be happy about this.

It’s great Australia has the option for this. It’s the type of thing I would have bought when I was 24 for no reason.

[prktkljokr]

They will be overpriced for our market, sure they will have buyers, but I don't think they will have enough sales to make it worthwhile, then we have the problem of getting parts for anything manufactured in the states because of the crap Aussie dollar, they don't stock enough parts here, and the ones they do are expensive enough to write it off because of a minor accident.

I would like to see more US vehicles here in Aus, but our dollar puts them into the luxo barge range in pricing when they cant really compete price wise.

[fatgas]

the US can keep the Duramax 3.0, woeful engine. If however we get their big displacement diesels...

[lamborghinifan]

This would be great. I tried an ‘11 Escalade (same platform as Tahoe/Yukon) but refinement and build quality was 10yrs behind a similar age Holden. A shame. THe new ones are better, but have an extraordinary price tag. Second row seats are only comparable, to a Mercedes gls/x7, third row is better, and much better than LC, Nissan etc. the big winner with the XL/ESV long wheelbase models is the boot. It’s actually useful with all the seats up. And also captains chairs in second row for van like access. I’d love a late model Escalade or Yukon, but realistically by the time they’re in a second hand price range that I can stomach spending, the kids will probably have got their own wheels!

[Sprintey]

Perhaps I live a bit out of the way, but I saw my first F-150 today, in black and Platinum trim, in a local parking spot. No trouble parking for the driver.

It fit in, didn't look that huge on approach (it looks thinner through the middle/sills area than the RAM) and in fact everything worked with it. The size of tray was real, too.

Given that, an Expedition would be great if it kept the same overall dimensions. These would work well in the regions.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Perhaps I live a bit out of the way, but I saw my first F-150 today, in black and Platinum trim, in a local parking spot. No trouble parking for the driver.



It fit in, didn't look that huge on approach (it looks thinner through the middle/sills area than the RAM) and in fact everything worked with it. The size of tray was real, too.



Given that, an Expedition would be great if it kept the same overall dimensions. These would work well in the regions.

Platinum is one of the private imports. Would've cost a bomb!

[MITCHAY]

I haven't looked it up and CBF but does the Yukon have similar towing capacity to a pickup?

If so then if nothing else perhaps some cross over to the Yukon instead of a pickup depending on price point.

[janddbone]

About 3.8 in USA. So I image 3500 here to keep it simple.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

It begins. The success of the US pick up conversions here has led to their wagon body cousins getting the same treatment. Ready for some moar Americana on our roads?

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-new...stralian-roads

We already have the smaller size Grand Cherokee imported in RHD by Jeep, but the Yukon is that size bigger. It's based on the same GMT T1XX platform as the Silverado.

I know some of you hanker for those old Suburbans...

What could this lead to? Imagine Ford imports the Explorer to compete with the Grand Cherokee (would be very interested in this!) and then similarly brings the Expedition to convert alongside the F150... imagine!

Those inner city Melbourne councils will be going ape at this news.

On topic,
The Yukon is an extension of the already in place Silverado RHD engineering and conversion program.
With relatively low numbers governed by customer demand, it’s pretty much a cottage industry.

I don’t know how much volume this will add to Walkinshaw but most likely feeling the presence
of F150 in the market and looking to a large SUV as a way of offering something different to the
competition, Toyota may have opened the door with the Luke warm response to the new Landcruiser

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

On topic,
The Yukon is an extension of the already in place Silverado RHD engineering and conversion program.
With relatively low numbers governed by customer demand, it’s pretty much a cottage industry.

I don’t know how much volume this will add to Walkinshaw but most likely feeling the presence
of F150 in the market and looking to a large SUV as a way of offering something different to the
competition, Toyota may have opened the door with the Luke warm response to the new Landcruiser

So 300 series not going too well?

[MITCHAY]

https://www.drive.com.au/news/2025-g...-suv-detailed/

$170k + ORC. That's a lot of pesos