For Immediate Release: January 10, 2000 Terradyne Builds On GMC Heritage of Meeting Customers' Needs Through Innovation DETROIT - Since 1902, GMC has built great trucks designed to meet the high standards of vocational and personal users. Over the years, customers have turned to GMC to deliver vehicles with the construction, appearance and performance of professional-level products. The continued innovation and customer-driven design that led to 98 years of building great trucks has also led to the latest GMC concept vehicle: the Terradyne. "Terradyne is innovative, yet timeless in its execution - a new and confident expression of GMC professional grade positioning through exciting styling, precision functionality and peerless versatility in a package with fresh proportions," says Carl Zipfel, GMC design manager. Although Terradyne may look, at first glance, like something completely different, its functionality and versatility are a direct extension of the innovative capabilities found throughout the 2000 GMC vehicle lineup. When it comes to power, GMCs have it. Sierra's new Vortec engine lineup is the most powerful and fuel efficient family of gasoline V8s in its class. Safari offers the highest torque rating in its class, giving drivers quick acceleration and plenty of power to meet their towing needs. Sonoma's Vortec 4300 engine is the largest 6 cylinder offered in the compact truck segment, delivering great performance for passing, towing and hauling. Terradyne continues the tradition. Under its tilt-forward full hood, the powerful new DuramaxÔ 6.6-liter overhead valve (OHV) four-valve-per-cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel V8 sets new standards for diesel power, performance, durability and quiet operation. The engine, which will be available as optional equipment on 2001 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500 Series pickups, features a revolutionary direct-injection common-rail fuel system for excellent performance and fuel economy, along with a host of other features. Envoy, Jimmy, Yukon, Yukon XL, Safari and Sierra offer GMC's Tow/Haul transmission shift select preference feature, which allows the transmission to shift smoothly whether loaded or unloaded for excellent performance when towing a trailer or hauling a payload. Terradyne features the Allison 1000 SeriesTM 5-speed automatic transmission. This transmission also provides a Tow/Haul mode, and builds on this capability by adding engine grade braking, a system that allows the driver to better control the truck's speed when carrying heavy loads downhill. This helps avoid excessive brake use by allowing the transmission to automatically downshift, using the engine to slow the vehicle. Terradyne's transmission also provides best-in-class towing and power-takeoff (PTO) capability. PTOs, which the classic Sierra offers with manual transmissions, are used to transfer engine power to an onboard hydraulic pump. This hydraulic power can be used to hoist or drive generators or compressors, power dump truck bodies, or raise and lower a snowplow. The inclusion of PTO capability gives Terradyne increased relevance to commercial applications. The 2000 Yukon features a decreased turning circle for improved maneuvering in tight places. Terradyne expands upon Yukon's agility by introducing QuadraSteerÔ four-wheel steering. This innovation provides powerful full-size trucks with the agility of a smaller vehicle. The driver can make tighter turns at low speeds, so parking lots are easier to navigate. The system also enhances highway speed agility by compensating for factors such as the wind turbulence encountered when the vehicle is passed by a large truck. The additional stability and control offered by Terradyne's four-wheel steering also builds upon GMC's towing capacities through additional stability and control at both high and low speeds. All GMC owners have the advantage of standard four-wheel anti-lock brakes that help preserve steering control. Customers who drive the 2000 Yukon, Sierra or Sonoma 4WD have standard four-wheel disc brakes. Ventilated disc brakes at all four wheels help eliminate heat for consistent stopping power. Terradyne goes even further, offering cross-drilled vented disc brakes for extra cooling, providing even more capability. The 2000 Yukon, Sierra and Terradyne also feature Dynamic Rear Proportioning, which makes better use of the rear brakes by electronically modulating brake line pressure for maximum effectiveness. That means the brakes behave the same, whether the truck is loaded or empty. GMC also excels at providing owners with the flexibility they need to comfortably enjoy an active lifestyle. Safari offers the superior towing capabilities of a truck along with the personal amenities of a minivan. Terradyne takes this idea and runs with it, providing the maximum amount of interior and cargo space in the minimum overall length. To accomplish this, designers lifted the cab up two inches, allowing it to clear key components so that it could be moved seven inches forward. This cab up-and-forward design allowed the creation of more interior space without adding any overall length to Terradyne, giving the customer the seating comfort of an SUV and the cargo-carrying capability of a long box truck in the same amount of space as a traditional short-box extended cab. The 2000 Yukon and the 2000 Sierra both offer customers manually-extendable towing mirrors for a wider field of view when towing. Terradyne goes further with power-extendable rear view mirror controls. The press of a button telescopes these mirrors up to six inches outward. When they're not needed, the same button retracts the mirrors, creating more side clearance for parking in narrow spaces or entering a garage. In especially tight spaces, the mirrors can fold back against the glass for even better side clearance. Terradyne also makes towing easier with a rear video system that enhances safety and ease of operation. The system uses a camera integrated into the tailgate, sending the image to an instrument-panel mounted screen that gives the driver a clear view that eliminates the traditional rearview blind zone when hitching a trailer. Savana drivers enjoy 165-degree swing out rear doors that allow the driver to back up to a loading dock without removing doors or risking damage to the vehicle. Terradyne expands on the idea of easy loading with four powered doors that slide parallel to the sides of the vehicle. Traditional crew cab doors become an obstacle for users to walk around when open. Extended cab doors open away from each other, and a vehicle parked close in the next space can prevent them from opening very far. These conditions create difficulty for the pickup's occupants in entering, exiting and loading cargo. Because Terradyne's doors move out a matter of inches instead of the three or more feet of a traditional door, these obstacles are eliminated. The gliding door construction also allows the elimination of the "B" pillar - the center support that traditionally divides the front and rear doors. With no "B" pillar, the user has a wide-open, unobstructed space for loading and unloading cargo. GMC has been developing better ways to carry cargo for 98 years. That's why Savana has the longest load floor in its class -- it can carry a twelve-foot roll of carpet with both rear doors closed. Sonoma has a double wall welded box with integrated tie-downs to prevent damage to loose cargo. Yukon features a new, available third-row seat that can be flipped and folded or removed for additional cargo space. Terradyne explores new cargo-carrying capabilities through an innovative Side Storage System with powered upward-opening access doors that makes use of previously wasted space by creating two enclosed, lockable storage areas in the outer rear side panels. These storage areas were created without taking room away from the cargo box, which retains the capability to carry large cargo such as 4x8 sheets. Another unique feature is the extendable pickup box. If there's long cargo to be hauled, the user can convert the box from 6 feet to 8 feet in length, and back again when the job is done. This feature offers users all the cargo-carrying capacity of an 8-foot box within a traditional short-box length vehicle. Terradyne builds on GMC's 98 years of state-of-the-art truck building expertise, exploring fresh ideas and innovative capabilities. The result is a vehicle that expands on the best features of the current GMC lineup, giving users everything they expect from a pickup, plus exciting new features that provide outstanding levels of unexpected functionality. The Terradyne reaffirms GMC's commitment to offering trucks that benefit customers by providing capabilities that exceed customer requirements. Terradyne showcases the type of features that GMC is investigating for future products. Contact: Pontiac-GMC Communications (313) 667-4000 FAX (313) 667-4001