Yukon's new frontier

GMC PLANNING AUSTRALIAN LAUNCH FOR ITS UPDATED LUXURY SUV. HERE’S WHY THE GENERAL RECKONS THERE’S SPACE HERE FOR ANOTHER BIG TRUCK

- JEZ SPINKS

HE GMC YUKON will take on the Toyota LandCruiser 300-series in Australia from early 2025 as General Motors continues to expand its presence locally.

GM's full-size luxury eight-seater SUV will join the Silverado pickup and Corvette sports coupe in its 'Specialty Vehicles' stable in Australia and New Zealand.

GMSV will import the high-spec Denali model for local conversion to right-hand drive by the same Walkinshaw operation that looks after the Silverado's switch from LHD.

It will become the first GMC on local roads since the smaller Acadia seven-seater was rebadged as a Holden in 2018 to replace the underwhelming Captiva.

Yukon competes in a busy space in North America, rivalling models including the F-150-based Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Nissan Armada, as well as stablemates from Chevrolet, the Suburban and Tahoe.

Its eight-seater status will give it a distinction in Australia. The Toyota Land Cruiser no longer offers more than seven seats, while the related Lexus LX offers a choice of four-to seven-seat layouts.

The Yukon announcement was made on GMSV's third anniversary in Australasia, with the umbrella brand's success since 2020 - notably with 8000 Silverados remanufactured at Walkinshaw's Dandenong facility - prompting the business-case exploration of other US models.

"We've had a lot of success with the Silverado here and, in talking to dealers, talking to customers, we think there's a real opportunity for a full-size premium SUV like the Yukon," GM Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala told Wheels.