GMC is at the New York Auto Show to showcase its latest offering, the Sierra AT4. It’s understandable if you’re not familiar with the nameplate because it’s an entirely new off-road brand that the automaker is offering to appeal to potential customers who want sprinkles of premium goodness to go along with their off-road needs. The Sierra AT4 is the first GMC-branded truck to get the trim, but other GMC models like the Canyon, Yukon, and Acadia will get their own AT4 versions in the future.

GMC is saying that the introduction of the AT4 trim isn’t tied into concerns within the company that potential customers would leave it for some of its rivals in the segment. Instead, GM North America president Alan Batey said that the new offering is designed for existing GMC customers. “What we’re going after is actually someone, we think, is quite unique to GMC,” he said. “They want to have all of the convenience, and they want to have premium features, but we’re also seeing that they have a pretty active lifestyle.”

Regardless of who the target market is, the AT4’s arrival as a trim level is an important step in diversifying its own lineup. The 2019 Sierra AT4 gave a good glimpse at what potential customers are in store for. Aesthetic updates include darker exterior elements, to go with a handful of off-road features that include a two-inch factory-installed suspension lift, standard four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, locking rear differential, and skid plates. GMC’s goal is to characterize the AT4 as a premium off-road vehicle, a segment that Aldred describes as still “un-conquered.”

Once the AT4 trim hits the market, it will be slotted closely to GMC’s current SLT trim, which already sits a rung below the range-topping Denali sub-brand. More importantly, GMC isn’t limiting the trim to just the Sierra. According to Aldred, the company’s All-Terrain packages will eventually dissipate to make room for the AT4 models, which will extend to other GMC models like the Canyon, Yukon, and Acadia.

Considering that rival brands like Ford and Jeep have successfully integrated non-traditional elements into their trucks and pickups, it isn’t surprising that GMC is doing the same. The two markets are evolving in their own way as customers become more sophisticated with their tastes and preferences. The creation of the AT4 trim is a product of that evolution.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 GMC Sierra AT4.

Read our full review on the 2019 GMC Sierra.

Read more GMC News.

Read more New York Auto Show news.