GMC Yukon a step closer to Australia: US rival to Toyota LandCruiser is incoming!

The GMC Yukon – one of America’s top-selling luxury SUVs – is one giant step closer to Australian showrooms.

The carmaker has released images of the first right-hand-drive prototype being tested locally – complete with a mob of kangaroos in the background – inside the former Holden proving ground at Lang Lang.

The vehicle is partially camouflaged because Australia will get the updated model which is yet to be unveiled in the US.

The GMC Yukon luxury SUV is intended to rival top end versions of the Toyota LandCruiser and even some Range Rover variants.

Except the GMC Yukon has eight seats rather than the seven seats of its rivals.

The vehicle will be imported from the US by General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) – the official factory-backed Australian arm of the US car giant – and remanufactured locally by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group (formerly Holden Special Vehicles) on the same Melbourne assembly line as the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up.

Australia will only get one grade of the GMC Yukon – the top echelon Denali model. Think of it as the Holden Calais of SUVs.

Pricing and features for the GMC Yukon are yet to be confirmed for Australia, but GMSV dealers have been told to expect an RRP close to $160,000 which would equate to about $180,000 drive-away.

Under the bonnet is expected to be a version of the 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine paired to a 10-speed automatic – similar to the powertrain in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

While order books are yet to open, GMSV dealers have begun taking “expressions of interest” from customers ahead of the first Australian deliveries early in 2025.