The 2011 GMC Terrain delivers professional grade performance in a responsible package by making use of recycled materials in places where they meet the same stringent requirements as non-recycled, or "virgin" materials. Using these recycled materials is often more energy efficient to manufacture, and can often be lighter as well. Obviously, a lighter vehicle requires less fuel to move, meaning improved fuel economy and emissions.
For example, the material between the steel roof of the GMC Terrain and the fabric headliner uses kenaf fiber for reinforcement. Kenaf is a fast-growing plant that is easy to cultivate sustainably in its native south Asia. Kenaf is hollow like bamboo, making it very adept at dampening sounds while remaining lighter and requiring less energy to manufacture compared to parts that incorporate glass fibers. Use of recycled fibers allows GMC to keep Terrain's interior quiet enough to allow conversations in a normal tone of voice even at highway speeds while keeping the weight down.
Another example involves the plastic grille frame that sits behind the chrome grille you see on the Terrain. Soda and water bottles are recycled to make this frame, reducing the amount of virgin petroleum-based plastic that is required to produce the new five-passenger SUV. GMC engineers tested the frame thoroughly before putting it into production, ensuring it meets all of their requirements for handling impacts and loads placed on it to make sure the professional-grade durability expected from a GMC crossover is not compromised.
Recycling materials doesn't stop at the assembly line, though. Some of the scrap created in making the sound absorbing material in the doors of a Terrain are combined with used tires to create air baffles for Terrain's bigger brothers, the GMC Sierra pickup truck and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs.
As you'd imagine, the material used the most in a GMC vehicle is steel. Terrain uses plenty of it to achieve a safe, strong structure, and a significant amount of it comes from recycling old automobiles. One-third of all iron and steel in the US comes from automotive recyclers, and using it over newly-produced ore means air and water pollution during vehicle manufacturing is cut by more than half. The EPA estimates that over 95% of cars at the end of their useful lives are processed for recycling, and GMC estimates that at least 85% of Terrain's weight is recyclable whenever it reaches that point.
The 2011 GMC Terrain is available from Jim Hudson GMC, the #1 GMC dealer in the state of South Carolina. A ten-time winner of The State's "Readers' Choice" award for Best New Car Dealership, Jim Hudson carries a great selection of 32-MPG GMC Terrain models. Jim Hudson GMC is located at 7201 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, and can be reached at (803) 783-0110 or at their GMC Terrain Columbia SC website.
