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To develop and build the first 10 armored Chevrolet Suburban SUVs for diplomat and high-profile government official use, GM’s Defense division was recently awarded a $36.4 million development contract.Exactly how these SUVs will be different from the standard model isn’t being made public, but they will use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension setup, while also using a lot of off-the-shelf parts, GM said.If the State Department is happy with the first batch, it will likely place an order for 200 a year for nine years, for a total of 1800 units.You can certainly option up a Chevrolet Suburban to a high sticker price, but whatever options and features you throw in, you won’t be able to match what the U.S. Department of State is spending for 10 purpose-built heavy-duty Suburbans over the next two years. These aren’t your standard SUVs, of course, but ones that use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension, among other security detail upgrades. Total value of the government development contract: $36.4 million, or, technically, $3.64 million per Suburban.

Full details of the heavy-duty Suburbans are not being talked about just yet, but GM (specifically, GM Defense LLC) will use some of the money to develop the new chassis and suspension system, which is required to “support increased government vehicle performance requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater ground vehicle weight.” In other words, armor and security components for high-profile government representatives like diplomats. “Our development contract win speaks to our longstanding legacy of exceeding transportation capabilities, and our new HD Suburban will deliver government-specific advanced mobility solutions to meet the needs of [the Diplomatic Security Service],” said GM Defense president Steve duMont in a statement. Not everything in the feds’ Suburbans will be created new. GM said it will use “significant” off-the-shelf parts in the HD Suburban, among them the body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes. That will leave more of the development money to be spent on fine-tuning the “advanced manufacturing tools and techniques, including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication” that GM said it will use to build these SUVs. GM said these techniques will help make building these kinds of low-volume products more efficient and reduce costs. Keeping manufacturing costs down might not seem like a big deal when you’re making just 10 vehicles with a budget of $36 million, but this is likely just the first of many modified Suburbans that the State Department will buy from GM. GM Defense said it will deliver this first batch of vehicles next spring. Then, when the development contract is completed around May 2023, the government is expected to put in an order for a fleet of 200 HD Suburbans each year for nine years. At a price significantly lower than $3 million each, we taxpayers hope.
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Thinking about getting into the ride-share business? Well, this week’s Window Shop is the one for you. A reader asked us to look for the perfect car for Uber or Lyft and set a $15,000 budget. In the interest of not getting fired from our day jobs searching Autotempest.com for hoopties, we raised the budget to $20,000 and actually took the challenge seriously. Every car you’ll see this week actually makes sense. Five stars, here we come.As usual, Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman is convinced that his choice is the clear winner. Pearley’s fuel-sipping sedan is very boring, but he also found a low-mileage example that has years and years of money-making years ahead of it. But, Pearley’s pick doesn’t have the luxurious cachet of senior editor Joey Capparella’s long-wheelbase Infiniti, a car that Capparella insists will qualify for Uber Black. Whether or not Capparella’s Infiniti will earn him extra money, we move on to contributor Jonathon Ramsey’s car, which has a lot of flexibility and the ability to carry seven passengers. Ramsey’s car pushes the budget, but he’s still able to by plenty of Smarties for his riders. Watch and you’ll learn that 4.5 pounds of Smarties costs about $20 and that Pearley has never enjoyed Smarties. Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell picks a minivan that prioritizes the comfort of his passengers over all else. Although his van has 120,000 miles on the odometer and butts up against the $20,000 budget, it has the most interior space, room for skis, and an LCD screen so passengers can watch Window Shop. Finally, car director Tony Quiroga (that’s his new title) presents a choice that combines the best attributes of the other choices. Watch until the end and you’ll learn all about the pitfalls of fabric upholstery, how to make sure that your car qualifies for Uber Black, and why Uber drivers always have a case of water in the trunk. The choices might be a little dull this week, but that didn’t stop us from fighting and bickering.

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The combination of a white-hot new car market, a slew of delays, and an incredibly sought-after product has worked out in Ford dealers’ favor. Across the country dealers are adding thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars of markups to Broncos on the lot. Those who want one today will have to pay up or get in line. But when you finally get to the front of the line, don’t assume you’re safe: Some shady dealers are trying to add huge markups to pre-ordered Broncos just days before delivery.

That’s what happened to the couple that runs the Pipsburgh Views YouTube Channel. After about a year of waiting for their Bronco 4-Door Outer Banks—which they ordered from a dealership that the husband used to work at—the couple was notified six days before delivery that the dealer was adding $10,000 markup over the MSRP they had agreed to. Their $52,810 truck became a $62,000 hostage overnight. They countered with $5000 over sticker, already a wild concession, but the dealer isn’t sure whether to accept. After all, the business knows if the couple denies delivery they can sell it off the lot for a wild price.
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Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident. Another user in a thread on the Bronco6G forum says his dealer tried to pull the same thing, forcing him to move his order. Another in a Facebook Group spotted by automotive writer Zerin Dube says that his dealer is trying to squeeze another $5000 out of him at the last minute. Others say that their dealer will not commit to a price until the truck comes in, reserving the right to add markups and effectively negating the purpose of ordering directly. And in these situations, many expect a call from Ford will clear things up. According to Ford spokesperson Mike Levine, that strategy might not get you far.”MSRP is MSRP,” Levine said in an email to Road & Track. “Dealers are independent franchises and ultimately the final price a customer will pay for any vehicle is agreed between themselves and a dealer that’s at, below, or above MSRP. If a customer isn’t happy with their dealer experience, our team can help them find a different dealer that’s a better match.”These markups are nothing new. American auto dealers have a history of adding money to hot, anticipated cars. But it’s particularly weird and predatory to add markups to special-order cars, especially when the original order was for a vehicle at MSRP. We must reiterate that you should never pay above sticker price for a vehicle that is not highly limited in production and even then you may not ever make that money back. The Bronco is good, but few cars ever have been worth tens of thousands over their sticker price.
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Mazda will make all-wheel drive standard on all CX SUV models starting for the 2022 model year.The updated 2022 CX-5 has already been revealed, but we haven’t yet seen what’s in store for the 2022 CX-9 and CX-30.Front-wheel drive was previously standard on each of these models, so their base prices are likely to rise.The CX-5 isn’t the only Mazda SUV that will now come standard with all-wheel drive. Mazda says that all 2022 CX models, comprising the CX-30, CX-5, and CX-9 crossovers, will no longer be offered with front-wheel drive as standard. We don’t yet have official word on how this will affect pricing, but it’s a sure bet that each of these models will have a higher base price for 2022, as AWD was previously a $1400 option on the CX-30 and CX-5 and a $1900 option on the CX-9.Mazda has already shared updates for the 2022 CX-5, which include a few interior upgrades and a freshened appearance. We haven’t heard details yet on the 2022 CX-30 or 2022 CX-9, so we’re not sure if they will receive any updates other than the newly standard all-wheel-drive system.

We’re also curious to see how this shift affects future Mazda SUV models that could ride on the company’s new longitudinal platform and use its new inline-six engines. If all-wheel drive is standard on these upcoming vehicles, it means we’re unlikely to get a rear-wheel-drive version of the rumored CX-50 or a possible larger three-row model to replace the CX-9. Some luxury automakers do offer rear-wheel-drive versions of their SUVs, such as BMW’s sDrive versions of the X3 and X5.
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