So when the company decides to make changes to the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra that will be coming from the Oshawa plant this fall, we should pay heed.
As it happens, the changes unveiled by Gary White, the vehicle line executive in charge of them, look promising for the vehicles' future.
This is of course challenging news for GM's primary competitors in this game -- Dodge and Ford.
Dodge completely revised its full-size Ram pickups last year, but the new model is doing no better than the old one, so it's not going to be doing any segment conquesting.
Ford was to have launched the completely new version of its F-series this year, but have delayed it until sometime in 2003.
As a result, GM is gaining market share in the incredibly profitable ($6,000 and more a vehicle) segment for the first time in years, and the company is being extremely aggressive in its efforts to gain even more share. These refinements are aimed directly at taking share.
Refinement and sophistication and variations on those themes were the order of the day in White's comments, since he and the company are convinced that's where the pickup market is headed.
''The goal in redesigning the Silverado and Sierra was simple,'' White explained: ''Sustain our leadership by raising the bar several notches. We want our rivals, domestic and import, to know that we are serious about continuing to offer the best trucks in the world.''
It probably doesn't hurt the company to let the pickup buying public know about this intention either. So, those folks should know that White and his team have included over 40 new features and enhancements ''designed to reinforce their position as the industry's premier full-size pickups.''