2015 GMC Canyon Boasts New Safety-seat System for Children

The 2015 GMC Canyon and its Chevy Colorado kin will no doubt offer a long list of first-in-segment features just by the very fact that they happen to be the first next-gen midsize pickups to launch in this country, which they’ll do a bit later this year. But it’s also worth noting that GM engineers went above and beyond in at least one area, introducing a fresh way to address an old concern with some members of the previous generation: In midsize pickups that rely on smaller rear “jump seats” in their extended-cab configurations, that back row doesn’t meet today’s latest manufacturer recommendations for child safety seats.

Current guidelines indicate that at least 80 percent of a child-seat base should be supported by a lower seat cushion, and while older rivals may not meet that mark, the 2015 GMC Canyon has been engineered with an exclusive system—on which the patent is still pending—that delivers a simple solution. Owners can just remove the headrest on the passenger-side jump seat then plug it into the base of the seat, horizontally, to extend under a child safety restraint.

Said Eduardo Bugelli, safety performance team lead for the feature: “It’s an elegant solution that makes efficient use of the limited space in the rear seat in this type of vehicle, by allowing us to adapt the seat cushion length for child restraint installation. The additional seat cushion length provides more support to the child restraint, which helps to reduce the rotation and the risk of injury in a crash.” 

Then, along with that new advantage for child safety seats, the 2015 GMC Canyon will offer something for children moving into the driver’s seat. It’s called, aptly enough, “Teen Driver,” and it helps reduce distractions and encourage safe habits among, well, teen drivers. The setup can be used to limit both vehicle speeds and the volume of the sound system, completely mute the audio if front-row seatbelts aren’t used, and even track data like mileage, maximum vehicle speed and both “wide-open throttle” and “ABS events.”

Other notable safety innovations that the 2015 GMC Canyon will bring to the midsize pickup segment include:

• Forward-collision alert
• Lane-departure warning
• A standard rearview camera system
• Hands-free IntelliLink technologies
• Integration with both Siri Eyes Free mode and Android-based smartphone voice recognition

Production of the 2015 GMC Canyon is scheduled to begin in the fall of this year at the GM manufacturing facility in Wentzville, Mo.