Lucas Bell 
If we asked you to think about the most exclusive cars that were sold in 2019, You’d likely list off models produced by the likes of Porsche or Ferrari. These are the answers that one might expect, but chances are that a pickup truck offered for sale by one of the Big Three wouldn’t make your list. As it turns out, the 2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro Edition pickup is quite the rare piece of kit.
The 2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro Edition isn’t all that different from a standard GMC pickup, except for the one key change that represents its namesake: a carbon fiber composite bed. We aren’t just talking about a bed liner here either, as the entire bed itself is formed from the lightweight material. Using the material synonymous with high performance supercars, GMC was able to reduce the bed’s weight by 25 percent, removing roughly 60 pounds of vehicle mass when compared to the traditional steel bed. Add to this the combined benefits of an additional cubic foot of cargo space and the bed’s industry leading scratch and dent resistance, and it seems like GMC would have sold a ton of these CarbonPro trucks.
“We built about 300 or 400 (2019 model year) Sierra CarbonPro Edition pickup trucks. We really got it going in late Q3. They’re really just hitting, and both of them are turning faster than the regular Sierra AT4 and Denali. Acceptance has been very strong,” said Stuart Pierce, marketing director, GMC Trucks and SUVs in an exclusive MC&T interview.
With only 400 or so examples floating around out there, the 2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro is more rare than the Porsche 911R or the Ferrari 488 Pista, which is rather cool for those who were lucky enough to order one. While you don’t have to spend well over six figures for a CarbonPro Edition truck, you do have to pony up for a Denali or AT4 model to be able to equip the package, according to Pierce. It cannot be optioned a la carte.
“(The CarbonPro bed) is priced in a package. It comes with tailgate speakers, a unique wheel and some other things. If you price one out it’s not much more than a spray on bed liner… over a few hundred dollars. We don’t sell it unpackaged… we have limited supply so we’re putting it on a loaded AT4 and/or loaded Denali,” explained Pierce.
All in, the CarbonPro package is actually $8,965 more than a similarly equipped Sierra Denali, which also throws in the Denali Ultimate Package. The CarbonPro kit is $4,415 on top of a Sierra AT4 with a steel bed. Moreover, the CarbonPro package can only come in a short box configuration. The standard box is steel only.
In other words, a Sierra AT4 CarbonPro can be had for $60,310, and a Sierra Denali CarbonPro is roughly $69,855. But you end up getting one of the most tricked out trucks of the trade as a result. If you’re about that life, then this truck is a no-brainer.
Despite all of the benefits that the CarbonPro package presents GMC buyers, there is still some hesitation from dealers when it comes to offering the trucks on their lots.
“Dealers have been uncertain as to how heavy they should go in this thing, but we think it’s really going to represent a significant portion of Sierra AT4 and Denali,” said Pierce.
For 2020 Sierra and onward, the mix is expected to be stronger.
GMC never intended the CarbonPro Edition truck to become one of the rarest vehicles of 2019, but it is still fun to celebrate the fact that it was. While only a few hundred of these trucks rolled off the line last year, there is no doubt that carbon fiber will continue to be used on a growing number of vehicles across segments.
