MONTREAL, Que. — GM of Canada unveiled for the first time in Canada, the new 2008 GMC W-Series medium-duty trucks, delivering more cab room, enhanced safety features and more power.

The all-new W-Series made its first appearance during Expocam in Montreal on April 12 and also meets new North American diesel emission standards.

For the first time in Canada, the new W-series will now offer Gas engine models in the W3500 and W4500 in addition to the full range of diesel models.

The success of our W-Series is a direct reflection of its ability to deliver exactly what medium-duty customers demand from their vehicle, said Santo Giardina, marketing manager for trucks at GM. As with other recent enhancements, the all-new W-Series was developed with direct input from those who know this vehicle best: our customers. Its why we say that the 2008 W-Series was designed by our customers, for our customers.

Enhancements for 2008 were especially focused on increasing driver comfort. The new line of trucks is designed with new and improved cab mounting to deliver a smoother, more comfortable ride.

The cab itself is larger and more spacious, with more side-to-side and front-to-back room. To facilitate driver ingress and egress, the 85-degree swing-out door opening is wider, as is the self-cleaning entry step.

In addition to improvements to driver comfort, the new cab is built with a number of features to improve driver and passenger safety, including low-cut side windows and larger mirrors for added visibility.

For 2008, the Isuzu overhead cam 5.2L turbocharged, intercooled, diesel engine delivers more power and reduced emissions from the previous offering. The engine covers GVW ranges from 5,443 kg (12,000 pounds) to 8,845 kg (19,500 pounds) and has a B10 durability rating of 500,000 kilometers.

The 5.2L diesel can be mated to the new Aisin A465 heavy-duty six-speed automatic with double overdrive, or with a six-speed manual transmission with all forward gears synchronized. The six-speed manual will be available later in the model year.

GM W-Series diesel models include the W3500, W4500 (regular and crew cab) W5500 (regular and crew cab) and W5500HD.

For customers who prefer a gasoline engine, W3500 and W4500 models will now be available with the Vortec 6.0L V-8 engine. For 2008, the Vortec delivers 325 horsepower and can be mated to the Hydra-Matic 4L80 four-speed automatic with lockup torque converter and overdrive.

The Vortec 6.0L is compliant with federal heavy-duty engine emission standards and California ULEV emissions requirements.