2007 Chevrolet Silverado and 2007 GMC SierraThey're here. GM's new light-duty pickups based on the company's GMT900 platform were revealed to the press in August with great fanfare at the company's Milford Proving Grounds in the Detroit area. Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras loaded with hay, pulling boats, and backhoes, and hauling other accoutrements of truckness, fanned behind a podium where GM execs (including chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, and Gary White, VP and truck line executive) touted the trucks' merits.
GM began rolling out its GMT900 SUVs earlier this year and will be releasing the Silverado and Sierra in October and the heavy-duty pickups in February of 2007. (By the way, the heavy duties made a cameo at the presentation - parked, as they were, way at the back of the pack - and disappeared again as all the vehicles drove away, without any acknowledgement of them except by alert reporters.)
These pickups are the most important vehicles in GM's most important segment, said Wagoner. Other manufacturers can probably say the same for their fullsize trucks, which garner mucho profits. That's why U.S. automakers became so truck- and SUV-centric over the past 10 years. In light of this, all parties will likely be rolling up their sleeves and slipping on the brass knuckles in what may be a bruising battle for supremacy in the fullsize truck market. But the arena's floor so far is sloping downward, with sales slipping for all nameplates as of third-quarter 2006 (except for the Lincoln Mark LT, which is up). Share as of July is 29 percent for the 2006 Silverado and 10 percent for the Sierra. Compare those numbers to the rest: F-150 (36 percent), Mark LT (less than 1 percent), Ram (17 percent), Tundra (5 percent), and Titan (3 percent).
GM's in a great position because of the noteworthy improvements made in the GMT900 platform and by virtue of pushing hard to get its product out so early. Toyota's Tundra hits the streets in January 2007. And Ford? There won't be a new F-150 until 2008. Dodge's biggest story is the Mega Cab, which has already been out for the 2006 model year. It's a good truck intended to grab a piece of the crew cab segment, which comprises up to 40 percent of truck sales. But high gas prices may be hobbling the Mega Cab.
The Silverado and Sierra 1500s will offer three cabs (regular, extended, or crew); three beds (5 ft and 8 in, 6 ft and 6 in, or 8 ft); five suspension packages; two four-speed transmissions; a six-speed for the GMC; 3.23, 4.10, or 3.42 axle ratios; and eight engines.
GM touts leadership in payload (2,160 lbs) and towing (10,500 lbs), and a combined fuel economy of 21.6 mpg. Customers will be able to choose from two distinct interiors, one oriented toward functionality and the other offering more luxurious amenities. Other features are leaders for this segment: electronic stability control and OnStar, which will come standard, and goodies such as ultrasonic rear parking assist, front seat legroom (44 inches), quietness (already applied to the '06s powered by diesel), center console storage (20.1L), heated windshield wiper fluid, and more.
Some may hesitate to give some of the trucks' exterior design cues their approval, such as the square-shaped fenders or the Ridgeline-esque abruptness of the front end. But in our opinion, the overall styling looks contemporary and fresh, and we believe that the Sierra Denali is the best looking of the brood.
GM has not given journalists a chance to drive the Silverado or Sierra yet. Once they do, you can read about it in this mag. We will ven-ture a guess that if the trucks are put together to the same standard as its SUVs sibs, then they will be worthy contenders in what's become a tougher market.