DETROIT – General Motors introduces its all-new, 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra – comprehensively redesigned pickups that incorporate new exterior and interior designs, and powertrain, chassis and safety systems. The vehicles take GM’s truck legacy to a new level. They lead the segment in performance, efficiency, capability, refinement and safety. The new trucks offer more power and better fuel economy than the vehicles they replace.

The broad range of configurations and models gives customers tremendous choice when selecting a vehicle to suit their needs, particularly with the heavy-duty models, which some competitors simply do not offer. Capability also is unmatched, with a strengthened chassis and enhanced towing package enabling the light-duty segment’s best towing capacity of 10,500 pounds (4,763 kg).

“There are no peers when it comes to the depth and breadth of GM’s truck offerings,” said White. “The new trucks represent a well thought-out range of models and capacities, meaning customers can find the exact truck they need, whether it’s for work, personal driving or – as is more the case today – both.”

Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty models will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2006. Sierra Denali and Silverado and Sierra heavy-duty models are available in the first quarter of 2007. The heavy-duty trucks offer new sleek designs and spacious interior features like light-duty models, but with increased capability – including more powerful gas and diesel engines. Production of the new trucks is shared among several North American assembly plants, including Oshawa, Ontario, Fort Wayne, Ind., Pontiac and Flint, Mich., and Silao, Mexico.

“The new trucks are all about choices – choices the competition simply can’t match,” said White.

Bold and distinctive exterior designs
Silverado and Sierra are sleeker and more aerodynamic, including a faster, 57-degree windshield angle, reducing wind noise and improving fuel economy. Wider, segment-leading front and rear tracks and a tailored wheel-to-body relationship provide a stance that is both muscular and agile. The trucks are more refined looking, too, with doors that extend over the rockers for a smooth, uninterrupted look, and lamps that have a jeweled appearance. Tolerances between panels are greatly reduced – including a 50-percent reduction in the space between the cab and cargo box.

Complementing the trucks’ three cab designs – regular, extended and crew cab – are three cargo box lengths, including short (5 foot 8 inches), standard (6 foot 6 inches) and long (8 foot). New features, such as 170-degree-opening rear access doors with fully retractable power windows on extended cab models and new theater-style folding rear seats, offer increased versatility. Additional design features include improved lighting, a stronger cargo box with more cargo capacity and reduced-effort tailgates.

Chevy Silverado’s design has a broad, chiseled “face,” which accents a broad-shouldered stance and gives the Silverado a powerful, muscular presence. The front-end appearance, front fenders, power dome hood, bumpers, lamps and flared rear fenders are unique to the Silverado.

GMC Sierra and Sierra Denali models are designed with a strong and refined appearance befitting the brand’s professional grade philosophy, including muscular character lines and rounded edges. Sierra’s front-end appearance, hood, bumpers, lamps and rear box design are unique to the GMC brand.

The new trucks use a single-piece body side stamping and bolt-on door hinges, which foster significantly increased fit and finish. Build precision is seen in the flush, virtually seamless transition between the hood and front fenders, along with very tight tolerances around the grille, fenders and front bumper. The hood-to-fender gap is targeted at 4 mm. The grille-to-bumper gap has been reduced to 17 mm and the headlamp-to-fender gap to 1.5 mm. The tighter tolerances contribute to the trucks’ improved aerodynamics.

The pickup boxes have been redesigned with enhanced versatility, increased strength and greater capacity. A one-piece wheelhouse and inner box side adds strength and smoother, more integrated appearance. The boxes are 1.18 inches (30 mm) deeper in the front and 1.57 inches (40 mm) deeper at the rear, with stronger inner walls that offer improved performance when fitted with ladder racks, tool boxes and other accessories.

New tailgate designs include locks and torque-rod assist for easier operation. A standard end cap on each tailgate features an integrated spoiler lip that enhances aerodynamics.

A new, innovative cargo management system is available on all Silverado and Sierra models and is complemented by a range of dealer-ordered accessory packages. Three rails that run the length of the box sides and the forward box wall are secured with high-strength anchors and, unlike competitors’ systems, incorporate upper and lower tracks. Four adjustable tie-down brackets are included with each system and can be located anywhere on the tracks, each rated for a load point of 500 pounds (227 kg).

At the heart of a comprehensive accessories portfolio for the new pickups is a group of specific accessory products designed to integrate into the cargo management system. The rails enable the use of an overhead utility rack rated at 500 pounds (227 kg) loading capacity, a sliding diamond plate toolbox, a sliding bed divider, diamond plate side storage boxes or a bicycle mount. These accessories use either the upper or lower rails, allowing numerous combinations that can easily fit together or bypass one another as they slide along the rails. The tool boxes and bicycle mount use a codeable lock, enabling the vehicle key to be used for locking and unlocking these accessories.