GM Defense, the General Motors subsidiary that handles everything from battlefield-ready military trucks to lunar rovers, just announced a new contract to build heavy-duty Suburban SUVs for U.S. government agencies. The deal, valued at $36.4 million, covers building ten vehicles over the next two years and should extend to a production run after that.

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U.S. Army has awarded GM Defense LLC, $214.3M production contract to build, field, and sustain the Army’s new Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV). GM Defense’s solution to the Army’s next-generation transportation needs is based off the award-winning 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 70 percent commercial-off-the-shelf parts.

There’s no word yet on which agencies will get the vehicles. The HD Suburban is designed to use a significant number of off-the-shelf parts for its body, exterior, drivetrain, interior, and brakes. The truck will ride on a new body-on-frame chassis and will get a unique suspension setup, both of which give it an increased payload capacity and a higher gross vehicle weight rating.

 

GM Defense says it will use “advanced manufacturing tools and techniques, including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication” to keep a handle on costs for the project. The low-volume production and custom nature of the Suburban could add up to one expensive vehicle otherwise.

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GM is renovating a facility in Concord, North Carolina to support production of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier intended to transport a nine-Soldier infantry squad. GM Defense was awarded a $214.3 million contract in June 2020 and celebrated the delivery of its first ISVs to the U.S. Army in October of the same year, just 120 days from contract award.

The HD Suburbans will be delivered in two phases, which will start with initial deliveries, scheduled for spring 2022. Once the first stage is complete in or around May 2023, GM Defense expects a production contract to be put in place that covers 200 HD Suburbans per year for nine years.