Dec. 18, 2017—Chevrolet unveiled its new 2019 Silverado pickup over the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and the new model features ample steel, according to Detroit Free Press.
Chevy made waves when it attacked the durability of Ford’s aluminum-bodied F-150 in high-profile commercials, a strategy that’s not likely to change with the all-new 2019 Silverado.
While many observers expected Chevy to follow Ford’s adoption of an all-aluminum body to save weight and improve fuel economy, Chevy touts the ’19 Silverado’s use of “a higher-grade (steel) alloy... in the roll-formed, high-strength-steel bed floor, contributing to a bed that is more functional and lighter weight.”
Doubling down on the Silverado’s difference – which should give it a cost advantage versus the F-150 – there’s not a single reference to aluminum in the material Chevrolet provided, despite the fact that the new pickup is sure to use some of the light, strong material.
The Silverado’s ability to meet or beat the F-150’s fuel economy, towing capacity and features without expensive aluminum will be vital to GM’s competitiveness in the highly profitable full-size pickup market, Detroit Free Press wrote.
GM indicated that it surveyed more than 7,000 Chevy truck owners about features for the 2019 model, which is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2018.
Industry pickup sales are expected to hold steady, at around 13 percent of the total new-vehicle market, for the foreseeable future.
Next year, GM’s GMC brand is also expected to launch an all-new version of the Sierra pickup which would share much of the Silverado’s technology.
