All 2014 Silverado Light-Duty Trucks Earn 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score

New Car Assessment Program includes regular and double cab configurations

2014-01-09

DETROIT – The regular and double cab versions of 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra1500 have received the highest possible 5-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.

Joining the previously tested 2014 crew cab models, which also received a 5-star overall score, all cab configurations of the Silverado and Sierra 1500 series now have the highest possible Overall Vehicle Score. These models are the first pickup trucks to receive the 5-star NHTSA Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the implementation of more rigorous requirements for the 2011 model year.

“Our incredibly capable trucks have been engineered to be some of the safest,” said Gay Kent, GM general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “We’ve designed the vehicle structure, strategically placed high-strength steel and developed the occupant restraint system to achieve high levels of safety performance.

“This level of vehicle performance is complemented by a full array of other advanced safety features to help protect our customers, no matter which new Silverado or Sierra they choose.”

Offering fully boxed frames and extensive use of high-strength steel, the Silverado and Sierra also offer available segment-exclusive safety features such as Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Safety Alert Seat. Safety features include:

• Forward collision alert technology helps prevent frontal crashes by alerting the driver when the truck is closing in on a vehicle ahead too quickly, giving him or her additional time to react and avoid a crash.
• Lane Departure Warning technology can alert the driver when the truck drifts over a lane line when traveling at least 35 mph.
• Safety Alert Seat can warn the driver of traffic approaching from the left or right using directional seat vibration pulses. This patented warning approach is tied to all of the on-board crash avoidance systems.
• High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels are used extensively throughout each truck’s fully boxed frame to help improve performance in crashes.
• Rear Vision Camera with Dynamic Guidelines allows the driver, when in reverse, to see the area directly behind the vehicle via the eight-inch monitor on the center stack, allowing for easier parking and backing maneuvers.
• New, standard lap belt pretensionsers in the front-seat outboard safety belts.
• Six standard air bags and 360-degree sensor system, including dual-stage frontal air bags, head-curtain side-impact air bags with rollover protection, and seat-mounted side-impact air bags.
• Available trailer-sway control works with StabiliTrak to provide the driver with additional assistance when towing a trailer. When it senses trailer sway, it intervenes with braking and/or reduced engine power to help bring the trailer under control.
• Four-wheel, four-channel, antilock disc brakes that help provide straight, more controlled stops by preventing wheel lock-up in most road conditions.
• OnStar is available, using GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in the event of crash. OnStar service also includes MyLink mobile apps, which offer vehicle information and OnStar services via the customer’s smartphone. Visit Onstar.com for details and system limitations.

2014 Silverado 1500 Named Fleet Truck of the Year

2013-12-12

DETROIT – The 2014 Silverado 1500 is Automotive and Business Fleet magazines’ 2013 Fleet Truck of the Year, an award determined by qualified fleet managers reflecting all industry segments and fleet sizes.

“We are proud to recognize the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the 2013 Fleet Truck of the Year award,” said Sherb Brown, vice president and group publisher for Bobit Business Media’s FleetGroup. “The Truck of the Year award is voted on every year by fleet managers, making this a real honor for vehicle manufacturers that serve this professional segment.”

The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is all-new from hood to hitch, and fleets took notice. The pickup received the most votes among 36 trucks evaluated in this year’s competition.

The Silverado 1500 provides work-ready features throughout the vehicle making it ideal for varied job sites. A standard CornerStep bumper coupled with handholds built into the box rail, upper tie-down hooks, under-rail light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting and an EZ Lift and Lower tailgate also make the box more user-friendly for hauling tools and cargo.

“The Silverado 1500 continues the Chevy tradition of offering the most dependable and longest lasting truck in the marketplace,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial Sales. “Not only does the 2014 Silverado offer the most torque and highest towing rating of any standard V-6, its fuel efficiency is important to fleet customers’ bottom line.”

The Silverado 1500 offers best-in-class towing with a rating of 7,600 pounds, highest for any V-6 pickup. The standard 4.3L EcoTec3 V-6 has the highest available payload rating of 2,108 pounds.

Available alongside the V-6 engine is the 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8, which has EPA–estimated fuel economy of up to 23 mpg highway for 2WD models, the best of any V-8 pickup, and better than Ford EcoBoost V-6.

Silverado’s Pick-up Box Makes Tough Jobs Easier

 

 

DETROIT – When it comes to pickup trucks, the usability of the back end is just as important as the power under the hood. Customer-focused innovations to the cargo box of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado were designed to make it easier to see, secure and access what’s back there.

“Silverado owners are the doers of the world,” said Lloyd Biermann, Silverado marketing manager. “Our goal when designing the Silverado’s pickup box was to create something that was stronger, more durable and versatile to help our owners get their toughest jobs done.”

Owners says they most frequently use their trucks for everyday projects. Two out of three use their truck for hauling. Seasoned truck owners want a pickup that makes loading and securing cargo as simple as possible. Making it easier to climb into the truck bed and retrieve items is a bonus.

“For the real truck buyer, they want a pickup that puts up with their abuse without making any compromises from the back end of the truck,” said Mark Williams of PickupTrucks.com. “The whole point of having a pickup is about solving problems, not creating them.”

From design to functionality, the Silverado pickup box is engineered to be the most innovative cargo box in its segment with these features:

• LED Box Lights – Located in the cargo box, under the side rails, the available lights turn on with the standard overhead box lamp and make it easier to find cargo in the bed, even under a tonneau cover.
• EZ Lift & Lower Tailgate – An internal torsion bar reduces the effort to raise the tailgate while a rotary damper allows for a controlled and more gradual lowering motion when opening it.
• CornerStep Bumper – Unique steps incorporated into the corners of the rear bumper are designed to accommodate work boots and can be used with the tailgate up or down.
  
• Hand Grip Pockets – Located within the rails, at the rear of the cargo box, they provide easier access into the cargo box and work in tandem with the CornerStep Bumper.
  
• Removable Upper Tie-Down Hooks – Allow maximum flexibility to secure cargo of varying shapes and sizes and can be placed in several locations around the cargo box.
  

“Every time we get into a new Silverado and fill the bed with payload, we’re reminded just how much thought their truck engineers put into, what we believe is, the most important part of a pickup – the bed,” said Williams.

 

Read more here ……… 

http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2013/Nov/1115-pickup-box.html

 

Chevrolet Colorado to Debut at Los Angeles Auto Show

DETROIT – In less than a year, Chevrolet has reengineered its entire full-sized truck portfolio with an all-new Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500. On November 20 during media days at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the final piece of Chevrolet’s pickup truck portfolio will be revealed.

The all-new Chevrolet Colorado will reinvent what a midsized pickup should be.  The Colorado is engineered to be the most capable, most versatile and technologically advanced midsized truck in the market.  Watch it revealed live from Los Angeles on November 20 here: http://youtu.be/-XkUGs-OEE4.

 

From GM News….

TONY STEWART SILVERADO CONCEPT

“It takes a strong truck to live up to the speed, energy and passion of Tony Stewart. This Silverado LTZ Z71 concept was designed in conjunction with Stewart, with personal touches and Smoke® graphics that symbolize his racing spirit. The exterior also features a Dark Tarnished Silver color, tinted headlamps and tail lamps, and several Chevrolet Accessories components available through Chevy dealers, including a tonneau cover, four-inch chrome assist steps and 22-inch wheels (with a custom finish). “

© General Motors.

From SEMA Show, 2013….

Chevrolet Silverado Durability Testing

 

DETROIT – Each of those shiny new Silverados in Chevrolet dealerships benefits from 12.5 million miles of durability testing before the first customer ever receives the keys.

From the scorching desert of Yuma, Ariz. to the sub-zero cold of Kapuskasing, Ontario, and the outdoor torture tests of General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground in Milford, Mich., the all-new full-size trucks completed more than 4 million miles of combined vehicle durability testing. In addition, a fleet of test vehicles racked up 8.2 million miles of real-world mileage.

Validation and durability testing pushed the trucks to their limits before they went into production in Silao, Mexico, Flint, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind. In many of the tests, the trucks are loaded to gross vehicle weight. While most customers do not drive fully loaded on a regular basis, these tests ensure the Silverado can withstand even the most demanding conditions.

“It takes refinement and testing to build the strength that our customers expect and rely on from their trucks,” said Phillip Hubler, vehicle system engineer. “Our philosophy with the 2014 trucks was to improve what needed to be improved and leave alone what was already considered world class.”

The trucks proved their mettle by traversing the Belgian blocks, splashing though the off-road-simulating grit trough, climbing and descending a 30 percent grade and driving at high speeds.

Grit intrusion is a challenge for any off road vehicle. The grit trough test ensures the trucks have enough sealing to protect bearings and key suspension points, while a trip along the dust road helps determine all seals are functioning properly and that dust does not contaminate the bearings or other moving parts.

Some of the key durability improvements from the previous generation trucks include:

• A frame formed from high-strength steel to ensure it will not crack, even when loaded to full capacity
• New four-wheel-disc brake system with Duralife™ brake rotors offer up to double the service life, along with brake-tuning revisions that improve pedal feel for more confident braking performance on any driving surface
• Anti-chip coating on the lower body side for extra protection from stones or gravel 

From Chevrolet News…

2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD Redesign

The 3/4 ton Silverado will be here next summer!

Five Years Late…

Five Years Later, OnStar Still Slowing Down Car Thieves

Nearly 250 cases so far and more expected as public safety officials get familiar
2013-10-10
DETROIT – Nearly 250 times in the last five years, a signal to an OnStar-equipped stolen vehicle has helped stop a car thief in the act, gradually and safely slowing the vehicle to avoid a high-speed chase.

OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is one of three Stolen Vehicle Assistance tools OnStar offers subscribers. A Remote Ignition Block makes it impossible to start a stolen vehicle once turned off. And a GPS location can be provided to authorities once a vehicle is confirmed stolen.

OnStar worked closely with law enforcement in the U.S. and Canada to develop and modify the services to ensure best practices would be followed.

“Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is a prime example of a safety service that our customers rely on us to provide,” said George Baker, emergency services outreach manager, OnStar. “We have a strong relationship with law enforcement that has allowed us to refine our processes, promote teamwork and more quickly recover stolen vehicles for our subscribers.”

Since OnStar began in 1996, more than 59,000 stolen vehicles have been located using OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Assistance services. Over the past year, Detroit, Houston, St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles were the top metropolitan areas for Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests.

OnStar executes five to seven Stolen Vehicle Slowdowns a month – a number trending upwards as the Public Safety sector becomes familiar with the service.

“This slowdown service is a perfect example of the technologies available to law enforcement agencies to keep our citizens and officers safer on the road,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig.

Here are three high-profile Stolen Vehicle Slowdown cases in the service’s history:

First SVS Carjacking: A California resident was carjacked at gunpoint early one morning in 2009. After OnStar located his stolen Chevrolet Tahoe, and police had it in their sights, OnStar was able to safely slow the vehicle and the suspect was apprehended. Less than 16 minutes after OnStar was contacted, the Tahoe was safely recovered. Read more on the story here.

Congressional Recovery: In May 2010, a Chevrolet Impala belonging to a state senator was stolen from a parking lot. Upon realizing it was stolen, the senator quickly contacted OnStar, which alerted the county sheriff and confirmed the vehicle was being treated as stolen. OnStar then provided officers with the vehicle’s GPS location. When the officers had the Impala in sight, they requested Stolen Vehicle Slowdown be initiated, the vehicle was disabled and the suspect was taken into custody. Read more on the story here.

Stolen Vehicle Standoff: In Shreveport, Louisiana, the owner of a Chevrolet Silverado was robbed of his truck and money at gunpoint during a home invasion. Since the vehicle had an active OnStar subscription, advisors were able to provide authorities with the vehicle location and slow it down when the suspect refused to stop. However, the suspect then refused to surrender, pointing a gun at himself and threatening his own life. Officers called in a negotiating team who used OnStar’s Hands-Free system to talk to the suspect for hours, eventually convincing him to surrender before anyone was hurt.

OnStar’s Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is available on most 2009 model year and newer General Motors’ vehicles in the U.S., Canada, China and Mexico. The service is included in the OnStar subscription that comes standard on new GM vehicles. For more information regarding Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and all of OnStar’s services, please visit http://www.onstar.com.

Copied from GM News.

Consumer Reports has named the Chevy Silverado 1500 its “top-rated truck.”

Here is an excerpt from Luisa Navarro’s article at CNNMoney:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The vehicle trumped Dodge’s Ram 1500, which came in second-place, the magazine announced on Tuesday.

The Silverado, made by General Motors (GM, Fortune 500), has a more ample cargo bed, several hundred pounds of greater payload capacity, and can also tow a heavier trailer — up to 11,200 pounds, the magazine said.

Plus, the Silverado’s easy-to-raise and lower tailgate, corner bump steps, and a lower step-in height make it more convenient for some consumers, it said

The magazine also found that Chevy’s truck delivered the best-in-class fuel economy of 16 mpg overall — one mpg more than the Ram.

Tuesday’s announcement is another win for General Motors and Chevrolet. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports gave the newly redesigned Impala sedan rave reviews. Previous generations of the Impala have scored at the bottom of its class in Consumer Reports’ tests.

Consumer Reports is considered to be the single most influential publication among car shoppers. Unlike other auto review outlets, the magazine doesn’t accept any advertising and it buys all the cars it tests, rather than relying on cars provided by manufacturers.