New Chevrolet Diesel Pickup Truck Confirmed
General Motors has been dropping hints concerning a new generation of diesel pickups for some time, and an engineer from Chevrolet has now confirmed to AutoGuide that a diesel will arrive in a non-heavy duty pickup truck in the near future.
That means that the brand’s half-ton Silverado could receive the oil burner, or it could fall to the smaller Colorado, which is set to return to the North American market in 2014 as a 2015 model year vehicle.
Considering that RAM is now offering a diesel engine in the 1500, a diesel-powered Silverado isn’t out of the question. But it seems that the Colorado is a more viable option for the engine, as it can be introduced from the start, and capitalize on a segment that offers no competition: small diesel-powered pickup trucks. The Chevrolet Colorado offers 2.5 and 2.8-liter diesel engines already in other parts of the world.
SEE ALSO: GM Midsize Diesel Truck Hinted at by Execs
The Silverado is also set for some other enhancements, most notably an eight-speed transmission. While it is not confirmed outright, AutoGuide was told that an eight-speed hooked up to Silverado in the future is a “fair assumption.”
Don’t expect Silverado upgrades for at least another year however, as Chevy is still working to get its bread-and-butter trucks out to consumers, as only one of three assembly plants responsible for the 2014 Silverado is currently online.
Discuss this story at silveradosierra.com
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
More by Stephen Elmer
Comments
Join the conversation
I hope they bring small truck diesels to the US to encourage VW to bring their Amarok diesel to the US among others from other manufacturers.
Sounds great, but they need to bring back a good looking small truck though. Those things are UGLY. I have a 2000 S10 ZR2 and people still say its one of the coolest looking trucks out there (5900lbs towing capacity to). They need to come back with an American midsized truck that looks good to, not this euro crap look. A diesel would be great if it had some decent towing capacity. Not everyone wants a huge truck.