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Marton Pettendy20 Dec 2019
NEWS

HSV readying Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Suburban

All-new full-size Chevy pickup and SUV coming from Holden Special Vehicles

The new-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is on the starting blocks for Australia, where HSV has confirmed the all-new full-size pickup’s release early next year.

And HSV’s first direct rival for ASV’s hot-selling RAM 1500 will be followed by its SUV twin, the fifth-generation Chevrolet Suburban revealed in the US last week.

The new Silverado and Suburban were always part of HSV’s five-year plan to convert up to 5000 vehicles annually by 2022, as it announced in late 2017.

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At the time, HSV said its fifth production line would follow the Holden Colorado SportsCat and the Chevrolet Camaro and heavy-duty Silverado 2500/3500HD, which were released in 2018, and RAM Trucks, which entered production in late 2015 and are now made for ASV on a contract basis.

Since then 5000 RAMs have been produced, the vast majority of them being the ‘light duty’ 1500, which commenced production in mid-2018 and now accounts for 90 per cent of RAM sales.

Spurred by a sub-$80K starting price, demand for the RAM 1500 saw 24-hour production commence in mid-2019 and helped RAM sales hit almost 3000 this year in Australia and New Zealand – up from just 767 in 2018.

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It’s this growth market that HSV hopes to tap with its first Silverado 1500, and the Suburban SUV that shares its ladder platform and was sold here previously by Holden.

HSV is yet to formally announce either model for Australia, but its latest online newsletter for subscribers this week said “…after 32 years, we still relish in producing vehicles that excite and define what it is to be alive.

“We're looking forward to launching BIG things in early 2020. Stay tuned!” said HSV alongside a teaser image of the new Silverado 1500’s signature running lights.

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Walkinshaw Automotive Group's executive director of sales and marketing Chris Polites told carsales today the new Silverado 1500 would be launched as soon as the first quarter of next year.

"We're aiming for Q1, but we may not quite get there. We'll be ready to talk about it in February," he said.

Asked if the Suburban was also on the way to Australia, he said: "It's still part of the long-term plan to bring the best of the US products to Australia and we're working towards that with GM and Holden, but it won't be next year."

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Based on the same ladder chassis and electrical architecture, the 2021 Suburban (and its short-wheelbase sibling, the Tahoe, which is the USA’s top-selling full-size SUV) will go on sale in the US in mid-2020, two years after the new 2019 Silverado was launched there in 2018.

In the US, the Silverado 1500 is available with six engine and transmission combinations, offering payloads up to 1020kg and towing capacities up to 6080kg.

As with the RAM 1500, the Silverado 1500 is likely to be offered here with a petrol V8 – either a similar 265kW/519Nm 5.7-litre unit or, more likely, a 313kW/624Nm 6.2-litre V8 matched with a 10-speed auto.

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Also like the RAM 1500, a redesigned version of which has been on sale in the US since 2018 but is not sold here, the Silverado 1500 can be had with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel too, in this case an inline Duramax six with the same 10-speed auto.

The same engine powers the 2021 Suburban, which claims class-leading power and torque and adds independent rear suspension and adaptive air springs.

Expect Silverado 1500 pricing to undercut the cheapest 6.6-litre diesel 2500HD ($114,990 plus ORCs) and to be competitive with the RAM 1500, dual-cab versions of which cost $99,950 (V8) and $109,950 (diesel).

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In the US, unlike the current generation of full-size pickups available in Australia, the new Silverado is available with a host of advanced safety features including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane keep assist and lane departure warning.

New-for-2020 features include adaptive cruise control and up to eight cameras with 15 different views, including a Bed View Camera, in addition to the latest safety and infotainment technologies.

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