Yukon going big, staying old-school
/Announcement of 2025 Stateside enhancements point to likely choices coming to NZ next year.
Read MoreAnnouncement of 2025 Stateside enhancements point to likely choices coming to NZ next year.
Read MoreElectric assist, all-wheel-drive and more grunt than a Z06. But is it any more efficient?
Read MoreBig ZR1 announcement today didn’t mention we’re not seeing it.
Read MoreGM wants to drop Apple Car Play and Android Auto for an in-house set-up - but maybe not on product presently sold here.
Read MoreFlagship edition’s sticker almost puts blue collar with blue bloods and shares with another Stingray price lift.
Read MoreZR2 heads freshened range landing as CO2 regulations tighten.
Read MoreThe car is being built in right-hand-drive and there’s one with the national distributor. That’s the good news. Nothing more, at this stage.
Read MoreA monster registrations run suggests CO2 penalty hasn’t curtailed Kiwi interest in American heavy metal; hence why remanufacturing plant is to double capacity.
Read MoreGMSV high-ups keeping mum about any electric inclusions, but happy to talk about old school ZO6.
Read MoreZR2 is designed for off-road use at speed.
Read MoreGMSV cites challenges across the supply chain process, as well as other economic considerations.
Read MoreSilverado’s fanbase happy to pay big for huge towing heft and business is good, local boss says.
Read MoreGMSV here has acknowledged the Silverado EV but has stopped short of sharing market potentials for the battery-driven big boy.
Read MoreFans are racing to know more about the ultimate edition – but the brand isn’t ready to answer those questions.
Read MoreCar makers in the United States have been hit hard by coronavirus issues and none have been spared.
Read MoreBig changes to Chevrolet’s largest traydeck hit Stateside – will we also see them?
Read MoreWhen big isn’t big enough … the NZ-bound Silverado Heavy Duty is entering right-hand-drive production soon.
Read MoreAct quickly if you want a C8 Corvette Carbon Edition.
Read MoreAN electric imperative for a classic American pickup marque just regaining traction here with V8 petrol models has local distributor interest.
General Motors Special Vehicles’ New Zealand has reacted positively to news that the Chevrolet Silverado pickup it holds distribution rights to will configure, perhaps as early as next year, in a wholly battery-powered format delivering more than 600 kilometres’ range between charges.
There’s no indication from GM yet about what this might mean for right-hand drive markets, however the maker insists its plan to sell some 30 electric vehicles by 2025 is a properly global intent. It has also made clear that, ultimately, it intends to only produce the truck in electric format.
New Zealand currently receives Silverado as a brand-new model purely in its historic V8 petrol form. Current editions, all powered by a 313kW/624Nm 6.2-litre V8 mated to a 10-speed automatic, are delivered from the United States via Melbourne, where they are converted into RHD.
While company policy restricts comment on future product, the make’s local operation based in Auckland has indicated will maintain a watch on the model’s new technology direction, announced by GM’s president Mark Reuss, an American who since running Holden in 2008 and 2009 has enjoyed a rapid management ascendancy to his current position.
A GMSV spokesman in NZ today said the focus for the present remains on product it already has here and that incoming.
“At GMSV we're focusing on bringing three exciting vehicles to Australian and New Zealand truck and performance car enthusiasts - the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and the all-new, direct from the factory right-hand drive, C8 Corvette.
“We are glad there is so much excitement around EVs, but we don't have any comment to make with regards to future product and won't be drawn on possible speculation relating to the local market.”
The new derivative, which has been teased for months, seems set to share and underpinning, battery and other technology with the electric Hummer, whose potential for right hand drive markets has not been clarified, and will offer around 640 kilometres range on a full charge.
That’s almost 80kms’ additional range than has already been cited the Hummer EV Edition 1, which GM has previously said will offer up to 746kW, and appears to beat any of the petrol editions. Regardless that they have extra-large fuel tanks, the petrol models are cited to deliver an optimal economy of 12.3 litres per 100km.
The maker has added that the range prescribed for Silverado is not absolute and might vary “based on several factors, including temperature, terrain, battery age, loading, and how you use and maintain your vehicle.”
It has not offered information on any other performance aspects, though this will be high interest. Silverado has a particular forte as a heavy-duty towing choice, with the petrol models rated to haul an impressive 4500kg on the hook.
Silverado is Chevrolet’s biggest selling model in North America.
The company did not immediately say when the electric Silverado will go on sale, but independent reports since Reuss announced the project cite sources with GM as saying the edition could be production by the end of 2022 – a timeframe that, if accurate, means it will beat the Hummer into showrooms.
The push synchs with GM’s announcement in January that its entire 'light-duty' range, into which this model falls, will be electric by 2035. Commentators say this means the new electric Silverado will eventually be the only light-duty pick-up available from the brand by then.
The electric Silverado will be made at “Factory Zero,” the recently rebranded Detroit-Hamtamck plant dedicated to EVs that GM is currently retooling at a cost of more than $US2 billion.
It’s the same plant where GM will build the electric Hummer in SUV and pickup formats.
Industry observers in North America say an electric Silverado is not too surprising considering that rival Ford already has an electric edition of its F150 pickup under development. That vehicle is intended to release in 2022.
The V8 Silverado as sold by GMSV is converted by Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the former parent company of Holden Speical Vehicles, which previously held distribution rights to the model.
CORVETTE’S official distributor has steered clear of thought that its pricing for the new-generation car, announced today, has been tailored to deflate grey importers who have been asking much more for the model.
GMSV official reason for announcing pricing now, and not closer to the car’s late-year arrival, is that it wants to kick off an order bank because supply will be limited.
General Motors will start building the NZ-bound C8s at the type’s famous plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the last quarter of this year with hope some will hit GM Speciality Vehicles’ seven national sales outlets before Christmas.
Planned or otherwise, the distributor’s Model Year 2022 cars are massively cheaper than left-hook examples that are already here.
GMSV’s NZ plan kicks off with a 2LT Coupe at $154,990 and a 3LT Coupe for $169,990. Those variants also provision as convertibles, carrying a $15,000 premium.
There is also a Carbon Edition launch special Coupe that has yet to be priced.
All run a 370kW/637Nm 6.2-litre V8 paired to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic that drives the rear wheels. The C8 is the fastest Corvette yet, with a claimed 0-100kmh time of three seconds (which some independent testers claim to have bettered).
At least half a dozen independently imported examples of the car often described as America’s answer to Ferrari and Porsche supercars are presently being advertised by private importers.
These cars – apparently shipped directly from the United States or from Japan, which accepts left-hand drive cars - are being advertised on TradeMe from $200,000 to close to $250,000.
At least one importer appeared to have slashed pricing today, though not enough to achieve anything equality with the factory-appointed distributor.
Full details of the NZ-market models have not been shared, but GMSV NZ has assured they will not be low spec cars.
For instance, all NZ-bound official product will have as standard a Z51 performance pack and frontal lift that seems to be an option in the United States.
The Z51 package includes a dual mode exhaust, performance suspension with ‘Magnetic Selective Ride Control’ (magnetic active dampers that react and adjust within milliseconds), larger Brembo brakes, electronic-limited slip differential, a front splitter, rear fascia-mounted spoiler, extra cooling provisions and specific rear axle ratio.
GMSV here says it added the features because it recognised customers as performance enthusiasts who will want to enjoy the car to its fullest potential.
The frontal lift is a push-button technology that lifts the front suspension at the press of a button at low speeds, so the front bumper doesn’t scrape on steep driveways.
The 2LT base model also has a colour head-up display, 14-speaker Bose audio system, the Z51 performance pack and frontal lift. The 3LT and Carbon Edition build off this.
The latter is based off a 3LT Coupe and will feature hand-picked interior trims, premium wheels and brake calliper package, an exclusive build plate and owners pack.
A spokesman said supply of the car will be constrained for some time, “due to the global popularity of the vehicle.
“Our focus at launch is to ensure that all GMSV dealers in NZ and Australia have an initial first allocation of one Carbon Edition each and one selling vehicle with two additional units available for customer order.
“Following the initial launch stage, further allocations will be available next year.
“GM has a certain RHD production capacity, so this consideration coupled with significant demand means there is every likelihood that demand will exceed supply.”
The Corvette nameplate goes back to 1953 but the latest, eighth generation model, is the first to be available as a factory-built right-hand-drive.
It is also the first to feature a mid-engine configuration.
In addition to the Corvette, GMSV has announced a new derivative of the Chevrolet Silverado large utility, the LT Trail Boss.
Deliveries of the $119,900 model commence mid-year.
As the name suggests, the Trail Boss is designed to be a more versatile off-road product than the LTZ Premium that has already installed in the market.
“LT Trail Boss is purpose-built, born to perform, offering rugged dependability in off-road settings when exploring on the weekend, but is also at home in urban environments during the week,” says GMSV NZ general manager Matthew Taylor.
“It will enable big thrills and big adventures - it’s a way to really enjoy and experience the road less travelled.”
The Trail Boss achieve a factory-fitted suspension lift-kit, which increases ride height by approximately 25mm at the front and 30mm at the rear. It also takes a mechanical rear locking differential and 18-inch painted black aluminium wheels. Hill Descent Control, a heavy-duty air filter and protective all-terrain skid plates complement the all-round off-road package.
The driver receives a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel and, together with the front passenger, enjoys a 10-way power and heated seat.
The vehicle achieves a towing capacity of 4.5 tonnes and runs a petrol 6.2-litre V8 coupled with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The column-mounted gearshift selector is a historic throwback – GMSV explains that configuration provides space for a large centre console which acts as a storage chest, capable of hiding away large and bulky items.
A remote vehicle starter system, consisting of Keyless Open and Start, adds to convenience features.
Access to the LT Trail Boss was achieved thanks to GMSV’s direct line to Detroit, where the request was made to supply the Australian and New Zealand markets and then remanufacture to right-hand-drive by Walkinshaw Automotive Group.
MotoringNZ reviews new cars and keeps readers up-to-date with the latest developments on the auto industry. All the major brands are represented. The site is owned and edited by New Zealand motoring journalist Richard Bosselman.