Electric Silverado noted by NZ distributor

For now, though, it’s business as usual with old-school V8.

GM has shared this artist’s impression of the electric Silverado

AN 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.

Mark Reuss makes the Silverado announcement at GM’s Factory Zero

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.”

Silverado presently offers in NZ in V8 petrol form, the most recent addition being the Trail Boss edition.

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.

Vette C8 pricing to start at $155k

Distributor’s sharp-edged strategy will surely sting independent importers.

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.

C8 Corvette’s design and engineering story told

Fascinating YouTube video series a must for rev-heads

JUST because it’s still the best part of a year away from touching New Zealand soil doesn’t mean it’s too early to bone up on the C8 Corvette’s background.

To assist with that, Chevrolet has helpfully created a series of backgrounder videos about the car that, by being mid-engined, represents the biggest shift in the nameplate's decades-long history.

"Revolution: The Mid-Engine Corvette Development Story" is a two-part documentary hosted on YouTube.

Chevrolet has just released the first piece, which focuses on the Corvette's interior and exterior design.

It’s a fascinating insight for car fans, regardless of how close your interest in America’s best-known sports car.

Plenty of involvement from the people who took the model into mid-engined territory for the first time.

The roster of stylists who appear in it includes Tom Peters, the former exterior design director of General Motors’ Performance Car Studio, Brett Golliff, Chevrolet's design and trim manager, Vlad Kapitonov, the Corvette's lead exterior designer, and Kirk Bennion, the model's exterior design manager.

Development work quietly started in 2011, but the idea of putting the engine behind the passenger compartment isn't new, and Chevrolet has experimented with this configuration many times since the 1960s. One 1973 prototype was even powered by a twin-rotor Wankel engine. Putting a rotary engine into the gen-eight car wasn’t considered.

Peters, Golliff, and others explained inspiration the latest car’s shape came from fighter jets and racing cars, among other sources. Jets are quick and purpose-driven, so the design team naturally looked at what members of the US Air Force fly as they sketched the car's finer details, like vents. Racing has been an official part of the Corvette's history since Chevrolet entered five cars in the 1956 edition of the 24 Hours of Sebring.

The series doesn’t give insight into what car might follow the C8, but has given a few hints about the processes that could apply from this point, with Peters commenting: “I'm here to tell you that it's just the tip of the iceberg. Just imagine where it can go from this point. This is just the beginning."

GMSV rolls into action, starting with a familiar big pick-up

The Chevrolet Silverado has a new custodian – will it also get a new price?

THE big American pickup that saw out Holden Special Vehicles has returned to this market in identical form but with a new distributor, this time directly aligned with General Motors.

Confirmation that the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - which landed in limited count from April - will lead the push by General Motors Specialty Vehicles, with the Silverado 2500 and Corvette C8 sports car to follow next year, has been expected.

 The new operation says it cannot yet release the 1500’s price yet. Does this raise speculation that the model under GMSV might not cost as much as it did under HSV, which laid down a base sticker of $123,990?

That’s yet to be clarified by the new operation – which has effectively picked up the HSV dealers network in NZ.

The changeover was long expected but could not be officially announced, let alone swung into action, until HSV ceased to be. That happened at the end of October.

 The Silverado we get now is as before, including how it is made. The vehicle is  remanufactured to right-hand-drive by Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Australia, at the same plant that does the same job on RAM trucks. 

The New Zealand operation involves Kiwis who were well known at Holden New Zealand. The general manager is Matthew Taylor, who joined Holden NZ in 2017 and was product marketing manager then national sales manager. Prior to that, he was with Bayford Group and had positions with BMW and Volkswagen in Australia.

GMSV’s NZ communications are in the hands of Ed Finn, who held the corporate communications role at Holden NZ.

Also, Marc Ebolo, the last boss of Holden NZ, is now the new managing director of General Motors in Australia and New Zealand. That position sees the Melbourne native leading Holden Aftersales operations in both countries, as well GMSV regionally.

GMSV see good potential for the Silverado, stating believe that North American full-size trucks are redefining the ute market here and in Australia.

The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado comes with a 6.2 litre EcoTec3 V8 petrol engine married to a 10-speed auto transmission. The drivetrain has auto stop/start technology and a fuel management system. 

Towing capacity is 4.5 tonnes. It has a tow/haul mode, trailer sway control, hill start assist and auto grade and cruise grade braking.

Said Taylor: “Kiwis are renowned adventurers and love getting off the beaten track into the great outdoors, and the new Silverado 1500 will be the perfect vehicle to help enhance this experience.

“In addition to its all-wheel drive go-anywhere capability, it's also the ideal vehicle for people who want the ability to tow 4.5-tonnes as well as enjoy a wide range of creature-comforts.”