Chevrolet Trucks Will Continue To See A Major Focus On Personalization
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While we were on location to test the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Duramax, we had a chance to poke at Chevy’s brain to understand its truck strategy a little better. And personalization is a very key attribute to said strategy.
According to the brand, the bountiful amount of accessories and special editions have been a “major success” with buyers. And, if that success is any indicator, things will keep moving in the same direction.
It’s even true without branching into the plethora of options buyers have to tailor their Chevy truck to themselves. Within the 2016 Silverado range alone, each variant arrives with a unique grille, extending from monochromatic, to chrome, to a splash of both.
We asked if we will see a similar approach to other Chevrolet vehicles, and it replied it’s currently very focused on trucks particularly with this strategy.
That means we should continue to see plenty of options hit dealers for the Silverado and Colorado range.
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People like the limited edition feeling. I remember when people found out you could enter your VIN into an online decoder and it would tell you how many vehicles spec’d the same as yours were made. People went ape when they found out that only 155 other CTS’ were the exact same as theirs. Limited edition appearance packages on wildly mass produced vehicles are similar in that regard. It won’t do anything for resale and no one else really cares. Some of the limited edition trucks look awesome, and I’d maybe pick one up over a regularly spec’d truck, but throwing a name on it like ‘Midnight Edition’ does nothing for me and I wouldn’t refer to it as such if ever asked what I drove. It works though, the marketing machine works.
I know these special editions make money and they do look nice. But we could still use some special models that provide hardware too.
We still need a off road truck to match the Raptor and we need a sport edition in 2 wheel drive that is performance base like a Camaro with a bed like my old ZQ8 was.
We need this in both mid and full size. It also would provide profits and much of the part are already available to do this at a low cost. Springs, bars wheels tires and shocks. Add in a Camaro engine and you would have a truck that would be of interest and profit.
GM also needs to start being more innovative with things on the trucks. Options of note will increase here on all the trucks soon and many would be so easy to integrate. I am assuming the next gen Silverado will get these but if not they will pay the price.
Owner loyalty is always there but to gain more customers from other lines you have to perk their interest. Neat features will reinforce present owners and draw in more outside owners.
A Camaro engine, you mean like the L86 6.2L that’s already in the Silverado? The L86 is a modified LT1.
Or the 3.6 that’s in the Colorado?
Side note, I’ve never heard someone reference a power plant as being a Camaro engine, it’s always from a Corvette.
No Andrew I expect more power in future option Camaro V8 engines that will show up. This would make an interesting options.
As for Corvette you would never want to associate a Corvette with the truck it shares an engine with. It would hurt you marketing wise globally. Chevy has finally shown a push rod engine can do things never thought possible before and no need to tarnish it with the Corvette being related to the root origin of where its power plant came from. Chevy people are ok with it but conquest customers could be repulsed.
You realize the LT1 is a trickled down to the 2016 Camaro from the Corvette? The LS1 may have gone into the Firebird, but it was first and foremost a Vette power plant. Same with nowadays. Same goes for the LS3, LS7, LT4, etc. But that’s all besides the point, I just found it curious the it was being referenced as a Camaro engine.
It’s very likely the ZL1 that has been seen testing will have the LT4, it might be matching the Z06/CTS-V 650/640HP figure, it might be closer to 600, but it won’t be an entirely different engine.
The 2016 Camaro LT1 is the same outputs as it’s serves in it’s original car, the C7. We aren’t going to see some Camaro specific V8. The ZL1 uses a lower output version of the LSA found in the 2nd gen CTS-V, which is basically an LS9 from the ZR-1 with a smaller blower on the LSA. If that’s what you’re think of, then yes, it could happen again for the ZL1/Z28 replacements.
If a V8 goes into a Camaro, it will have already been developed for Corvette or Cadillac. Will the Camaro get a twin-turbo V6? Maybe, but it will either be the current Cadillac 3.6TT or the soon to be released 3.0TT from the CT6. That 3.0 unit could make for a wicked Colorado engine. I’ve always loved the beast LS7 and thought they should do a limit SIlverado with it. 505hp of naturally aspirated goodness.
You can play the anal intensive semantics game all you like.
I just made a simple statement with the intention to take a two wheel drive Chevy truck and use an engine from the Z/28 in it. Not complicated here.
I also took care to avoid the use of the Corvette name in use with a pick up truck that is the origin of their engine as if they intend to sell the car globally they do not need the media in Europe to dig into this making it tougher to sell American.
Even with Jeremy Clarkson liking the ZL1 he still calls it the car made by fat men in Kentucky. While true to a point it also is very misleading to the true nature of the car.
The fact is if you really want the unblister FN truth the Engine in the Corvette is really a truck engine. If it were not for the Silverado and the millions of V8 engines it sells we may not have the Corvette engine as it is now.
The truth is the V8 was saved by the truck not the Corvette. As truck and SUV sales skyrocketed the engine was kept around for the trucks and this let the cars share in their use.
If you do not believe that you need to brush up on your history. The Corvette people has already started work in the 80’s for alternatives. One was a twin V6 Corvette with an engine up front and one in back. A Citation Mule still exist in private hands today. They also tested a Falcon V12 as a possible replacement at one point and there were several mules on several Chevy platforms built to test this. They were both dropped when the trucks saved the day.
So you can continue your pointless argument or you can just accept my simple idea to market a truck as a Z/28 like Pick Up truck as the ZQ8 was but with a real engine in this one and not just some plain V6 or 4 in it.
For now just rub yourself down with Preparation H and you will make us all feel better.
Im not arguing with you at all, so you don’t need to be so offended. The Camaro won’t be getting a special, unique, V8. Get over it.
I have zero issue with a truck getting the LS7 from the C6 ZO6/Z28, that was my suggestion as a great idea. Discussion boils down to you want Camaro engines in trucks, there already are 2. You want a unique Camaro V8, there won’t be one. “So you can continue your pointless argument or you can just accept it.”
I understand you are not getting my point.
My point is to sell a truck as a Z/28 like truck and market it as having the same engine.
Also you do not market it as a Corvette engine as that will not help the Corvette in marketing in any way shape or from. It may be used there but you do not market it.
It is not pointless you just do not get the point. But that is nothing new based on your post.
No matter what engine is in the Camaro it is going to be shared some where. It could be in a FWD, RWD and AWD. That is not the point.
My Point is simple. Market the truck as a performance truck and market in relation with Camaro.
I’d like to see a two door stepside Chevy truck again!
floor mounted shifter and sport gauges with off road tires performance brakes k and n and cat back exhust and bring back arrival blue from 03 to 04 with silver rally strips and rancho 9000x shocks and it be one hell of a performance truck espically with a 6.2l with a super charger
I certainly appreciate (and applaud) what Chevy is doing but it’s too bad GMC doesn’t have the same mindset. I personally like the look of the Sierra better but they are very inflexible when it comes to customization. Check out Ford. whether you like the F150 or not, you can certainly “make it your own” with dealer special orders, etc.
I think you will find GMC will have the same packaging accept with the Denali versions.
I have always been able to package a GMC with anything I could get on a Chevy with no issue. In fact I often get more standard at the higher price.
I would have liked a Colorado but wound up with a Silverado LTZ because the Colorado was just too blah inside. Also the ingress and egress too high off the ground for such a small vehicle… Inside it is small and they need to get it where you can customize it including removing rear seats and just have inside cargo area. I would like to see a Luxury version… closer to the ground and the interior like a Silverado LTZ in terms of fit and finish and material. I do like that the Colorado has most of the electronics that the Silverado has but it just is not nice inside. Also… they need to ship to FL. I still have seen almost none here in S FL. I am happy with my Silverado but I don’t need such a big truck. In a few years I want something high end a bit smaller and still a truck.