Chevrolet will launch a Silverado 5500 Class 5 conventional medium duty truck in calendar year 2018 as a 2019 model year vehicle.
Debut calendar year: | late 2018 |
Debut model year: | 2019 |
Name: | Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD |
Class: | Medium Duty Conventional Class 5 |
Predecessor: | Chevrolet Kodiak |
Engine: | GM Duramax Turbo-Diesel |
Transmission: | Allison Transmission |
Production: | U.S. Navistar factory (possibly Garland, Texas plant) |
Confirmed Details
In March 2017, Chevrolet announced plans to introduce a “flagship, medium duty truck”. In the announcement, Chevy confirmed that the upcoming Medium Duty truck will:
- Utilize a Duramax turbo-diesel engine
- Utilize an Allison transmission
- Launch in calendar year 2018
- Be co-developed with Navistar, which operates the International Trucks brand
- Not be related to the Chevrolet Low Cab Forward medium duty trucks sourced from Isuzu
At the time, no name was assigned for the vehicle.
The announcement also confirmed that GM would supply commercial components and engines while Navistar would provide its “expertise in rolling chassis configurations and manufacturing capabilities”. Based on the statement, it would appear that the upcoming Chevrolet Medium Duty truck will use a GM-sourced powertrain and other components, while Navistar will be responsible for developing other parts of the vehicle as well as manufacturing it.
In September 2017, Chevrolet announced more information about the Medium Duty truck, including that the vehicle will:
- Actually consist of two vehicles
- Slot in the Class 4 and Class 5 medium duty segments and be called Silverado 4500 and Silverado 5500
- Be “powerful, highly maneuverable, and among the easiest trucks on the market to upfit with specialized bodies, such as dump bodies, rollbacks, freight boxes and more”
- Be available in Regular Cab and Crew Cab models with 4×2 and 4×4 capability
- Be available in a wide range of GVWRs and wheelbases
- Offer optional OnStar with 4G LTE with Wi-Fi, which is being embraced by fleet management companies to help improve safety and productivity thanks to telematics solutions like OnStar Commercial Link
Chevrolet also announced that all Silverado 5500 models will be powered by a Duramax diesel engine and Allison transmission and that the trucks will “stand out because we’ve designed the trucks around how customers work.”
In January 2018, Chevrolet made a third announcement surrounding the upcoming Silverado 5500, stating that:
- The new all-new Silverado Class 5 chassis cab truck will be revealed at the 2018 Work Truck Show taking place March 6-9 in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Silverado Class 4 chassis cab truck will also be revealed at the venue
- Both the Class 5 and Class 4 trucks are expected to go into production in late 2018
The brand also began referring to the truck as “Silverado 5500HD”. By comparison, the brand referred to the truck simply as “Silverado 5500” in its aforementioned September announcement. Since then, GM Authority has confirmed that the official name of the truck will, in fact, be “Silverado 5500HD”.
Chevrolet also released the following teaser image of the truck, which we subsequently enhanced to reveal more of the front end.
Finally, Ed Peper, the following quote from U.S. vice president of General Motors Fleet provided more information on the truck that was not known before:
“The Silverado 4500HD/5500HD trucks are the flagship of our full-line commercial truck portfolio and we’ve designed them to be among the best in the industry in maneuverability, serviceability, visibility, quietness and comfort, diesel fuel economy and more. At GM Fleet, we are determined to deliver on our three pillars: Great Products, Innovative Business Solutions and an Exceptional Customer Experience, and I’m confident that with these new trucks, we’ll exceed the expectations of not only our fleet customers, but the drivers and upfitters as well.”
Expectations
We expect that the Duramax engine that will be used in the Silverado 5500 will be none other than GM’s new 6.6L Duramax Turbo-Diesel L5P engine. In the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado HD, it makes 445 horsepower and 910 pound-feet of torque.
Availability
Chevrolet has confirmed that the upcoming Silverado Medium Duty conventional trucks “will launch in late 2018”. As such, the vehicles will likely be designated model year 2019.
Models
The Silverado 5500 Medium Duty truck will be offered as a conventional truck with a engine/hood-forward design and be available in Regular Cab and Crew Cab configurations in various wheelbases and GVWRs.
It will be joined by the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500.
Pricing
We expect the upcoming 2019 Chevy Silverado 5500 truck to have a base price in the $60,000 range for the work truck configuration and reach as much as $100,000 for the range-topping model.
GMC Variant
It is currently unknown whether GM’s GMC brand will get a variant of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 5500.
Navistar Variant
Given that GM is co-developing the upcoming 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 5500 with Navistar, we expect that Navistar will also sell its own version of the truck, potentially as the next-generation International Trucks DuraStar.
Manufacturing
The 2019 Chevy Silverado 5500 Medium Duty truck will likely be manufactured by Navistar in the United States of America. One of the more likely facilities to make the truck is Navistar’s Garland, Texas factory.
Uses
Conventional Medium Duty trucks serve as platforms for a wide variety of mostly commercial applications, such as traditional pickup trucks, emergency services, towing, dump truck, flatbed truck and cargo box truck. Some medium duty trucks are also used as a platform for school and commercial buses.
News
Follow our coverage of:
- Chevrolet Silverado news
- Chevrolet Silverado 4500 news
- Chevrolet Silverado 5500 news
- Chevrolet Medium Duty truck news
Discussion
Discuss the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 5500 Medium Duty Truck in our Chevrolet forum.