Automotive Fleet, April 2019

AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I APRIL 2019 44 WITH FLEET IN MIND THE HEAVY DUTY SEGMENT IS AN IMPORTANT SEGMENT FOR GENERAL MOTORS WHILE DESIGNING THE 2020 SILVERADO HD GM MADE SURE TO TAKE IN FLEET INPUT AND PARLAY THAT INPUT INTO FEATURES THAT MADE IT INTO THE FINAL PRODUCT BY ERIC GANDARILLA With a number of OEMs releasing new pickups into the heavy duty market this year 2019 is shaping up to be a big year for heavy duty pickups Chevrolet is offering two contenders in the heavy duty sphere the 2020 Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD In a conversation with Work Truck Ed Peper U S vice president General Motors Fleet and John Schwegman U S director of commercial product and medium duty for General Motors shared how fleet customers played a vital role in designing the Silverado HD DESIGNING A HEAVY DUTY TRUCK WITH FLEET IN MIND There were three features on the 2020 Silverado HD that were driven by fleet customer input cloud profiles for trailering power take off available straight from the factory and a new step in located at the side of the trucks bed GM received input on these features two to three years ago when it first showed the Silverado HD to its Commercial Sounding Board Something that GM has found after years of producing trucks is that about 90 of people who drive heavy duty pickups use them to tow trailer noted Schwegman Some of GMs fleet customers are likely to trailer on a daily basis so with that in mind GM wanted to improve the trailering process with the new Silverado HD The 2020 Silverado HD will be able to tow up to 35500 lbs depending on configuration and will have two available V 8 engine choices a 66L gasoline engine that will achieve 401 hp and 464 lb ft of torque and a 66L Duramax turbo diesel mated to an Allison 10 speed that will achieve 445 hp and 910 lb ft of torque But power wasnt the only aspect that GM wanted to focus on We talked about the overall trailering experience said Schwegman You can get hung up on 1000 lb ft of torque or trailering however many pounds but for folks that trailer day in and day out the entire experience is important Schwegman said that the Silverado team looked to improve everyday tasks like checking tire pressure whether the lights on the trailer are working or if the turn signal is working Instead of turning on hazard lights pulling to the side of the road walking out of the vehicle and walking to the back to check on the trucks lights a driver will be able to use an app on his or her phone or on the pickups infotainment system Additionally through an integration with OnStar and a mobile app drivers will be able to create a trailer profile that will save and sync all relevant data of how the pickup and trailer were configured So as long as the people driving the truck log into the same cloud profile theyll know how the truck and trailer were configured as well as relevant maintenance information Another feature driven by fleet input was power take off availability from the factory GM recognized that many fleets leverage power take off in their trucks and those that do need to go to seek out aftermarket suppliers in order to do so Peper and his team consistently heard from fleet customers that theyd like to have power take off integrated into the vehicle straight from the factory so the feature will be on the 2020 Silverado HDs diesel engine The cost of is expected to be comparable to what aftermarket options cost but will come with the benefit of having GMs backing noted Peper Power take off on the Silverado HD will provide 40 hp The final feature on the 2020 Silverado that came from direct fleet input stemmed from fleets desire for a more ergonomic way of reaching the front of their trucks box according to Peper A step in on the side of the trucks bed will be available on the 2020 Silverado HD due to a GM fleet customer talking about how much utility the corner step bumper on previous Silverado pickups had offered The step in on the 2020 Silverado HD will be wide enough to accommodate both feet and will come standard on all trims ADDITIONAL TRUCK SPECIFICATIONS The 2020 Silverado 2500HD 3500HD will come in five trims Work Truck Custom LT Chrome LTZ and High Country The 2500HD and 3500HD will also be available as a dualie The trucks will be available in regular cab double cab and crew cab configurations with standard length and long cargo boxes The truck is slated to reach dealers by summer 2019 AF DESIGNING THE 2020 SILVERADO HD PHOTO ERIC GANDARILLA