Fresh off its debut earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show, The 2019 Chevy Silverado is looking to be the all-inclusive truck in an increasingly competitive segment. When it finally hits showrooms, the 2019 Silverado will offer eight different trim levels and six different engine and transmission options, something the automaker says is paramount.
“That allows every customer to get the exact truck they want,” explained Scott Damman, Lead Development Engineer, 2019 Silverado. “All these trim levels allow us to have a truck for every customer.”
Extreme Metrics
In an effort to secure a position as that all-inclusive truck, the 2019 Silverado was subjected to GM?s most rigorous engineering metrics in history. The Silverado team essentially doubled their validation targets, performing over 475,000 tests and logging seven million miles of real-world testing in the interest of durability. “It is pretty daunting,” Damman said. “Especially when you think about a vehicle that is redesigned from the ground up – brand new – everything is brand new.”
Each engine was subjected to repeat “torture testing” which included visits to the dynamometer cells. Inside, the engines would run for months on end – without stopping – to simulate a lifetime of maximum hot and cold cycles. From there, the Silverado team traveled to Davis Dam in Arizona where the truck hauled its maximum gro...