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According to General Motors Australia and New Zealand, the Chevrolet Silverado, first launched in 1998, is one of the USA’s most popular full-size pickup trucks.
In the past 25 years, Silverado sales in the US have eclipsed 14 million units, establishing it as a towing and off-road machine.
Since its local launch in late 2020 to the end of the second quarter of 2024, more than 10,600 new Silverado 1500 and Silverado 2500 models have found homes in Australia and New Zealand.
“Proof of the success of Chevrolet Silverado is evident in the sales figures,” GM Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala says.
“Part of the undoubted appeal of a Silverado is that it can do pretty much anything. It is used for towing through to loading up the tray and everything else that needs impressive power and torque.
“They’re an incredibly versatile and highly desirable product, and they know they will continue to find new fans who need a full-size truck to cater to work and leisure needs.”
When launching a new Silverado locally, GM’s remanufacturing partner, Premoso Engineering in Melbourne, completes an extensive and rigorous testing schedule.
“In the case of the recently released MY24 Heavy Duty, we completed 7800km from Melbourne to Cairns return as part of one validation trip,” Premoso Australia chief engineer Trevor Barallon says.
“Leg One included 1200km of dirt roads and corrugated driving; the total distance was 4200km. Our longest day saw the team drive the entirety of New South Wales, from the southern to the northern border.
“As you’d expect, there are some amazing sights along the way, including driving along the dingo fence, the remote Hungerford Royal Mail outpost on the NSW/ QLD border and Tibooburra at sunset.”
The test run took 14 days, and specific validation activities were conducted on the trip and monitored by the team of six Premoso and two GMSV engineers, including:
● Powertrain diagnostic performance in a variety of Australian conditions
● Verification of right-hand drive pilot vehicle assembly as compared to left-hand drive vehicle
● Noise and vibration assessment
● Ride and handling, stability while towing on varied road surfaces
● Overall vehicle performance, AdBlue consumption on the Australian market diesel fuel
The trip also tested local calibrations for a wide variety of features with unique configurations or software for right-hand drive, including HVAC performance, in-region features for driver/infotainment, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and adaptive cruise control with trailer.
“New model certification testing includes 15,500km of Accelerated Rough Track Durability and an additional In-Country Validation Test Trip including maximum towing conditions of approximately 15,000km involving two vehicles,” Barallon says.
“More than ten vehicles were involved in the Engineering Development Fleet, and the cumulative mileage exceeded 150,000km,” he says.
