2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Lt on 2040-cars

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2016 Chevy Silverado unveiled in full at Texas State Fair

It's State Fair time down in the Lonestar State, which means a lot of things to a lot of Texans: rodeos, cook-offs, country music concerts, big belt buckles, and even bigger hats. But it also means new trucks. Ford used the occasion this year to roll out its new F-Series Super Duty pickups, but the Blue Oval won't have the show all to itself as Chevy is also on hand to reveal in full its latest updates to the Silverado. The Bowtie brand gave us our first glimpse at its updated 1500-series pickup back in July, but has now revealed the revised truck in full – and not just in Z71 spec, either. Buyers will be able to choose between WT, LS, LT, LTZ, and High Country trim levels – to say nothing of the various cab, box, and powertrain configurations. The top three get all-LED exterior lighting. And while the Z71 adopts the color-keyed trim we saw previously, other models like the LT, LTZ, and (to a lesser extent) the top-of-the-line High Country still bring the chrome for those who want it. Whichever the model, the new Silverado boasts a more muscular-looking front-end and a more sculpted hood. Inside, the new Silverado gets an optional MyLink system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. The revised truck also benefits from added safety technology and convenience features. Engine options include a 4.3-liter V6 with 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque, a 5.3-liter V8 with 355 hp and 383 lb-ft, and a 6.2-liter V8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. The news when it comes to powertrains is that the eight-speed automatic launched last year on the larger V8 is now being offered on the smaller 5.3 as well. 2016 Silverado: The New Face of Strong 2016 Silverado designed to build on Chevrolet's truck momentum 2015-09-24 - Bolder, more muscular look reflects Silverado strength, dependability - Expanded use of 8-speed transmissions; additional safety technologies - Available support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto DALLAS – The new 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brings muscular designs and new customer-focused technologies to the most dependable, longest-lasting family of full-size pickups on the road. The new Silverados make their public debut today at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. "The new 2016 Silverado will build on the Chevy truck legacy of dependability," said Sandor Piszar, marketing director for Chevrolet trucks.

GM program sees dealers taking on way more loaner cars

Given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. Bring your car into the dealership for service, and you may need a loaner car in exchange. And with so many recalls being carried out, that means a lot of loaners – especially at General Motors dealerships. That could be one of the reasons why GM is massively expanding its loaner fleet program. While many Chevrolet and Buick-GMC dealerships have an on-site rental car location operated by a third party like Enterprise (which may or may not provide a GM vehicle), others manage their own loaner fleets. But while the range of dealerships operating such fleets was once small, reports Automotive News, the number has been growing rapidly: from the locations responsible for only 20 percent of those brands' sales two years ago to about 90 percent today. The impetus for that growth comes down to a massive expansion of GM's Courtesy Transportation Program. The initiative encourages dealers to ramp up their loaner fleet to a maximum size determined by GM, with a mix determined by the dealer itself, so that a showroom in Texas can be bolstered with a fleet of pickup trucks and a dealer in California can employ more Volt and Camaro Convertible loaners. The dealership gets a $500 credit for each vehicle its puts in its fleet, and can use those vehicles as loaners for service customers, as multi-day test drivers or to rent out separately. The vehicles remain in the dealer's fleet for 90 days or 7,500 miles, then they can be sold as used, but with new-car incentives. The dealer gets a fleet of loaners, customers get to use the loaners, try out a new car overnight or buy a barely used car with attractive incentives, and GM gets to clock more sales. But therein lies the kicker: the automaker counts the dispatch of the loaner new vehicle to the dealership as a new-car sale, which could end up distorting its sales figures. Counting loaner vehicles as sold vehicles is something of an industry-standard practice, but given the volume of vehicles we're talking about, this is a significant development for GM's bottom line. One dealership - Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore, NY, for example - had no loaner fleet two years ago, but now runs a fleet of 50 vehicles. Multiply that by the 4,000 or so dealers GM has across America and you're talking about the potential for hundreds of thousands of these sorts of sales.

2023 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study shows there's less quality than last year

Vehicle inventory, vehicle pricing, and the supply chain are finally showing improvement. Vehicle quality, on the other hand, is still going the wrong way. That's the takeaway from the 2023 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study that found overall problems exceeded last year's record high. The study surveyed owners of 2022-model-year vehicles to assess the average rate of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership. The average figure for the 32 ranked manufacturers in 2020 was about 166 problems per 100 vehicles. In the 2021 IQS, that dropped to an average of 162. For 2022, the average jumped to 180 problems. For 2023, the PP100 is up to an industry average of 192 — an increase of 30 problems per 100 vehicles in just two years. Let's get to the good news first: Dodge reclaimed the crown of having the lowest number of problems per 100 vehicles at 140. Buick won last year with 139 PP100, falling to third this year. Dodge was the first American automaker to top the IQS in 2021. Its return as the least problematic gives parent company Stellantis three wins in four years after Ram was crowned in 2021. It also gives U.S. brands a four-peat after Buick topped the chart in 2022 by having owners report the fewest problems. This year's top 10 is Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Porsche, Cadillac, Kia, and Lexus. Stellantis gathered a few feathers for its cap, in fact. Maserati showed the largest improvement year-on-year, followed by Alfa Romeo, and Alfa Romeo posted the lowest PP100 among the premium class, beating Porsche and Cadillac. Alfa Romeo has been vocal about working to improve quality, mentioning Lexus as a target. Last year the Japanese brand finished sixth, the Italians finished near the bottom, between Jaguar and Mitsubishi. This year Alfa jumped to third, Lexus dropped to tenth. Ram was the third-best on the list of improvers from 2022 to 2023.   The individual model with the lowest PP100 is the Nissan Maxima. Now for the troublesome bits. In the words of Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, "The industry is at a major crossroad and the path each manufacturer chooses is paramount for its future.