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GM exploring ways to raise half-ton Duramax diesel tow rating

Lots of truck owners cheered when GM announced fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-six. Even after Ram let loose its EPA mileage ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the Chevy oil-burner still took the trophy. The victory was years in the making, GM engineers spending an entire four-year development cycle refining the LM2 Duramax to increase mileage. The tradeoff, as well all know by now, is towing; the Duramax in half-ton duty pulls a maximum 9,300 pounds in the Silverado. Rivals across town can do more, the Ford F-150 PowerStroke rated at 11,500, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel game to pull 12,560. GM engineer John Barta told Muscle Cars & Trucks that more hauling chops could be on the way, explaining, "We’re actually looking at upgrading some of the materials around (the engine bay) to see if we can maybe raise our tow rating." Engine bay materials are at issue due to thermal complexities underhood. John Barta, GM's assistant chief engineer of diesel engine controls, said the Duramax's inline-six configuration allowed engineers to get emissions hardware like the combined selective catalytic reduction, diesel oxidation catalysts, and diesel particulate filter unit closer to the engine, where it heats up quicker, getting emissions down quicker. But that filter puts another heat source in those confines, enforcing a cap on the tow rating to keep the engine and other systems from overheating. "If you look under the hood," he said, "youÂ’ll see a significant amount of silver ‘moon tapeÂ’ around to make sure things arenÂ’t getting overheatedÂ… if we were to go up in higher towing, which we can, we start impacting the possibility of deteriorating some of the components.” There isn't much space for more grille, so swapping for a better grade of "moon tape" or a different kind of material could reduce engine bay heat, extracting a higher tow rating in the process.  It's important to note a point Barta's been making for months about the Duramax figures, though. "Even though itÂ’s nice to brag about big numbers, in reality, light duty customers are not towing that large with their trucks," and, "We do know that (95 percent) of our light duty customers donÂ’t tow over 9,000 pounds." On our First Drive of the 2020 Silverado diesel we called out the tow rating, but emphasized that the Chevy and GMC have more important challenges to overcome.

Chevrolet will preview electrified Silverado-like truck at CES 2021

After abandoning its fight against California's lawmakers, General Motors is shifting its electrification offensive into high gear. CEO Mary Barra will give the opening keynote address at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which will be held online, and Chevrolet will provide a peek at its electrified pickup during the event. Insiders familiar with the carmaker's plans told Bloomberg that Barra's address will highlight ways that electrification can improve the environment and society in general. General Motors president Mark Reuss will speak, too, and his remarks will be followed by a video that will highlight several future products, including what the sources referred to as "a plug-in Chevrolet pickup, some Cadillac models, and vehicles for other brands." These comments ask more questions than they answer, because plug-in means many things in this context. Chevrolet's electric Bolt is a plug-in vehicle, as is the upcoming GMC Hummer, but the plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe is one, too, and it's clearly not all-electric. It's often been assumed that Chevrolet's upcoming electrified truck will be electric, but it might arrive with a hybrid powertrain or a gasoline-powered range extender. Chevrolet could also follow Ford's lead and plant a stake in both the hybrid and the electric pickup segments. It's too early to tell if Chevrolet will unveil the same truck it previewed during a presentation earlier in 2020. Shown briefly, it wore a highly futuristic design that gave it a sleeker look than the current-generation Silverado. Cadillac's presentation promises to be interesting, because the company hinted it might abandon gasoline entirely by 2025, several years earlier than expected, even though its dealers aren't all on board with the shift. Going electric-only in about four years would force the brand to conduct a massive overhaul of its range. As of writing, there is not a single electric Cadillac in showrooms, but the Lyriq will arrive in late 2022 as a 2023 model. It's difficult to tell what's in store for other brands, but there are several cars that General Motors could show during CES. Buick doesn't sell an electric car in the United States yet, for example. Alternatively, GMC is working on an SUV variant of the Hummer, and it has started developing an electric truck. Going back to Chevrolet, our crystal ball tells us we'll see more of the 2022 Bolt EUV during the next edition of the tech show, too.

2020 GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD spied on public roads

We saw spy shots of the Chevrolet Silverado HD a short time ago, and now it looks like GM has got the 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty trucks running around in public too. The one we're looking at here appears to be a 2500 Denali Crew Cab, distinguished easily by the same Denali grille on the 2019 Sierra 1500. Aesthetic differences between the front fascias on the 1500 and 2500 HD are small, but the 2500 is a bit more muscular in the hood and lower trim treatment. GMC doesn't look like it's hiding a whole lot with this camouflage, since the sheets over the grille and headlights are mostly transparent. The black tarp over what appears to be a hood scoop leads us to believe it will have the same type of hood design as the 2018 HD. Other interesting bits revealed here are around the rear of the pickup. We can see the same interface for the MultiPro six-way tailgate on this truck as the 1500, so at least the Denalis will have the trick tailgate (we'd expect every trim to have it, though). Just like we saw on the Silverado, the Sierra HD gets the stepside feature just ahead of the rear wheels. LED taillights are clearly visible through the thin veiling, and GM's rear steps remain as well. in addition to this 2500 HD, our spy photographers also caught a 3500 HD model. This one isn't a Denali, as the grille shows its hand again. The grille is different than any of GM's designs on the new trucks we've seen thus far, actually. GMC showed us a teaser of what a new Silverado HD grille would look like months ago, but this differs even further than that. It looks rather minimalistic under the sheet for now, with strong horizontal slats. The actual shape and design of the truck is revealed for the most part, since it's just wearing a thin body wrap. Its mirror design appears to be different from last year's, as the arm is completely solid. A sidestep right in front of the rear wheels carries over from the 2500 HD too. We imagine both this truck and the Silverado HD will debut early next year during auto show season. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.