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2022 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss adds 3.0-liter diesel option

Order books just opened for the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, which, in case you hadn't heard, is almost unchanged compared to the 2021 Silverado. The overhauled Silverado and GMC Sierra that we caught in spy shots several times last year and were expected to launch this year have been delayed. Until that pickup gets here, Chevrolet and GMC will add "Limited" to the names of the Silverado and Sierra. Fleet guides for next year's truck show the official model name as Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD. There are a few interesting features coming next year, though, like the Multi-Flex tailgate joining the options list for Silverado HD trucks. GM Authority also reports that the 2022 Silverado LT Trail Boss adds the 3.0-liter oil-burner with 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as a third engine option, which should be a big treat for the off-roading crew. Whereas the GMC Sierra AT4 already offers the 3.0-liter diesel, the Silverado LT Trail Boss only offers the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8s, both bolted to GM's ten-speed automatic transmission. Then there's the Custom Trail Boss that adds the 4.3-liter V6 as an option, and it and the 5.3-liter V8 only get 6-speed automatics. At the moment, Silverado trims that offer the Duramax charge a $1,045 for it over the 5.3-liter V8. If that gap holds true for next year, the diesel will just about evenly split the price difference between the LT Trail Boss with the 5.3 and the 6.2.   Elsewhere in the range, Driving.ca said Canadian fleet guides show the 4.3-liter V6 and lower-spec 5.3-liter V8 with Active Fuel Management (AFM) instead of Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) disappearing from next year's base Silverado WT. To clarify, AFM only shuts off half the cylinders in certain conditions, whereas DFM constantly adjusts how many cylinders are firing all the time. As it stands, that would leave the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder as the only engine option. However, those other two mills were the only ones left in the lineup that shift through a six-speed transmission, making it possible that they'll rejoin the options list with at least two more gears to choose from. It's not clear if GM will sell the Limited models alongside the majorly upgraded 2022 Silverado. The automaker did just that a few years ago, selling the previous-gen truck as a Limited trim alongside the then-new, current-gen. It certainly wouldn't be the only company to do so, either.

The Army goes off-roading with a hydrogen Chevy Colorado

The Chevrolet Colorado is joining the service. General Motors is working with the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) to build a Colorado powered by a commercial hydrogen fuel cell stack, and the Army will use it in "extremes of daily military use for 12 months." TARDEC is the department that tests "advanced military automotive technology" and integrates them into ground systems. The aim is to see how well the benefits of a fuel cell vehicle can be adapted to the battlefield; hydrogen-powered vehicles are quiet, torquey, produce water, and can be used to provide electricity in the field. GM says the design sketch above "foreshadows" the Colorado that will go to boot camp and beyond, making it clear that this won't be the average midsize pickup. The press release below has more. Related Video: GM and U.S. Army to Demonstrate Extreme Off-Road Hydrogen Fuel Cell Chevrolet Colorado Agreement focused on proving unique utility and viability of fuel cell propulsion WARREN, Mich. 2015-11-19 – General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) are modifying a Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck to run on a commercial hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and will expose the truck to the extremes of daily military use for 12 months. "Hydrogen fuel cell technology is important to GM's advanced propulsion portfolio, and this enables us to put our technology to the test in a vehicle that will face punishing military duty cycles," said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's Global Fuel Cell Engineering activities. Fuel cell propulsion has very high low-end torque capability useful in off-road environments. It also offers exportable electric power and quiet operation, attractive characteristics to both commercial and military use. "The potential capabilities hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can bring to the Warfighter are extraordinary, and our engineers and scientists are excited about the opportunity to exercise the limits of this demonstrator," said TARDEC Director Paul Rogers. "FCVs are very quiet vehicles, which scouts, special operators and other specialties place a premium," he said. "What's more, fuel cells generate water as a by-product, something extremely valuable in austere environments." GM and TARDEC have fuel cell development and research facilities located 20 minutes apart in Pontiac and Warren, Mich.

Sabine Schmitz to compete in WTCC race at Nurburgring, hopes for rain

The World Touring Car Championship is set to return to the Nurburgring this year after a 30-year absence. Who better, then, to lead the pack than Sabine Schmitz? One of the most skilled drivers around the Norschleife, 45-year-old Schmitz has been known to compete in the VLN series and in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring (which she's won twice), and regularly drives tourists on hot laps around the Green Hell. Nobody can drive the circuit better than Schmitz when the rain starts to fall, and fall it often does in the German spring, but she'll have a new challenge on her hands when she makes her WTCC debut in a Chevy Cruze for the Munnich Motorsport team for the German round next month. It'll be interesting to see how Sabine does in the race, given that she has no experience with the vehicle she'll be driving, but has immense knowledge of the notoriously difficult track. She'll have the chance to acclimate a little during the WTCC test session at the 'Ring later this month, and hopes to compete in one of the two races – in Morocco or Hungary – before tackling her home track in unfamiliar machinery. News Source: WTCC via YouTube, BridgeToGantry.comImage Credit: Newspress Celebrities Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports Chevrolet wtcc