Chevrolet News:Chevrolet Goes To 'High Country' In A Silverado

[William Maley]

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By William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

May 5, 2013

Chevrolet never really had a luxury version of the Silverado, unlike GMC and the Sierra Denali. That is changing with the introduction of the new 2014 Silverado High Country.

The High Country sits atop the Silverado model lineup and differentiates itself from other models by coming with a chrome grille, halogen projector headlamps, body-color front and rear bumpers, twenty-inch chrome wheels, and more chrome bits throughout. Inside, High Country models are wrapped in saddle-brown leather and come equipped with eight-inch touch screen, Bose premium audio system, and front and rear park assist.

Available in the crew cab configuration only, the Silverado High Country comes available with two engines: the 5.3L EcoTec V8 and 6.2L EcoTec V8 engine.

No word on pricing at the moment, but we'll likely find out when the Silverado High Country goes on sale later this fall.

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected]or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

Press Release is on Page 2

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Silverado Adds Rugged Luxury with New High Country

• New crew cab model to compete in premium pickup segment

• Unique exterior appearance, saddle brown interior

• Standard 5.3L V-8 with 355 horsepower, up to 23 mpg highway

SAN ANTONIO – The 2014 Silverado High Country will further broaden Chevrolet's portfolio in the premium pickup segment when it joins the LTZ and Z71 models in the Silverado lineup this fall.

Silverado High Country is distinguished by a unique chrome grille with horizontal chrome bars, halogen projector headlamps and body-color front and rear bumpers. Unique 20-inch chrome wheels with P275/55R20 all-season tires are standard, as are chrome body side moldings, door handles and mirrors.

Inside, Silverado High Country features an exclusive saddle brown interior, with authentic materials throughout. Features include heated and cooled perforated premium leather front bucket seats with High Country logos on the headrests, Chevrolet MyLink connectivity with an 8-inch touch screen, Bose premium audio and front and rear park assist.

"High Country will be the top model in the Silverado lineup, with a higher level of premium features and materials with a rich, Western themed appearance," said Maria Rohrer, Silverado marketing director. "But at the same time, High Country is 100-percent Chevy truck, with the capability and dependability customers have relied on for more than 95 years."

Standard engine for the Silverado High Country is the 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8, SAE-certified at 355 horsepower (250 kW), with class-leading V-8 fuel economy of up to 23 mpg highway (2WD models). The all-new 6.2L EcoTec3 V-8 also will be available. Both engines feature direct fuel injection, Active Fuel Management and continuously variable valve timing, proving the refined power and torque truck customers expect. Both seamlessly switch to four-cylinder mode to save fuel during light-load driving.

Because of the high level of standard equipment, Silverado High Country will offer only a few options. In addition to the 6.2L EcoTec3 V-8, they include a chrome rear bumper with CornerStep, integrated trailer brake controller, sunroof, navigation, and a rear-seat entertainment system as well as a High Country Premium Package which includes heated steering wheel, driver alert package, adjustable pedals and integrated trailer brake controller.

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[Camino LS6]

I think "nonplussed" best describes my reaction to this truck.

[Robert Hall]

Nice interior...Chevy has needed a King Ranch and Denali competitor for a while.

Edit: couldn't recall the name of the Ram equivalent--thought it was Bighorn but found it is Laramie Longhorn.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Camino LS6]

Perhaps.

To me this is just a fluff package.

[G. David Felt]

Wrong Move, This is a BIG BIG MISTAKE for GM. Sorry but Chevy is entry to medium level, then you go GMC to have medium level to near luxury and then Caddy.

Having a luxury level will just cause confusion and start to drain R&D dollars away from the proper approach to marketing with where all these brands compete.

GM Wake up to History, Chevy does not Need This. Your GMC division is the luxury level with Denali to Compete against Fords Platinum level and Dodge.

Wrong move I think.

[ZL-1]

Wrong Move, This is a BIG BIG MISTAKE for GM. Sorry but Chevy is entry to medium level, then you go GMC to have medium level to near luxury and then Caddy.

Having a luxury level will just cause confusion and start to drain R&D dollars away from the proper approach to marketing with where all these brands compete.

GM Wake up to History, Chevy does not Need This. Your GMC division is the luxury level with Denali to Compete against Fords Platinum level and Dodge.

Wrong move I think.

I agree. But if people don't cross-shop Chevrolet with GMC even though the two are twins (or near-twins), then it makes sense to offer such a vehicle.

[Robert Hall]

Chevy dealers have probably wanted one of these for years to keep buyers away from GMC dealers.

[ZL-1]

Chevy dealers have probably wanted one of these for years to keep buyers away from GMC dealers.

Which, from GM's standpoint (not the dealers'), is quite dumb to offer... That would mean the return of GM's old school cannibalization again...

Edited May 6, 2013 by ZL-1

[Robert Hall]

Chevy dealers have probably wanted one of these for years to keep buyers away from GMC dealers.

Which, from GM's standpoint (not the dealers'), is quite dumb to offer... That would mean the return of GM's old school cannibalization again...

Then again, I have long thought GMC was pointless and redundant... never understood the need for two overlapping truck brands.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Choices, choices, choices.... that's what it all boils down to. If a die-hard Chevy buyer isn't thrilled with the LTZ model, why send him away? Why should only the die-hard GMC buyer get the "good stuff"? Now Chevy dealers have a top-of-the-line, premium truck in their own bowtie showrooms to appease the Chevy buyer. It's okay to offer two premium versions of the full-size pickup! Those that say Caddy should be the tops, or GMC, don't realize that in Chevy car-owned homes those buyers like their cars and trucks to be from the same manufacturer (look at how many Ford cars/CUVs are parked in a driveway with a F-150/250/250 pickup for proof!). I really doubt this will take sales away from GMC - most Chevy Truck buyers do not cross shop with GMC (they'll do that with Ford or Ram; same with GMC buyers).

If this profitable trim package keeps dealers in business, helps GM sell more trucks, and really doesn't cost GM more to make (not like a niche model), why are we bashing it? There's really two camps with GM's truck buyers - those in the GMC camp and those in the Chevy. With these loyal buyers they don;t tend to cross over much. The other buyers are ones cross-shopping other manufacturers or buy whichever GM truck they like the styling of (sometimes its Chevy, other times its GMC). As long as they're spending their money with GM, do we really care?

[GMTruckGuy74]

I'd also like to add that Chevy has learned from Ford - put different grilles on your different trim packages and you'll appease truck buyers

One thing I'd like to note is that the "man step" is not shown on the High Country model. Same with GMC's All Terrain model (though you can get it with the chromed bumper option), and I'll go out on a limb and say that the Denali won't have it either. Very strange to highlight a feature that won't go on every model. At the NYIAS the spokesperson said the only way to get the man step bumper on the GMC All Terrain was to opt for the chrome bumper option, to which many around me moaned in disdain. I'm old skool and like my trucks to have chrome bumpers; apparently the market is shifting to body-colored/painted bumpers. I can't understand why GM does not offer painted bumpers with the man step arrangement? Hopefully this will change soon to appease all buyers.

[Drew Dowdell]

Truck buyers are much more brand loyal than car buyers. GM may not be able to get Chevy buyer that want a high-zoot truck to go to the GMC dealership.

[bobo]

Good move for GM. This has to be pretty cheap for R&D and marketing. Lots of people will not buy a GMC because it's still perceived as niche, or they are just loyal to Chevy. I can't say that I find the truck to be very attractive, but there will be plenty of demand by those who like to buy top-of-the-line.

[Delta Force79]

Seems a rather pointless package overall, you can already get leather for that luxury feel. This will just hog up Sierra Denali buyers, as it will more than likely be priced less.

[Intrepidation]

I'm surprised it took them this long to do this.

[ZL-1]

Chevy dealers have probably wanted one of these for years to keep buyers away from GMC dealers.

Which, from GM's standpoint (not the dealers'), is quite dumb to offer... That would mean the return of GM's old school cannibalization again...

Then again, I have long thought GMC was pointless and redundant... never understood the need for two overlapping truck brands.

Well... I'd say that if the two brands aren't cross-shopped, there's no overlap even if prices were excatly the same... I guess that's (together with the fact that the changes between Chevrolet and GMC are merely cosmetic) what's kept GMC profitable and thus alive.

Edited May 7, 2013 by ZL-1