By Kalea Hall
Sept 17 (Reuters) - General Motors is sticking with a diesel engine to maximize fuel efficiency as it rolls out a next-generation pickup truck, diverging from rivals’ hybrid offerings.
GM plans in the fourth quarter to launch the first major redesign since 2019 of its most important vehicles: the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks. Combined, they are the Detroit automaker’s top-selling models globally and account for the bulk of the company’s profits.
To boost fuel economy,
GM said Thursday that the trucks will offer an improved diesel engine that, combined with an optional larger fuel tank, will deliver a highway driving range of more than 900 miles before needing a fill-up.
GM’s main competitors in light-duty pickup trucks, Ford and Ram-maker Stellantis, are relying on hybrids to wring the most fuel efficiency from their pickups. GM has largely sidestepped hybrids over the years.
“It's a bit different than adding a hybrid system to an existing powertrain and trying to get the efficiency out of something like that,” GM President Mark Reuss said of the 3.0-liter diesel engine during a media briefing.
Reuss acknowledged high diesel prices, which topped $6 per gallon last week, an all-time high. He drew a distinction between temporary price spikes from geopolitical events and structural increases, and said GM is betting on the superior efficiency of diesels in the long run.
Ford early this decade discontinued a diesel engine on its F-150 in favor of a hybrid model, which it said offered a better combination of power and fuel efficiency. A spokesman said Thursday: “We’re going to do what’s right for F-150 customers, regardless of what the competition says or does.”
DIESELS HAVE BETTER MPG, BUT FACE HIGHER PRICES
GM’s redesign of the Silverado and Sierra unofficially marks the next phase of Detroit’s long-running battle in the pickup-truck market. Ford is expected to roll out the next generation of its F-150 in 2028, forecasters say.
GM, Ford and Stellantis account for more than 90% of sales in the lucrative U.S. market for big pickups, and compete fiercely for bragging rights on performance metrics like towing capacity and fuel economy.
Diesel engines generally provide better highway fuel efficiency than gas engines, which is why large cargo trucks typically use diesels.
Each of the Detroit companies offer diesels in their larger, heavy-duty pickups, such as Ford’s Super Duty and the Ram 2500. But their approaches have diverged on their light-duty trucks: Ford’s F-150, the Silverado and Sierra and Ram’s 1500.
Ford’s four-wheel drive hybrid gets 23 miles per gallon on average, according to its federal rating. GM’s current four-wheel-drive diesel versions of its Silverado and Sierra get 24 mpg. However, because diesel prices typically are higher than gas, owners of the GM trucks would pay about $1,050 per year, based on 15,000 miles driven, the federal estimate shows.
Ram has plans for a so-called extended-range hybrid pickup truck, a type of plug-in hybrid that it says will get 690 miles between stops.
GM also said the redesigned Silverado and Sierra trucks will have two new V-8 engines that will be larger and more powerful than the outgoing ones, with lower tailpipe emissions.
(Reporting by Kalea Hall in Flint, Mich.; Editing by Mike Colias and Nick Zieminski)
