Boo street trucks died with the Lightning. Another failure waiting to happen from our favorite ''should be'' defunct company...Obama Motors.

That would make sense that it probably had something under the hood other than a 5.3 V8. Notice the 9.5" 14 bolt rear end.

Officer N,
Maybe Ford could apply for a government loan to build another street truck just like THEY DID TO RETOOL THEIR MANUFACTURING FACILITIES.

A while back there was talk of a 7.0L version of the LSx engine making its way into some GM pickups. If they are planning on doing that, it would make a lot of sense that we'll see it in an SS Silverado first.

Two Observations:
1: Towing mirrors on an SS Model? Is this normal or expected?
2: The cover over the tailgate is sticking out. Could that be a backup camera?

The tow mirrors still look weak.

There has been conformation in the past 2 months that the 5.3 liter is getting replaced with a new 5.5 and though I haven't heard much about the 6.6 liter getting replaced, we can be certain that the 7.0 liter won't be found under the hood of a 1500 Series Truck, that may become a new option for the HD Models, we do know for sure that the Hybrid Powertrain has been put on the low priority list for now, and may not make it's debut until the 2015 Model Year.

@Dave,
I see your PMS never goes away!

I think they might be going to an extend cab design like RAmM and toyota where the doors are hinged like a crew cabs. That cab is too small to be a crew and there appears to be door handles back there. This would be a welcomed addtion as having the suicide rear doors sucks in small parking lots getting stuff in and out of the back for thouse of us that need for doors but not an ungodly amount or rear leg room this would be welcomed. I know people who bought tundras with that option b/c they wanted the cheapest 4 door pick up, and the tundra is comparable in size and price to a f150 supper cab but the extra doors are a selling point.

@Greg,
How hard is it for GM to design a good set of tow mirrors? Too hard.

@Paul810 - The 6.2 should be the base V8 in half tons and the 7.0 optional. The 2500HD should have a 7.0 base and an 8.1 option (aside from the diesel).

If GM is keeping push rods 'til the end, the only way to make acceptable or competitive power levels is increasing displacement. There's no shame in that. Pile on the start/stop and cylinder deactivation tricks/tech and done.

The 4.8, 5.3 and 5.7 need to die if they haven't already. Too many weak V8s in their line-up and all were rejected for the Camaro. Although a 5.7 reg cab Colorado I might be interesting...

Sorry, a true SS model should be regular cab/short bed and have a lowered ride height.

Perhaps they should consider also installing the ZL-1 engine into a few of them as well. A manual gear box, 3.90 to 4.10 gears would be pretty sweet too; but I wouldn't hold my breath.

With a recent sighting of a Dodge Ram 1500 R/T...

Based on the rear axle, exhaust size and the actual sound of the truck when a few engineers fired it up to make a smooth getaway, we assumed it had a normal, unmodified Hemi under the hood, and certainly it did not have a larger (say, of the 6.4-liter variety) V-8.

This is one are I believed Toyota failed with in the 2nd gen Tundra. I have always said I thought that their should have been a Supercharged Tundra model a possible Tundra RTR. I get so pissed when SEMA comes around because I know every year Toyota will focus on building the ultimate off road Tundra instead of something like this http://forums.pickuptrucks.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=620269&page=1#Post620269. Do it Chevy because it is time for another SS and Lightning (Whipple Supercharged Coyote). We have already seen the Ram Quicksilver which is quite impressive so someone should respond with something better.

http://blogs.cars.com/.a/6a00d83451b3c669e20176166df44d970c-pi

I am not a Gm fan anymore but its awesome to see them putting out a SS model for the Silverado like to see what kind of HP the engine will be putting out . Hopefully they get rid of that Harley f150 rip off Ultimate Ground effects model saw a few of those around same orange strip and same everything as the 2008 Harley f150 so lame . Hopefully GM makes there own way and not copy Ford with there 2014 trucks !

Hey poster #1, I read your comments, especially the crack about Obama Motors...and then read your name. Real funny, pal. I saw what you did there. This is not the place for your racist views and ideaology. Take your rubbish somewhere else.

@ imoore- Hey poster #1, I read your comments, especially the crack about Obama Motors...and then read your name. Real funny, pal. I saw what you did there. This is not the place for your racist views and ideaology. Take your rubbish somewhere else.

I 100% agree the name alone needs to go away right now. Mark are you listening?

This would be a great chance for Chevy to get back into the game and do it in their own way. Maybe focus on street performance... I am not a GM guy in anyway, but I want GM to be successful if for no other reason as to provide good jobs and provide an alternative for others that don't need/want a Ford/Ram/whatever...

They should bring back the Syclone and Typhoon!!!!!!!!

It dosn't look like GM is gonna do anything exciting, the truck looks horrible to me, bad tow mirrors, same lines and shape as the current and older silverados, very dissappointing to me

I really wouldn't put too much stock in the appearance of a test mule running around like this, especially the existence of tow mirrors. It's far too early to make opinions on the styling based purely on camouflaged test trucks.

It is a a shame that idiots like Officerniggermyer need to make such comments especially when it was Pres. Bush that started the much needed bailouts. The only reason Ford did not need any money is because they borrowed 26 billion in 2006 from private lenders. GM and Chrysler tried multiple times to get private financing but due to the market could not secure any funds. Open up your racist mind to the truth.

Think about how many jobs have been saved due to the bailouts and the fact that GM has paid back everything except for the stock dividend which will come in time.

Even if the new trucks get next generation engines, the LS7 w/ 6L90 trans would be a great way to get some more life out of the engine. I would expect a slightly bigger gas engine available for the HD trucks going forward, but an aluminum car engine would be well suited for a Silvy SS.
Tow mirrors on Development vehicles mean nothing- engineers like 'em because you can see more, especially with the cladding. The tires may not mean mch either- sometimes stuff just gets thrown on to move a vehicle, or to dial in initial vehicle dynamics stuff. Sometimes you need to simulate how the vehicle handels when it has much more grip- does it start to tip instead of sliding?

@raymondj

I have only heard the opposite, 5.3 for the trucks with 350/370 ish, then a 6.2 and a all new 4.3 based off the gen V V8's. Hope the 6.2 gets DI and VVT.

The Vette on the other hand had rumors of it getting a 5.5 mill but everything I have heard and seen says 6.2 continues with DI and VVT. So say the new vette gets 450 conservative with those additions as well as even less weight the base model should move very well. It will get a 7spd manual and supposedly a DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) based on the toledo transmission plant getting this "RWD DCT for NG Corvette will be allocated (2012)"

Good times ahead for GM and their fleet (Cadillacs new cars (ATS, XTS and a rumored new flag ship to take on the 7 series), new chevy's like the SS, lighter camaro in 2015, new trucks (two) and the vette and new GMC trucks) will be interesting to see what Ford has to offer in the future with the revised F series and mustangs around 2015.

Just looking at whats out there IMHO I think GM twins will stack up like this:

Power
3.6 V6 310-320 HP Lifted from the Camaro
4.8 V8 ??????? Probably gone.
5.3 V8 370-390 HP I'd asume will be more powerful then the ECO Boost My guess is it will be on par with the 5.0 and Hemi.
6.2 V8 3/4 ton stanard engine 410-440HP w/Iron block.
6.2 V8 Aluminum bolck for possible SS 420-460 HP GM has already comfirmed a 6.2 for the next gen Camaro
I think we'll see an 8 speed and Turbo V6 the following year.
The 7.0 will be going away with the C6 Vette.

Exterior/Interior
It think the exterior will look familiar nothing revolutionary but handsome.I think the LS-LT interiors will be competetive but the LTZ will be stunning.

Chevy vs GMC
??????

I also predict that Ford and Ram fanboys won't like it and we'll see a hord of stupid post about guts and glory and solid front axles.

Looks like it might have round wheel wells under the camo. That would be a welcome change.

well said Jack!

I mostly agree with what you said except I think/heard a 4.3 will step in, more trucky than the 3.6 with more torque, should be a good fit for the Colorado to, and the I think at the highend for the 5.3 it will be 370, but I think 360 will be the final # with maybe 380 torque.

I am curious if they will do a two dash design again?

I like the idea of a SS, keep it regular cab and maybe extended cab. Though as Raptor people have showed people will buy anything if it looks cool to transport their family and not use it so make it available on all cabs. A regular cab with a big motor above 430+ hp would make a nice hot rod, shoot the old lightning only had 380 I think. No one offers a huge motor sport truck so do it Chevy, but keep it unique to Chevy as GM will have the luxury denali line even though I usually prefer the GMC looks.

Reader Bill P. informed Allpar that the 2013 Ram 1500 Regular Cabs will start production early next week. The 2013 Ram Quad and Crew Cabs are already in production.
The next generation of Ram 2500 and Chassis Cabs appear now to be scheduled for a January 2013 launch, with the Ram 3500 following in February or March. These are expected to carry forward the Ram 1500's aerodynamic improvements and, most likely, its method of slashing parasitic losses (including wind drag) to raise mileage. While there has been no word of whether a stop-start system or active shutters will be included, sources appear to be certain that the Rams will have a standard or optional 6.4 liter V8 engine, with and without MDS depending on the model and transmission, to get the base price down.

http://www.allpar.com/forums/topic/145689-an-future-ram-launch-schedule/

@Tyler

The 3.6 in my 08 Malibu makes 252 HP and the DI version in the Camaro makes 320. If the same percentage holds true for the a DI 5.3 that would put it @ 406hp. Then if you dial it back a touch for fuel economy I don't think 380 385 is out of the question.

@Cameron, there is nothing wrong with borrowing from private lenders because those lenders are voluntarily taking the risk for an investment. The problem with taxpayer bailouts are they are handed over as if it was the President's generosity, but it is our money, which we never get back. If the jobs aren't paying for themselves through product sales, the jobs aren't worth saving. You might as well pay those workers to sit home and do nothing (the Obama way). I paid money to Ford and got a truck (win/win situation). I unvoluntarily paid money to GM and got nothing! win/lose situation. Great for GM, bad for me! Alan Mulally saved jobs at Ford the right way without stealing from taxpayers. Obama thinks he deserves the credit that Mulally deserves, that's what is sickening. I wish the left understood how the economy was supposed to work. But then again GM didn't make crappy vehicles. Somebody else made that happen!

A SS Chevy would be cool. I don't think it should be confined to a reg cab. The Raptor SC sells like crazy as an example.
All I can really tell from these pics is smoked grey 20" wheels and finally rear disc brakes.
The rest is just conjecture/speculation.
Tow mirrors could be part of the camo!

The difference between what Bush and Obama did with GM is President Bush offered a bridge LOAN on the condition that GM draw up a deeply revised business plan. Then President Obama's contribution was to do an all-out bailout and federalize the company.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/316379/democrats-gm-fiction-editors#

Admirers of the GM bailout should bear in mind that it was the Bush administration that first decided to intervene at the firm, offering a bridge loan on the condition that it draw up a deeply revised business plan. President Obama’s unique contribution was effectively to nationalize the company, seeing to it that the federal government violated normal bankruptcy processes and legal precedent to protect the defective element at the heart of GM’s troubles: the financial interests of the UAW. It did this by strong-arming GM’s bondholders into taking haircuts in order to sweeten the pot for the UAW. The Obama administration also creatively construed tax law to relieve GM of tens of billions of dollars in obligations — at the same time that Barack Obama & Co. were caterwauling about the supposed lack of patriotism of firms that used legal means rather than political favoritism to reduce their tax bills.

RE: Hey poster #1, I read your comments, especially the crack about Obama Motors...and then read your name. Real funny, pal. I saw what you did there. This is not the place for your racist views and ideaology. Take your rubbish somewhere else.

I agree completely. It's too bad this site isn't properly moderated. There's a lot of good info, and features, but the amount of clueless idiot posters here makes it practically unbearable.

The issue with the bailout is GM is owned by Obama/feds now and a trust fund for the UAW. This is a conflict of interest. And nobody at GM has any skin in the game. They don't have any stock holders or owners to hold them accountable. If they put on crap tow mirrors, crap interiors, it won't matter because there is no ownership. Leadership starts from the top down. GM needs new owners, new management and a new business plan.

Ford is responsible to themselves and their stock holders so they can't just put out crap or not care, and unlike GM they have to pay back money they borrowed.

Chrysler, whether you like that they are Italian owned now, the owner Fiat has skin in the game. Fiat owns most the shares and plans on buying 100% of it. Fiat has skin in the game. If something goes wrong they are responsible. They can't put out crap because if they do it will be on them.

GM on the other hand has no responsibility. The stock holder is Obama - what the hell does he know about vehicles? The UAW is just like a vampire sucking the company dry. They don't care if the company goes bankrupt again or puts out crap just as long as they get theirs.

I hope GM turns it around but it is not going to happen when Obama Motors owns half of GM and a trust fund for the UAW owns the other hand.

UAW on the board of directors - huge conflict of interest. Obama taking ownership of the company and giving part of it to the UAW. You want to know why they still put out crap, have crap tow mirrors, crap interiors, and sell trucks for less than dealer cost just to stay "competitive", this is why.

All I can say is this. That back wheel well opening looks damn sharp. There is a Liner in there! Fantastic! I also much prefer the opening shape on the bed as opposed to the front end. There's a small part of me (albeit very small) that is starting to wonder if Chevrolet get's it now. The overall silhouette of this truck is very appealing. The tow mirrors as mentioned do look a tad on the cheap side though. I look forward to the Silverado's luxury interior as well. Will the Outlaw and Scottsdale trims come to pass? Let's see what Chevrolet brings to the table to go up against Ford's Platinum and King Ranch as well as the Longhorn and Limited from Dodge. I'm not fond of the Denali or anything GMC. I hope Chevrolet brings it this time. Speed, off road capabilities, looks and luxury. Let GMC keep their badge as an alternative grille.

As a Ford guy, even I'm looking forward to Chevrolet's next truck.

@Tim- AMEN TO THAT!! And WHERE is our money back for 2 freaking truck lines??? MY Taxdollars should NOT have gone to pay for 2 trucks! NOBODY ELSE needs it! Chevy is good enough!! And it should NOT have gone to prop up BUICK-OPEL-CHINA!!!! Obama has sold this once great country out to the CHINESE! Soon they'll own GM TOO! I cannot stand GM or GovtMoCo GMC!

As for this truck, it's about time those Morons at GovtMotors learned what a WHEEL LINER is.

Sorry, the SRT Ram looks WAY meaner! In fact, as much as I disliked the mid '03-'09 Ram, the Datona package Rams were awesome. Chevy is gonna need more than shiny wheels to call something an "SS"

**DEVILISH LAUGHTER** Now wait for the other dark horsed beast that lurchs in the darkness still!. The SS is a devilish angel from god to kill R/T Ram. The bigger dark horse hides in the dark still, the one called RAPTOR KILLER!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVY1-v97Mic

@Mopar

Um, they are the same truck. Maybe you should thank GMC for splitting the development costs then? I would love to see a breakdown of the costs for each of those two trucks together, and if Chevy went on their own and a current breakdown of costs divided between them percentage wise...

@toycrusher

Are you talking about that sorry excuse of a truck with the fixed wing and ugly ground effect kits? I would lmao when I saw one down south, even more so with 4x4. All they did was take a car sticker kit and slap it on that, then head over and reduce the usefullness of the bed with that wing by a ton (should have put it on a tonneau cover, atleast then it would be moved out of the way of the bed) and finish it off with a fast and furious ground effect kit and call it a legendary muscle car name "barf"

Ford is the only government motors now. They are 5.9 billion in debt to the federal government. Forbes magazine reported that Ford is the only company that owes the government money. Must be the banks do not have faith in the junk that Ford is building now.

All these “Obama Motors” and “Government Motors” comments are so incredibly ignorant. First of all, Bush started the auto bailout, so don’t blame Obama. Secondly, it was the necessary thing to do. Millions of jobs were on the line. You think the economy was bad in 2009? Imagine how horrible things would have gotten if the auto industry had failed. Job loses would have piled up from: GM, Chrysler, Ford, auto repair places, car rentals, auto parts stores, oil change places, car insurance companies, Hertz, Avis...

Though Forbes is hardly a credible source, I couldn't find the article you were talking about. Please provide links.

Hey Rich, here's a novel idea. How about building products that people want to buy, cut unnecessary costs, go through bankruptcy if necessary, and restructure. I know, it's the old-school way of running a business.

Let's go for the new style. No accountability, wasteful spending, make crappy products under 14 brands, and just throw tax-payer money at them and watch the debt ceiling climb high, and spend four years playing golf, campaigning for the next election, and blaming Bush!

@ Dan, Tim, and MoparGuy,

I realize everybody has their opinion of how much the government is involved in the auto industry. What I'm pointing out here is the posting name being used in the first comment. It's a cleverly disgusied racial slur. Perhaps you and others may find this amusing and accepatble, but I don't.

As stated, here are the rules to commenting on this site:

"Post a Comment

Please remember a few rules before posting comments:
Try to be civil to your fellow blog readers.
Stay on topic. We want to hear your opinions and thoughts, but please only comment about the specified topic in the blog post."

Okay, so this post went off course by discussing politics. That happens all the time. We can live by that. But it's the first rule that was broken here: Try to be civil to your fellow blog readers. Using a name like "Officer------mayer" is not being civil.

Maybe I'm carrying this too far. Perhaps. But I'm calling it what it is. And it's wrong. It may not bother most of the readers, but it bothers me a lot.

I can only hope that Mark is reading this and check into that post and perhaps take steps to prevent this from happening again.

@immore,

Here is an idea. Don't like a name, make your point to the person who WROTE it, not Dan Tim and Mopar Guy.

How GM is run as a company is relevant to this topic of the GM updates, quality or lack there of. If GM won't change, their products won't change. GM must go under new ownership and mangement.

Alex,

Amen.

I did. Read through all of the earlier posts and you'll find it.

you guys don't even know much about the chevy you love. if anything, rear ends would be 3.08, 3.23, 3.42, 3.73, 4.10, but no 3.90! that would be something like a dodge rear end. a 6 speed automatic and maybe an 8 speed in 2015 to catch up with the times, but that hasn't been confirmed. motors would be a new V6 (either 3.6 "high feature" or maybe a gen V V8 derived V6 to replace the gen II V8 derived V6, but that seems unlikely.) V8s would be either the return of the 5.3 and the 6.0 or 6.2, or the 5.5 going in the corvette along with another Gen V V8. the biggest question is, are the gen Vs just updated gen III and IVs or actually a new cam in block V8 (and all of you should know by now as many times as i told you that it would not be SOHC or DOHC. gm is sticking with cam in block until V8s disappear in 2025!). the red seat belts could be four prototypes and the rims/tires mean nothing, ford, ram, and gm put 20s on high trims now, no big deal, especially on an extended cab!

@Alex- Best post of the year!