I would not expect the next gen Duramax to be smaller, at least not more than a few tenths of a liter. Durability requirements will probably mean that a certain hp per cubic inch level will be hard to surpass. I don't know what that level is, but I've seen no sign of class 8 truck engines getting significantly smaller. Sure, much more power per cu in is possible, but can you make it last 150,000 miles. If GM goes to the 6.2 in the gas HD trucks, I hope it will be an iron block version without AFM. The 6.0 may not be the strongest or most fuel efficient anymore, but it has been very reliable.

There is no reason to expect that the 8-speed transmission originally designed for the Corvette and Caddys is going to be able to deal with 1,000 lb ft of torque in front and 25,000 lbs of trailer behind.

what about the 10 speed co-developed with ford? Isn't that more likely to go into these trucks?

Doubt we will see the same 6.2L from the 1500's in the HD's. The 10 speed automatic is also likely a 1500 series piece. No pictures of the right side? I want to see the large DEF tank.......

Saw a couple like these but with a little more camouflage on them up by Silverthorne Colorado last week....

I believe that we will see, a up to date 4.5 diesel, in the Future light weight models.

I doubt GM will try to surpass the torque gauntlet thrown down by the New Cummins and Powerstroke. They may shoot for a little more horsepower though, and make their torque available on the entire useful rev range.
The 6.2 from the half ton would be fine with a little more meat on the crank case- maybe a CGI girdle like the new V6 ecoboost.
The 8speed is designated as a 90 series, so that implies it is as strong as the 6 speed in the gas HD trucks.

The next gen trucks might finally feature a downsized diesel. Since the Cummins ISV in the new Titan XD eclipses the power ratings of the original Duramax, something that size would do well for those wanting a Diesel, but don't need a 15t GCW. More savings would come from sharing the smaller HD gasoline transmission and axles.

LOL Hope they put the 8 speed in the gas HD trucks. It would bust Hemi v8 bubble, couldn't say first in class HD 8 speed truck transmission.

Hell all GM needs to do to it's gas HD trucks is put the 8 speed behind the old reliable 6.0L, it embarrassed the new 6.4L more powerful Hemi with just a speed 6 and hanged with the more newish 6.2L Ford.

Diesel wise they should of just made the current Duramax more MPG friendly. At 397 hp 765tq it still blows away the 400 blah blah hp 800 900 blah blah blah tq Ford and Ram.

As an old Chevrolet racer from the 60s and 70s there was a single thing I learned that burned into my memory. "There is no replacement for cubic inches"
If the current DM diesel was enlarged to around 420 to 450 cubic inches the torque that comes along with the added size can with a little bit of enlarging of the turbos and intake and the cylinder heads for air flow could in reality take all the current numbers and push them off the charts. No great cam number changes, maybe a mild bump in the stick but just making it breathe and breathe well will take it over the Ford and Dodge numbers and most likely add mileage too since the power curve can stay low in the rpm range and both HP and torque can curve together across the charts..come on GM try it, you will like it and we current DM owners will love it.
The DM was built by Isuzu to power lite weight delivery trucks and do it cheaply and last for years, It did that and GM took it and tried to make it do what ford and Dodge has done with their diesels. With todays towing weights GM needs to make it their engine and add a bit of grunt to it and call it the really new and improved big guy on the block.

Don't mess with the Duramax. Just did head gaskets two weeks ago (2005 Silverado 146,000). Best engineered egine l've ever worked on.

I like the G.M.C. front end again better than the Chevy. Ford and Ram have the heavy weight H.D. segment covered. Ram more so with best in class payload and towing however their might be a market for the lighter side of the H.D. market. Course Ram has two or three different levels on the Cummins output. If 0 to 60 is your measure of best H.D. you don't need an H.D.

The only way to really compete with the new Duramax is to change to CGI in the block and rise the pressure. Ford has that material since long and are rising the bar frequently.

@HEMI V8, Keep dreamin'. Last test I saw, the Duramax ran away from the Cummins and was close to the Powerstroke. Not only that, the Duramax got far superior fuel economy when towing.

@Willy, I think achieving better fuel efficiency will be the biggest hurdle for the current Duramax design. H&S took a 2014 Duramax and with NO2 and tuning they got to 1,086 rwhp before they bent a connecting rod. Considering an LML is in the 350 rwhp range, I think they have plenty of room to work with.

The 3500 GM twins have to catch up with Ford and RAM, the difference in max towing capacities is abysmal compared to the RAM 3500, and Ford has the F-450 option that tows 30,000 lb with dual cab and 4x4.

I very much doubt GM will try to waste their time in the latest torque race. They haven't done that in quite a while. I do expect a pretty big hp increase though. I would be betting on the latest upgrade for the D-Max getting a bump to 440-450hp with the torque naturally following to 830-850 range. With the torque numbers already being as high as they are, the hp is where the most improvement is needed. The 6.2L gas engine is long overdue in the HD along with the 8 speed auto. On a side note that trans nor engine was originally designed for the Corvette. The 6.2L was first released in the Denali's and Escalades before the Corvette's ever offered it. Even in the newest version the truck 6.2L outsells the Corvette 6.2L The 8L90E was built from the beginning to be strong enough for heavy truck usage and strong enough to take whatever the Z06 would throw at it. I would expect GM to start working on a Diesel for the 1500 series trucks again if the Colorado Diesel sales go as expected. The 8L90E will also be strong enough to handle the power level of a half ton diesel. With 2500/3500 series trucks coming up on an industry first fuel economy rating I expect big changes coming such as the direct injection gas engines like the 6.2L and 8 speed auto's to be a common thing.

The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado has 3 powerplant variations. We can find the 6. 0 litre V8 type or the 6. 6 liter Duramax turbo diesel-engined that runs through Allison transmission.

Has there been any indication of the 6.2lt being offered and still maintaining the active fuel management?? I have broken every 1500 I have owned, switched to 2500 series and love them to death. My truck is my daily commuter so I would love to see some mileage out of a bigger gas truck. I am not impressed with my 2008 Duramax mileage but love everything else about the truck. I do not want to get into the new Max because my towing responsibilities have lessen. (not worth the extra $9k to me anymore)

They still sit way too low in the front for a HD and the squared wheel openings limit up sized tires without a major lift.
For perfectly flat pavement and graded roads they are okay.
The 6.0 didn't spank the Dodge 6.4 and Ford 6.2, it was hauling less total weight. The 6.0 is solid and reliable, but GM is behind in the HD trucks; over 70% of the market is owned by Ford and Dodge.

New releases Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 receives facelift. The changes are focused on front fascia that will be aggressive. Continued are upward trend in the aluminum in body structure, which reduces weight and improves performance. Diesel V8 engine provides high torque and efficiency.