New Chevrolet Silverado 1500 firms for Oz

Investigation into right-hand drive conversion in Australia of the new-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pick-up has already begun.

A fact-finding mission to Chevrolet was confirmed to motoring.com.au in an exclusive interview with the vehicle’s executive chief engineer Tim Herrick this week in Detroit, where the 2019 Silverado 1500 had its media launch last weekend.

It backs up our previous reports -- following its debut this week and when Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) unveiled its 2018 plans in December -- that the new generation Silverado 1500 is headed for Australia.

Herrick confirmed he had been visited by “Holden guys” to learn about the technicalities of the new Silverado 1500, which is based on an all-new box-frame structure dubbed T2.

“I have had the Holden guys in my office talking about what they would do to convert the truck,” said Herrick.

“‘When can you give me data, can we look at it? Let’s take a look at it’ … that sort of thing.

“Nothing firm but you know…”

Herrick said the Silverado 1500 wasn’t ‘package-protected’ for right-hand drive but was suitable for conversion.

“There are some things in here [Silverado] that would work very well for right-hand drive,” he said. “I wouldn’t call it package protected but there are some things that we took from our global warehouse, from engineering solutions and put in the truck.”

Herrick’s visitors were most likely from HSV, which has already won the deal to convert the heavy-duty 2018 Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD models to right-hand drive, beginning in April.

Those vehicles, which are still based on the old K2 architecture, will be sold through Holden and HSV dealers with Chevrolet branding by mid-year.

Contacted by motoring.com.au, Holden recommended contacting HSV for comment. HSV has yet to respond. If it does, we’ll update this story.

Herrick also confirmed the Silverado is little chance to ever be built in right-hand drive at the Fort Wayne, Indiana Assembly plant factory where it will start production late this year.

That means guaranteed ongoing work for HSV, which is owned by the Walkinshaw family.

“Very slim,” Herrick said of ex-factory right-hand drive chances. “The potential for high volumes for this vehicle are here [the USA], Canada, Mexico and the Middle-East. And after that the discussions stops.”

All those markets nominated by Herrick are left-hand drive.

“To put the scar mass [extra weight engineered in for RHD production] and other things in for lower volume markets makes it hard,” Herrick added

However, Chevrolet’s rivals in the full-size truck business, RAM and Ford, have said ex-factory right-hand drive build might be a chance in the future.

At the launch of the new-generation 2019 RAM 1500 (also in Detroit this week), global RAM chief Mike Manley described a factory right-hand drive version as “something we continue to look at”.

Currently HSV sister company American Special Vehicles (ASV) converts heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 RAMs to right-hand drive out of a facility in Clayton, Victoria.

Meanwhile, Ford Asia-Pacific boss Peter Fleet told Australian media in Detroit that the next-generation F-150 -- due in the early 2020s -- could also be considered for right-hand drive.

“Having a diesel engine in F-150 makes the idea of a global F-150 more appealing and we’ve shown with Mustang that we can successfully globalise our iconic brands,” said Fleet.

“We haven’t had any conversations yet about taking F-150 or any of our other iconic brands global, but I’m very open to doing so.”

Nissan has also previously indicated interest in developing the Titan full-size truck into a global seller.

A number of Australian right-hand drive converters already produce 2500/3500HD versions of the current-generation Silverado and RAM, plus the Titan, Toyota Tundra and – including in F-150 form -- Ford’s top-selling F-Series.