Destined For Third Place - Has GM Screwed The Pooch With The Silverado Redesign?

General Motors Co. has been struggling all year with sales of its Chevy Silverado pick-up. The Silverado is historically the top selling vehicle in the U.S.  for the largest of the Big Three. It sits just behind Ford Motor Co.’s  F-series which has been the market leader for most of the last four decades

Over the first four months of 2014, Silverado sales are off by 3.5% to 150,512. Total U.S. car and light truck sales are up 3.1% to 4,980, 081 during the same period. However, Silverado sales are rarely measured against the market at large. Pick-ups are by far the best selling vehicles in America. So, the Silverado’s primary competition are the F-series, and Chrysler’s Dodge Ram.

F-series sales have risen 3.9% over the first four months to 236,745. Ram sales have surged 22.5% to 133,580.  The Silverado is not only losing market share. It risks falling behind Ram as the second best selling truck in the market.

Chevy has responded to the Silverado problem with very deep discounts. The sales figures show these have not worked very well so far.

trmckin - 5/6/2014 10:26:57 AM

+3 Boost

Maybe they should consider not making it look like a snowplow. It looks like the air dam is literally 3-4 inches off the ground even on 4x4 models. First steep approach and goodbye plastic. People bash the tundra for poor fuel economy but if you buy a truck to use it as a truck... Well... You have to make a sacrifice. Ram, ford, and toyota seem to understand this. Oh and the whole fire thing goes without saying GM. Sad considering how long it took this to get to market.

randy3023 - 5/6/2014 5:30:54 PM

+1 Boost

70s station wagon double-decker headlights. Ew.

mre30 - 5/6/2014 6:06:37 PM

+3 Boost

It is quite and ugly vehicle...and not in a "butch" / "workman-like" way either.

The Ford is sort of ugly too...but it looks really purpose-ful and a bit "bad-A-S". This is channeling "Clark Griswold". It looks lame.

MarathonBob - 5/6/2014 6:52:26 PM

+3 Boost

The styling is too blocky for my taste. And the squared off wheel wells look primitive. Wheels are round, is their a functional reason for wheel wells to be square? On a positive note, it has a great interior and beyond some style letdowns it seems like a great truck.

momentofsurrender - 5/6/2014 7:14:58 PM

+3 Boost

And the bad news is the new F150 is just around the corner as well.

MattDarringer - 5/6/2014 8:14:20 PM

+2 Boost

The Silverado was NOT all new. It is the old truck with a minor freshening. The New GM is the doddering old GM of the 1970s once again.

skytop - 5/6/2014 10:06:11 PM

+1 Boost

GM earned the the acronym of GM...Great Mistake
Never again will I purchase and be victimized by the goon squad of GM.

Benzes1 - 5/7/2014 12:34:25 PM

+1 Boost

"The Silverado is historically the top selling vehicle in the U.S. for the largest of the Big Three."

WRONG.

Benzes1 - 5/7/2014 12:37:54 PM

+2 Boost

Ugly and cheap inside and out, that is why it doesn't sell. The Ford and RAM are just better inside and out. The RAM with the air suspension and 8-speed is quite a few years ahead of GM's outdated setup.

royme55 - 5/8/2014 10:42:53 PM

+1 Boost

Ram is growing so fast because of innovation and they just plain look better than this box on wheels. The Ram with 8 speeds, very good tech, air suspension and now a diesel in the 1500 class. They have some the best interiors in the truck market. Both the Pentastar and Hemi have been on the Wards best engine list, multiple times. The 8 speed sourced from ZF is proven technology. What more could you want.

skytop - 5/13/2014 10:19:54 AM

+1 Boost

The new generation GM trucks have a poorly design frame that induces an obnoxious vibration throughout the vehicle when underway. The seat leather feel slimey. Not a single GM trucks has an A pillar grab handle to make climbing in easy. You must grab the steering wheel was ultimately causing the steering bearings to premature wear. Yes, it happens to my GM junk box truck. Heed the warning; stay CLEAR of GM and don't be a GM victim.