With SO Much On The Line WHY Did GM Go FULL AZTEK On Their Pickup Trucks?

The Chicago Auto Show is here. We're just about a day away from the start of what used to be known as "the truck show."

Because of this, there's some major truck reveals happening.

That includes the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 & 3500 HD models. These are the workhorses for the General Motors brand.

If you ask anyone who follows the financials of the Detroit Three, they will tell you that the most important products are their pick up trucks. Why? That's where the margins and volume sales are. Pretty simple, folks. And, the Silverado has been losing ground.

So, when the HD variants were revealed, we found ourselves wondering one simple thing: With SO much on the line, WHY did GM go FULL AZTEK on their pick up trucks? The face on these all-new HD models are pretty tough to digest.

When you roll out a new pick up truck and it's equipped with a plow to hide the face, you know there's been an error in judgment. I can understand showing the vehicle with a plow in the marketing materials but not for the first real-life unveiling.

skytop - 2/6/2019 1:37:18 AM

+2 Boost

Wow is that new Silverado F-U-G-L-Y.
Instead of hiding it behind a plow, Chevy should have put the truck in a large paper bag.

momentofsurrender - 2/6/2019 3:03:03 AM

+3 Boost

They're waiting for the Breaking Bad sequel?

senft - 2/6/2019 5:52:08 AM

+3 Boost

Damn, that's one ugly front end. But I digress.
Should be noted that the trucks' designs have been evolutionary for decades.
Still, that front is awful. Then again, I don't like the Chevy's cars' front end design either and this is just a tricky riff on that.

qwertyfla1 - 2/6/2019 7:02:41 AM

0 Boost

I think upper management must be shorting the stock. How else does anything this horrendous looking get the green light? The F150 & Ram have never looked so good!

Dexter1 - 2/6/2019 7:15:01 AM

0 Boost

Looks like Toyota/Lexus designers have been moonlighting again ...

MDarringer - 2/6/2019 8:18:48 AM

+2 Boost

Every GM brand has styling issues. The odd swirls and creases on the side of the Impala and Malibu are discordant and strange. The original CTS station wagon and coupe was STRANGE looking. GM can do bland like the Regal and Lacrosse...hell the entire Buick/Cadillac line...or blatantly ugly for Chevrolet/GMC, but NOTHING that is truly gorgeous. The Corvette is passable. The Camaro was given the ugly treatment. They desperately need to fire everyone in styling and hire some real talent. I predict the new Fiero...oops Corvette will be exceedlingly generic and bland looking.

malba2367 - 2/6/2019 9:27:50 AM

+4 Boost

This vehicle is emblematic of GMs problems as an organization. The organization is filled with long time insiders who promote each other and with the expectation that junior employees just act as "yes men". That combined with their design by committee and cost engineering processes leads to garbage like this being put out. The guy they just promoted to President of the company was in charge of the Pontiac Aztec program...in the real world that deserves being fired.

Truthy - 2/6/2019 11:20:18 AM

+2 Boost

I agree GM needs a design home run and this is NOT it. I like the Malibu and Camaro.
Cadillac has had great concepts, but GM culture will error on the side of cost and low risk every time.

MDarringer - 2/6/2019 6:53:20 PM

0 Boost

And yet, the new trucks are high risk and it will not pay off.

malba2367 - 2/7/2019 2:24:41 PM

+1 Boost

They didn't take any real risk. They largely carried over the same stuff, installed a lame interior and then tacked this garbage on to make it look "interesting". The one thing they have going for them is that they can probably undercut Ford/Dodge by a significant margin and that will help them move metal should a recession occur.

Dheller - 2/7/2019 3:10:23 PM

+1 Boost

And those side mirrors! Yikes!