The American full-size pickup market is puzzling at present, with customer demand swaying from the workhorse end of the spectrum to more premium, upscale models. The humble bench seat pickup is a dying species outside of fleets—but according to a new report, GM is considering bringing back higher-end versions of the two-door, single-cab 2020 Chevrolet Silverado due to buyer interest.
Currently, General Motors only sells its two-door pickups in long-bed configurations meant more for hauling equipment than hitting the town or trail. That could soon change, however, as Chevrolet Silverado Marketing Director Hugh Milne explained in an interview with Muscle Cars and Trucks.
“There were some decisions made to only do a regular cab long box Silverado… it’s only a work truck,” Milne said.
For reference, Silverado pricing starts at $29,895 with a 4.3-liter V6 as standard. A more powerful 5.3-liter V8 is available for $1,395 more, pushing the Work Truck (WT) trim Chevy past the $30,000 threshold.
“We had customers that were disappointed that we didn’t do a reg cab short box, and we’re seeing whether or not (offering one) makes sense,” added Milne. “We’re always evaluating opportunities, but a lot of that is based on greenhouse gas and how that is formulated… good players, bad players, footprints… we’re always trying to balance the portfolio.”
Milne is referring to fuel economy and emissions standards that keep full-size pickups in check, often calling for automakers to build eco-conscious variants that improve their lineup's overall average in terms of miles per gallon and carbon pollution. Chevrolet recently unveiled its 33 MPG highway Silverado 1500 Duramax to help with that, although it isn't available in single-cab models for the 2020 model year; neither is the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder.
If Chevrolet can figure out how to pinpoint a proper setup for a regular cab, short box pickup, then we could see off-road-specialized variants like the Silverado Trail Boss in such a configuration. Right now, those are only available in the Middle East. This could be a boon to customers who want a relatively compact half-ton truck for hitting tight backwoods routes.
The question remains, though: Could it actually be a profitable venture for GM? Time will tell, but rest assured that if Chevrolet can find a way to edge out their rivals at Ford and Ram by offering a class-exclusive model while still making money, it'll do so in a hurry.
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