From the VIN Docs: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Keeps Its Old Sibling Around; GMC Sierra Does the Same

Just like Ram’s revamped 1500, there’s an all-new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra pickup lying in wait for the 2019 model year. And, also like the Ram, General Motors plans to keep an old version of its full-size truck kicking around for buyers not interested in something new.

The news comes by way of GM’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) decoder document, recently submitted for 2019 model year vehicles. In the GM truck stable, it isn’t just the Silverado line that’s getting a new addition. GMC wants some of the same old-truck action Chevy’s having.

Though not talked about as much as the 2019 Ram 1500 (due for a Detroit debut — and series production — in January), all-new Silverados and Sierras will roll off the line later in 2018. Expect new technologies, updated styling, attempts at lightweighting, and the possibility of an optional carbon fiber bed.

But if none of this excites you, you might be interested in the Silverado Legacy. That’s the name of the current-generation model GM plans to produce concurrently with the next-generation truck. Whereas the updated model calls Flint, Michigan and Fort Wayne, Indiana home (plus some final assembly in Oshawa, Ontario), the Silverado Legacy is an Oshawa-only product.

Familiar engines return to the next-gen Silverado. There’s the fifth-generation 4.3-liter V6, two 6.0-liter V8s (gas and CNG), and the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8. Silverado Legacy buyers, however, aren’t lined up for much choice. Going old means an extended cab bodystyle and a 5.3-liter V8, rear- or four-wheel drive, and trims limited to Work Truck (fleet/base), LS, and LT.

The old Sierra soldiers on alongside its new sibling as the Sierra Limited. Powertrain and bodystyle mirror the Silverado Legacy, with trim choices relegated to fleet/base and SLE.

By offering fleets a lower-cost option in the form of a truck with development costs long since recouped, GM no doubt hopes it can budge the needle on the Silverado/Sierra’s flat sales trajectory while boosting revenue. The Silverado line might (barely) surpass its 2016 U.S. sales tally this year, but the post-recession high water mark remains 2015, when it sold just over 600,000 units. The Sierra’s in the same boat.

The GM twins’ main rival, Ford’s F-Series, has seen sales climb every year since 2009, with volume over the first 11 months of 2017 now standing at more than 807,000.

[Images: General Motors]