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2019 Silverado MD revealed


Fgts

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Looks like Ford and Mopar will be competing on price only once these go into production. Kind of tough to say just how good serviceability issues are without really seeing the actual truck but the pix sure look good.

 

Also looks like a solid beam axle??? Like the old class 4, 5 GM's

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Someone over at GMI made this post, I'll put it here:

 

 

 

I think it definitely compares very favorably to the Ford and Ram competitors, but it isn't exactly apples to apples. Those trucks don't have a straight frame. They are a little bit shorter and lighter in class 4 and 5 guise - making them more attractive for wrecker service and other areas where height may be a concern. You have to go up to the F650 to get the straight frame from Ford. I don't think Ram offers one at all - and some customers don't actually want a straight frame.

You can also get the Ford medium duty trucks (at least the F450 and F550) almost completely loaded with all of the consumer features in the F350. Chevrolet has historically not offered quite as many options on their medium duty trucks in the past. These new Class 4, 5, and 6 Chevrolets will stick to the WT and LT trim levels - so there is a good chance Ford will have the advantage in consumer features.

I'm not sure about how well it will go up against the Class 5 and 6 versions of the Freightliner M2. Chevrolet seems to be the 'tweener between those two truck styles, which is an area I suspect there is a lot of demand. The Chevrolet is probably offering a "nicer" interior with more features than the Freightliner and Hino competitors, but fewer chassis configurations.

The medium duty segment will probably grow in the next few years, so no particular competitor will probably see a significant drop in demand.

It's definitely a suitable replacement for the Kodiak and Topkick and I think it will be popular with the same type of up-fitters and users as those trucks were.

Edited by rmc523
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Didn't Ford have some other presentation/announcement today? Or was it the Transit Connect?

I have been looking online today a lot and can't seem to find anything regarding this presentation. Looks like just the Transit Connect cargo wagon which was shown last night. I'm not sure why Ford chose to actually show it last night when The Work Truck Show did not have that on the schedule and only said today (7th) in morning. Rather disappointing that Chevrolet and Hino had bigger presentations and reveals compared to Ford when they could have presented the update to 2019 Transit big van as well as announcements regarding next gen Econoline and Stripped Chassis. I guess even Ford Commercial presenter don't know what's going on. I'm rather disappointed because as an enthusiast, I'd like to know what the hell Ford's got planned just for the next couple years. That along with the fact that Hackett is not saying anything to shareholders and media about what he wants to do too.

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I have been looking online today a lot and can't seem to find anything regarding this presentation. Looks like just the Transit Connect cargo wagon which was shown last night. I'm not sure why Ford chose to actually show it last night when The Work Truck Show did not have that on the schedule and only said today (7th) in morning. Rather disappointing that Chevrolet and Hino had bigger presentations and reveals compared to Ford when they could have presented the update to 2019 Transit big van as well as announcements regarding next gen Econoline and Stripped Chassis. I guess even Ford Commercial presenter don't know what's going on. I'm rather disappointed because as an enthusiast, I'd like to know what the hell Ford's got planned just for the next couple years. That along with the fact that Hackett is not saying anything to shareholders and media about what he wants to do too.

and how about this- most company reps registered and most floor space- and nothing to show???? Hate to be negative but what can you say. Oh wait-there is progress-they no longer refer to 750 tractors as "trucks for towing".

 

I think Pfann to your point.."what is planned for next couple of years.....?? Same as we have seen with cars..."The Taurus treatment"-do nothing and then kill it because it is "Not competitive".

 

could be the Hackett model-while we talk about autonomous, connected vehicles-or should I say theories???

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Yes exactly, Bob. I see on the floorplan of the site that Ford has quite a big space to 'show' something. Apparently they just wanted to show the cargo van. There had been speculation also that there was going to be announcement and reveal of the Transit Custom midsize commercial van but I guess that's not going to happen; at least for now. I'm glad to see I'm not the only person thinking the same as I am regarding this 'Taurus' treatment you mentioned. Ford has a bad habit of doing this. Lots to list but the Explorer Sport Trac comes to mind. They practically started the market but left it to die a slow death with only one redesign while the Explorer SUV when through two redesigns/updates during the lifetime of the Sport Trac and it only had one major redesign before dying. I thought of that because I have lately been seeing lots of Sport Tracs around lately. Back to your Taurus comment, kinda interesting how Ford left it to die a slow death which basically gave it the Crown Victoria curse when you think about it. I have a feeling that the Taurus may be relegated to just police duty while a new sedan (whatever the hell it is since Ford isn't saying) comes out whether FWD/AWD or RWD/AWD. The Explorer will be redesigned while the Explorer PI lives on for a couple years as part of changeover and likely renamed Explorer Classic PI. Crazy, huh?

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The new Chevy's are a lot like the old Kodiak 4500/5500's. The 6500 gets into class 6 @ 22,000#'s GVW, but no air brake option and 19.5" wheels. I think Chevy has the trucks right in the 'sweet spot' of the market, going any heavier would cost more money but likely not equate in to many more sales. I suspect that the 4500 and 5500 will be a bit more expensive than the Ford F-450 and 550 looking at the Chevy's chassis equipment and that Huck-bolted frame. Overkill for class 4 and 5, but it got them into class 6.

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I have a feeling that the Taurus may be relegated to just police duty while a new sedan (whatever the hell it is since Ford isn't saying) comes out whether FWD/AWD or RWD/AWD. The Explorer will be redesigned while the Explorer PI lives on for a couple years as part of changeover and likely renamed Explorer Classic PI. Crazy, huh?

 

Very unlikely-the Plant is going to need to be completely retooled for the new RWD Explorer and Lincoln Aviator.

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Yes exactly, Bob. I see on the floorplan of the site that Ford has quite a big space to 'show' something. Apparently they just wanted to show the cargo van. There had been speculation also that there was going to be announcement and reveal of the Transit Custom midsize commercial van but I guess that's not going to happen; at least for now. I'm glad to see I'm not the only person thinking the same as I am regarding this 'Taurus' treatment you mentioned. Ford has a bad habit of doing this. Lots to list but the Explorer Sport Trac comes to mind. They practically started the market but left it to die a slow death with only one redesign while the Explorer SUV when through two redesigns/updates during the lifetime of the Sport Trac and it only had one major redesign before dying. I thought of that because I have lately been seeing lots of Sport Tracs around lately. Back to your Taurus comment, kinda interesting how Ford left it to die a slow death which basically gave it the Crown Victoria curse when you think about it. I have a feeling that the Taurus may be relegated to just police duty while a new sedan (whatever the hell it is since Ford isn't saying) comes out whether FWD/AWD or RWD/AWD. The Explorer will be redesigned while the Explorer PI lives on for a couple years as part of changeover and likely renamed Explorer Classic PI. Crazy, huh?

 

No it won't. PIU will get redesigned alongside Explorer. There won't be any of this legacy models just for police fleets happening anymore.

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I'm glad to hear that the there will be new PIU of new RWD Explorer and that Fusion Hybrid takes over PI. But still annoying that Ford isn't saying anything about their other vehicles. But this is a thread about the new Silverado pickup truck and I don't wanna throw this thread into a complaint page about Ford's lack of plans announcements. As for the new Chevy truck, the styling doesn't do much to me nor does the packaging. I'm a true Ford guy and Chevy/GMC trucks just don't do anything for me at all. But good to see they are wanting to stay competitive because competition is what makes great products.

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Why do you think Ford should announce their future product plans?

 

Has Apple announced what next year’s iPhone will be?

 

Why give your competition more time to respond? Some things are better kept close to the vest.

 

And we’re just speculating that PIU moves to the new Explorer platform, but it’s a safe guess as there is no reason not to move it.

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This truck brings back memories of the TopKick/Kodiak line that wasn't very successful. The weight of the truck ate into payload, and it wasn't very useful in class 4/5 IIRC. It should do fine in class 6, but just appears to be too big for 4/5.

Didn't TerraStar also have this problem? I seem to recall it had a pretty heavy frame.

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This truck brings back memories of the TopKick/Kodiak line that wasn't very successful. The weight of the truck ate into payload, and it wasn't very useful in class 4/5 IIRC. It should do fine in class 6, but just appears to be too big for 4/5.

I do believe you are correct-just look at the old 4500/5500 and compare it to a 450 or 550=-or a 4500/5500 Ram. A much heavier truck-which I'm sure came with a heavier price. Those GM's were very popular as rescue/ambulance vehicles so I'm sure they will once again become a favorite in that application. City of Boston EMS used them and then bought a bunch of Fords this last order rather than bumping up to the 4400 Internationals or M2 F'liners. My bet is they will be back with GM.

 

I also think the serviceability issue associated with the tilt hood will also convince a lot of people to pay the premium.

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Why do you think Ford should announce their future product plans?

 

Has Apple announced what next year’s iPhone will be?

 

Why give your competition more time to respond? Some things are better kept close to the vest.

 

And we’re just speculating that PIU moves to the new Explorer platform, but it’s a safe guess as there is no reason not to move it.

Actually Apple does announce plans to an extent. They already said the iPhone X would be dropped in the fall and replaced with the all-new unnamed iPhone. They were disappointed with dropping sales and already lowered prices on the X. They announced last December that there will be an all-new next generation desktop Apple computer coming at this coming December (which at last December, they said 'next year at this time'). I don't need to know the details of what Ford is planning but at least they should say what is going to happen to the Fusion, Taurus, confirm/deny the CD6 platform, and etc. No major details are needed but just to allow fans, customers, and shareholders know what the hell is going on. It only makes it seem like Ford and Hackett have no plans at all or they don't know what's going on themselves. How many times do the shareholders need to ask the CEO more details and info about the Ranger and Bronco before finally announced or revealed? This was one reason that Mark Fields got fired. At a shareholder meeting, he simply said that both trucks would be midsize body-on-frame and that Bronco would be instantly recognizable and to its roots. Then went on and on about electrification and autonomous cars that no one seems to give a s**t about. That was why he got fired and Hackett got hired. Just recently at Detroit Auto Show was where the Ranger was finally revealed. I get if engine specs and fuel economy specs can't be announced until closer to production. No one still knows about Bronco, which understandably as to not get competition to know what's going on, but would be nice to know something. Has it been delayed as rumored? etc. etc.

 

I figured the new PIU would be new Explorer-based after yours and others recent comments.

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I saw one in person Yesterday at the work truck show. Cab & interior was nice, front end reeks ugly and outdated with those old headlights. The truck frame is too tall, making it an issue for those in the towing companies (a huge part of the class market) because they can't go in garages like the Ford & Rams. Really won't compete with the F650 either. The 6500 will be more like a HD 5500. I see it doing well for all the GM nuts mourning the loss of the old 4500/5500's for the first year or two, But I don't see it as much of a threat to the Ford/Ram class 4/5/6 in the long term.

Edited by LSchicago
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