HSV dealers are selling the new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ute out of yards before cars have even hit the lot.
WHILE HSV dries up the stock of Colorado SportsCat utes and sees the end of its Camaro conversion, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ute looks to be the right product to fill those holes, combining a big ute and 6.2-litre V8 into the one vehicle.
Speaking with Practical Motoring, one close dealer source said that many of the cars allocated to dealers are already accounted for just one day after the locally converted vehicles landed in dealers, with around one-quarter of the first allocation sold. The entire first batch is understood to be at around 800 units, which would mean some 200 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s have already been sold.
Pricing for the new ute starts at $113,990 plus on-road costs which makes it some $14,000 more expensive than the competing RAM 1500. However, the local Chevvy is the latest generation truck, equipped with a swathe of the new tech and gear. You can read our full price and spec story here.
Like the initial response to the Silverado 1500, the RAM 1500, which starts at $100k plus on-road costs, has seen increased sales despite an overall slowing market. It has forced ASV Walkinshaw, which converts the trucks on a line next to the Silverado conversion in Clayton, Victoria, to employ more staff to keep up with demand. As we know, utes are big business in Australia.
The surge for the first batch of Silverados could be timely, however, with hold-ups in production at GM’s North American facilities a potential roadblock for supply. As we reported earlier this month, the plants which produce the Silverado 1500 pickups destined for Australia are currently shut down without a firm deadline on reopening.
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