Chevrolet To Introduce 'High Country' Trim For Silverado Pickup
Are you a Chevrolet Silverado owner who is tired of being looked down upon when you drive by your neighbor in his Ford F-150 King Ranch? The Automotive News is reporting that Chevrolet is on the verge of introducing a top-tier Silverado that would climb over and above the LTZ and provide the kind of opulent luxury already available to Ford and Dodge buyers.
The new Chevrolet Silverado trim level will be called the 'High Country', and what few details are available regarding the model were revealed to Chevrolet dealers in Las Vegas earlier in September. The goal is to provide prospective Chevrolet customers with a version of the Silverado that comes with all of the bells, whistles, and high end interior materials (such as upgraded leather) that are offered on competitor's vehicles, thus snagging the additional profits that are attached to the luxury truck segment.
Even in the face of the recent global recession, sales of comfortable pickup trucks loaded with options have remained strong, which has left Chevrolet on the outside looking in. Although General Motors has been able to accommodate full-size customers through the availability of the luxury Denali trim level on the GMC Sierra full-size pickup, the Silverado has received no such upscale treatment. In part, this has been by design, as GMC has always touted itself as the uptown pickup for more style and comfort-conscious buyers.
Will Chevrolet impact GMC Denali sales by introducing the Silverado High Country? Undoubtedly. Will this decision hurt the Denali brand as a whole? It would seem unlikely, given that Denali stretches across multiple models while High Country will be limited to just Chevrolet's full-size pickup. Still, despite giving Chevrolet dealers additional ammo to take on Ford and Dodge - which don't have premium sibling brands to protect - General Motors could be muddying the waters concerning just what, exactly, the name 'Chevrolet' is supposed to signify to truck buyers.
