This Chevrolet Suburban Costs a Whopping $4.6 Million
General Motors is used to getting contracts from the U.S. government to build military vehicles, like Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickups turned into Infantry Squad Vehicles, but this time the automaker will develop next-generation Large Support Utility Commercial Vehicles for the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
More specifically, GM will create 10 purpose-built Chevrolet Suburban SUVs over the next two years. The contract is valued at $36.4 million USD, or $46 million CAD at the current exchange rate. That’s $4.6 million per vehicle.
- Also: 2021 Chevrolet Suburban Duramax: The Dream Bus
- Also: The Car Guide's Best Buys for 2021: GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe
Of course, these heavy-duty Suburbans will be quite different from the consumer models, starting with a new and unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension designed to specifically support increased government vehicle performance requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater gross vehicle weight.
The body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes will also be modified using significant commercial-off-the-shelf parts. Unfortunately, the technical details remain a secret.
GM says it will use advanced manufacturing tools and techniques, including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication, to support increased efficiencies and quality in low-volume production of the new chassis and frame. The advanced manufacturing techniques will help reduce overall program costs, suggesting the trucks would be even more expensive otherwise.
Deliveries will begin next spring. A production contract to build a fleet of 200 Suburban HDs per year for nine years is expected to succeed the completion of the development contract in or about May 2023.
In case you forgot, Chevrolet’s full-size SUV is completely new for the 2021 model year. It now offers way more interior space particularly when it comes to the third row. Meanwhile, ride and handling both benefit from a new available air suspension with magnetic dampers. The 5.3-litre and 6.2-litre gasoline V8 engines remain, but there’s a new option: a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel that generates 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.
Along with the Tahoe and GMC Yukon, the Chevrolet Suburban is the Best Buy in the segment according to The Car Guide.
