GMSV launches Silverado 2500 HD, has already sold five

Friday, 18 March 2022

The massive Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD has landed.

GMSV has launched its latest ‘go big or go home’ attitude truck, the Chevrolet 2500 HD.

Technically requiring a Class 2 driving licence to exploit the full 4.5-tonne towing capacity shared with the 1500 twins (which also means you can drive it in the truck lanes, funnily enough), the 2500 HD is GMSV’s monster of the bunch.

The Silverado trio is proving popular, with the 1500 twins shifting more than 200 units in less than two years.

Seriously, if you thought the 1500 trucks were big, you’ll love this – at 6.3 metres long, 2.2m wide, and weighing 3.7 tonnes, it’s an absolute beast.

It’s also, at the time of writing, the truck with the most torque on the market, offering no less than 1234Nm from its 6.6-litre turbo diesel V8, as well as 332kW of power. There’s also a ten-speed automatic, massive 136-litre fuel tank and plenty of safety and convenience features, not to mention a healthy line-up of 19 optional accessories.

Buried in the nose of the 2500 HD is a 1234Nm 6.6-litre turbo diesel V8.

General Motors Specialty Vehicles has launched with the new Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

* Road test review: Ram 1500 Limited Night Edition

* GMSV will sell you a decidedly unapologetic truck

* GMSV confirms Kiwi pricing for right-hand drive Corvette

While that tank might sound like a tax to fill, it’s likely to be anything but, as GMSV’s local boss, Matthew Taylor, said that Silverado buyers generally have fairly deep pockets (which also applies to the incoming $5175 Clean Car fee), and/or write fuel spending off as a tax-deductible business cost.

And there are buyers, with the Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium shifting 196 units between November 2020 and February 2022, and the 1500 Trail Boss selling 50 in the same period. GMSV even managed to sell five 2500 HDs before the model launched locally.

Demand is growing too, considering GMSV and Ram are the only two players in the segment. Since January 2021, sales have averaged between 40 and 50 units per month.

The only potential niggle is the wait times, if you’re considering jumping on the American truck bandwagon. Ordering an HD today will mean a delivery date of November at the earliest, versus two or three months for the 1500s.

That’s because of the conversion process, which happens over in Australia after the trucks are shipped from America, before being transported to New Zealand.

If you don’t mind the wait, GMSV has seven dealerships across the country, five in the North Island and two in the South, along with two further service centres in Whangarei and Hawkes Bay.

Prices for the Silverado range start at $119,990 for the 1500 Trail Boss, $130,990 for the LTZ Premium, and $159,990 for the 2500 HD.