Combined sales of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 increased 20 percent year over year during the first quarter of 2019, and General Motors is projecting the same trend for the second quarter of 2019. This spurt in demand has motioned the Detroit automaker to invest an additional $24 million into the Fort Wayne Assembly plant in Indiana. GM CEO Mary Barra visited the plant to make the announcement first hand.
GM says that the $24 million will be invested to update the plant’s conveyors and other tooling to support the increased production, with work expected to be completed this summer. GM has now invested more than $1.2 billion in the plant since 2015. GM has invested $23 billion in U.S. manufacturing since 2009.
The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 add several notable updates to their respective rosters. The 2020 Silverado 1500 Trail Boss and RST each now get the mighty L87 6.2L V8 engine with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, while both trucks see the introduction of the 3.0L inline-six Duramax diesel engine delivering 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Both the 2020 Sierra 1500 and 2020 Silverado 1500 also get new trailering technology with 15 different camera views. One of which is segment-first transparent trailer view that uses the tailgate-mounted camera and an available accessory camera mounted on the rear of the trailer. The resulting display helps the driver to virtually see through the trailer. This can come in handy when backing up, navigating parking lots, merging into traffic and making tight turns.
Finally, the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 will get the first-ever CarbonPro Edition, available on either AT4 or Denali trim levels. This introduces a state-of-the-art carbon fiber reinforced plastic truck bed, that saves 62 lbs compared to standard, while significantly upgrading durability. Having such a party trick truck is not cheap, as the 2020 Sierra AT4 CarboPro Edition carries an MSRP of $66,635. The Denali variant comes in over $70,000.