GMSV reaffirms full-size truck focus as Silverado leads a recovering Australian segment

GMSV doubles down on big trucks

General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) has told GoAuto that its full-size trucks are the key focus for the Australian market in the short term, as the importer aims to build on a strong 2025 and believes there is further room for growth in the Australian and New Zealand segment, particularly for the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2. A GM spokesperson said the ZR2 "delivers a unique combination of strong towing capability, long-distance comfort, and genuine off-road performance", while noting that GMSV does not publish model-level volume targets or forward sales forecasts. The spokesperson also said that, longer term, GM ANZ will continue evaluating opportunities across GM's portfolio where there is a compelling fit for local customers. ¹

The commitment extends beyond Chevrolet. Alongside the Silverado and Corvette, GMSV also sells the GMC Yukon Denali in Australia, and the spokesperson said the company continues to focus on customer experience, dealer engagement, service and aftersales support across both GMSV (Chevrolet, Corvette, GMC) and the Cadillac brand. ¹

Silverado on top after a 2025 landmark year

The segment backdrop is one of slump then recovery. GoAuto reports the Australian full-size pick-up segment fell 17.4 per cent in 2025, but figures have been recovering in 2026, up 11.7 per cent to the end of August with 6440 trucks delivered year to date across all marques. ¹

Within that, the Silverado 1500 LD and 2500 HD combined for a 44.1 per cent share of the Australian full-size truck segment in 2025 according to official VFACTS Light Commercial registration data, up from 36.4 per cent in 2024 — a 7.7 percentage point increase. Chevrolet's own announcement, issued on 30 January 2026, attributed the result to growing customer confidence, with GM Australia and New Zealand managing director Jess Bala calling 2025 "a landmark year for GMSV". The combined 2025 tally across the segment was 8763 sales, of which GoAuto reports the Silverado pair accounted for 3863, ahead of the Ram trio on 3271, Toyota's 837 Tundras and Ford's 792 F-150s. ¹²

GMSV also noted, in the January announcement, that the Silverado 2500 HD captured more than 74 per cent of Australia's 2500-class heavy-duty market, and that from 1 October 2025 every new Silverado has been backed by a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years of 24/7 Ultra Roadside Assistance. ²

The 2026 year-to-date picture to the end of August remains a two-brand race: GoAuto reports the Silverado pair leading on 2269 combined sales (35.2 per cent share) ahead of the Ram trio on 2077 (32.2 per cent), with Ford on 1348 F-150s and Toyota on 746 Tundras. ¹

Payload and regulatory repositioning for the 2026i Silverado 1500

The Silverado 1500 received an intermediate '2026i' update during 2026, reported by CarExpert, which lifted gross vehicle mass from 3300kg to 3505kg and payload to 942kg for the LTZ Premium (from 748kg) and 922kg for the ZR2 (from 713kg). Pricing rose by $1000, to $135,990 before on-road costs for the LTZ Premium and $147,490 for the ZR2. A GMSV spokesperson told CarExpert the MY26i updates "reflect customer preferences and feedback in this market". ⁶

The higher GVM moves the Silverado 1500 from the NA Light Goods Vehicle category into NB1 (Medium Goods Vehicles), placing it just above the current 3500kg threshold for the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. GoAuto notes models in the full-size truck segment are currently exempt from strict NVES requirements due to their high GVM ratings, though that status is not presented as a future guarantee — the Australian Government has been accepting submissions on a proposal to include vehicles with a GVM between 3501kg and 3855kg in the NVES from 1 July 2027. ⁶¹

CarExpert also reports the NB1 reclassification means the Silverado 1500 is not required to meet Australian Design Rule 98/01, the advanced emergency braking requirement applying to passenger cars and light goods vehicles, even though the truck carries AEB with pedestrian detection. The contrast is sharpened by the fact that all light vehicles on sale in Australia after 1 August 2026 must meet the regulation, including the rival NA-classified Ford F-150, whose AEB system is required to detect and brake for pedestrians. The move followed a similar reclassification for the Ram 1500 the previous year. ⁶

Other 2026i changes reported by CarExpert include revised suspension for the LTZ Premium (which sheds the Z71 badge and Rancho-branded dampers), black Chevrolet tailgate lettering and blacked-out trim elements, while the ZR2 retains its Multimatic DSSV dampers. The truck continues with a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre petrol V8 producing 313kW and 624Nm through a 10-speed automatic and four-wheel drive. ⁶

V8s remain, and a new generation is coming

The Silverado 1500 and its 2500 HD sibling — which uses a 6.6-litre Duramax turbo-diesel V8 rated at 350kW and 1322Nm according to Chevrolet's 2025 sales announcement — remain the last full-size pickups in Australia to offer V8 power, as CarExpert has noted, though Ram Trucks Australia has said it is keen to reintroduce a V8 option locally. ⁶³

Overseas, GM has revealed the next-generation Silverado 1500 with new 'Gen VI' 5.7-litre and 6.6-litre V8 engines and what it describes as the most off-road capable ZR2 yet, CarExpert reports. GM has not disclosed outputs but claims the new V8s make the 2027 Silverado the most powerful yet, exceeding the current 313kW/624Nm of the 6.2-litre engine sold in Australia. CarExpert says the new model is expected to reach Australia in the second half of 2027, but GMSV has not said if or when it will arrive in local showrooms, and Australian availability of the larger engines is not confirmed. ⁷

In a CarExpert road test of the current Silverado ZR2, conducted at a GMSV media drive event in Tasmania and republished by PerthNow, reviewer Max Davies found the truck to be "buckets of fun" in sand driving, praising the V8's character and the ZR2's off-road capability, while noting slower steering and a less comfortable ride at higher speeds on its mud-terrain tyres. The review noted a trip computer reading of roughly 19.0L/100km after a day of sand driving, and that the Silverado remains one of only two officially sold American pickups with a dedicated off-road trim, its only direct rival being the Ram 1500 Rebel at $141,950 before on-road costs. ⁴

Growth continues across the wider GMSV range

The truck strategy sits alongside continued expansion of GMSV's premium SUV line. GoAuto reports GMSV introduced a Signature Black special edition of the GMC Yukon Denali for Australia and New Zealand, priced at $181,490 plus on-road costs (the standard Denali is $174,990). The variant adds Onyx Black paint, black trim and 24-inch wheels, an illuminated GMC emblem, and second-row captain's chairs, with the same 313kW/624Nm 6.2-litre V8, 10-speed automatic and four-wheel drive as the regular model, and a 3628kg towing capability when appropriately equipped. ⁵

GMSV ANZ general manager of marketing, customer experience and communications Jodie Lennon told local media at a GMSV event in Tasmania that customers had frequently asked about the captain's chairs, and described the Signature Black as the first factory blackout pack the company has brought in locally rather than relying on aftermarket converters. ⁵