GM Steps Up Schedule For Lighter Trucks, Has Plans For Turbo Engines

A 2014 Chevrolet Silverado High Country

It seems that the truck wars will soon be getting hotter than the surface of the sun if the rumors reported by Reuters are true. According to the trusted news service, some suppliers to General Motors have been talking about The General pushing forward the scheduled launch of its next-generation of full-size pickups by about nine months in an effort to get back on track with arch-rival Ford Motor Company.

The 2015 Ford F-150

The next re-design of GM’s full-size sport-utility vehicles is also said to be about a year later. Regardless of the hotter fire burning in the truck market boiler, the new GM products will still not reach dealerships for nearly four years after the new aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 comes out this Fall.

As well as talk of trimming weight from the vehicle through the use of aluminum and composites, it’s no secret that GM is taking Ford’s lead with new and more advanced engines and transmissions that will help the company meet mandated EPA fuel-economy targets.

New eight-speed automatic transmissions on certain versions of the 2015 Silverado, Sierra, and Yukon are coming later this year, according to GM officials, to replace the current six-speed automatic. The eight-speed should better towing performance and increase fuel economy. Lighter and smaller-displacement engines ala EcoBoost, with fuel injection and turbochargers to improve fuel efficiency, are also in the works at GM.