Chevrolet made an announcement at the 2017 State Fair of Texas that the new Chevy Silverado 4500 and 5500 medium duty trucks will come to market in 2018. This is the first time that the company made an official announcement about the upcoming Class 4 & 5 trucks. This also means, that the Kodiak name will not be used for Chevy’s medium duty trucks.
The Silverado brand name has a wide recognition, so it makes that the company decide to extend the name to the 4500 and 5500 trucks. Check out these prototype shots of the new trucks that we have been able to accumulate thanks to you – our readers and viewers.
The later picture clearly shows a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank below the front passenger door of the truck, so it’s safe to assume that the 6.6L Duramax V8 engine will continue duty in these heavier trucks. Presumably, the Allison 6-speed automatic transmission will be there as well.
How much power will the engine deliver in these commercial-grade trucks? We do not know this for sure yet. Same with the payload and maximum towing ratings. If Chevrolet wants to be competitive against Ford and Ram, it will have to reach for over 30,000 lbs of towing capacity.
Here is a real-world test of the 2017 Chevy HD 3500 dually with the new 6.6L Duramax V8 engine.
