GM eager for new Sierra, Silverado to battle Ford but old trucks are still going strong

It's been about a month since General Motors revealed the next generation of its full-size pickup truck lineup with the fully redesigned light-duty 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500. And while GM has big expectations for the new trucks throughout 2027 and well into 2028, the current TT1X models, in production since 2019, continue to sell very well for Chevy and GMC, CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday in reporting the automaker's second-quarter financial results.

With sales of those outgoing trucks up 4% (combined) through the first half of the year, Barra said customer demand in North America remains steady for both pickups and SUVs, while production is expected to set a record this year. And even though inventories for full-size trucks have been below target for most of the year, Barra said that has not been a problem.

Silverado and Sierra also grew market share year-over-year in both the second quarter and the first half, Barra said. There was a time when "fleet sales" were bad words that referred to lackluster vehicles many consumers didn't want, but that were attractive to rental car fleets, purchased in large volume.

But in the case of the current full-size pickups, GM is proudly touting that the Silverado and Sierra 1500 achieved their best-ever sales to fleet customers and helped the automaker grow first-half fleet sales 12% to the highest point since 2019.

Across the board, Barra said these outgoing trucks have been profitable, with both the trucks and full-size SUVs improving earnings before interest and taxes by 25% per unit.

GM will eventually be shipping the 2027 Silverado and Sierra to fleet customers as well, but for now, the focus is on ensuring a smooth launch in December, when the first retail customers will start taking delivery of well-equipped editions of the Silverado and Sierra.

Demand For Full-Size Vehicles Isn't Waning

Barra noted that predictions about buyers stepping away from less-efficient full-size vehicles haven't come to fruition yet, at least for GM. That has the company even more optimistic about the new light-duty pickups, which will "further separate us from key competitors when they begin arriving in showrooms in December," Barra said, citing things like ride quality, power, and available technology as advantages over the competition.

It is believed the next-generation light-duty trucks will be assembled in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Silao, Mexico; and at the long dormant plant in Orion Township, Michigan. GM's plant in Oshawa, Ontario, has also been producing light-duty and heavy-duty pickups, but reports suggest Oshawa will only build HD trucks in the future.

Four New Engines, Including Two New Small Blocks

All-new small-block V8s, displacing 5.7 liters and 6.6 liters, have been designed for the new trucks, and they will be assembled at plants that have been retooled in St. Catharines, Ontario; Flint, Michigan, and Tonawanda, New York. Beyond the V8, the trucks will also offer "an enhanced" 2.7L TurboMax four-cylinder and Duramax 3.0-liter turbodiesel.

Barra is pleased that the new trucks have gotten a warm reception since they were revealed, and she sees "upside opportunity" in 2027 and 2028. "We're going to build on a really strong year with what we think the truck customers are going to love," she said. "I think it's going to just continue the momentum we have in the truck market."

CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:

In 2025, GM sold nearly 600,000 full-size pickups between the Silverado and Sierra (80% of them carrying small-block V8s, by some estimates), and the first-half 2026 sales are keeping pace, just a hair below 300,000 units. There's more than Detroit bragging rights at stake as GM prepares to launch arguably the only vehicle type that transplant automakers have yet to figure out. As December approaches and the current trucks prepare to pass the baton to the next-generation Silverado and Sierra, the GM collective will be holding its breath.