Chevrolet Silverado HD Selected as Motor Trend Truck for 2011

The truck award was presented to GM CEO Dan Akerson before the 111th Army-Navy Game at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Chevrolet is the Official Vehicle of the Army-Navy Game. Apparently, GM wanted to tie in the announcement to one of the major rivalries in college football.

According to this report from the Salinas Californian, Navy (8-3) is riding an eight-game winning streak, while Army is 6-5 and bowl bound for the first time since 1996. That was also the last year the two teams entered the annual showdown with winning records.

So, are you wondering why major automotive announcements aren’t made on Saturdays? It would seem to make sense because it’s a slower news day and items would appear in Sunday papers, which have the largest circulation of the week. It’s an online world now. People aren’t in front of their computers as much on the weekends. This announcement would have gone viral instantly on a Friday.

The new 2011 Silverado HD built in Flint, Mich., and Fort Wayne, Ind., was introduced this summer, featuring new frame and suspension designs, and a more powerful Duramax diesel engine with 397 horsepower, 765 lb.-ft. of torque, and 11 percent better fuel-economy, according to the announcement. As a result, the 2011 Silverado HD is capable of towing up to 21,700 pounds, or carrying 6,635 pounds of payload. The new Silverado HD also offers available confidence- and control-related features specifically for towing including electronic trailer sway control, hill start assist and smart exhaust brake system.

The full report from Motor Trend appears in the February issue of the magazine (on newsstands in early January) and online at www.motortrend.com. Chevrolet also earned the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year award for the Volt, the industry’s first electric car with extended-range capability.