LOS ANGELES - Lawn and landscape professionals using Chevrolet pickup trucks may have a little more room to boast about their vehicles’ performance as Chevy's new Silverado Heavy-Duty (HD) pickup has earned Motor Trend magazine's 2001 Truck of the Year award. The award marks the sixth time in seven years that Chevrolet has won annual vehicle awards from the magazine.
"The Motor Trend evaluation of Silverado HD states that, 'The Chevrolet Silverado HD won us over with its do-it-all portfolio of power, passenger room, cargo capacity, feature levels and towing prowess,'" said Ron Zarrella, president of General Motors, North America. "That's a terrific endorsement from knowledgeable writers who aren't easily impressed. They also found that Silverado HD 'drives beautifully, can be trimmed out as nicely as many luxury cars and functions amazingly well as everyday personal (and family) transportation.'"
The Chevrolet heavy-duty pickup line for 2001 includes new three-quarter and one-ton pickups and chassis cabs. Silverado HD has best-in-class power with the most powerful gas or diesel engines available, the best-in-class payload with the highest gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for a three-quarter or one-ton vehicle and the best-in-class pulling with the highest trailer tow ratings for three-quarter or one-ton vehicles, according to a release by the company.
Chevrolet Silverado offers 32 heavy-duty models, including 2500 HD (3/4 ton) and 3500 series (one ton) regular cabs, four-door extended cabs, crew cabs and chassis cabs. Four special versions of the heavy-duty pickups, with a reduced gross vehicle weight rating, are also available for alternative fuel vehicle customers.
In addition to this year’s award, Chevy's Silverado won the Motor Trend 1999 Truck of the Year award.