The forthcoming diesel-powered 2019 Chevrolet Silverado will, without a doubt, thump with the Heartbeat of America.
During the new truck's launch at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, GM product chief Mark Reuss hinted at a future announcement regarding the next-generation truck and the Michigan city of Flint, where it will be built.
Last week, General Motors kept that promise by announcing the new 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-6 would be produced at GM's Flint Engine Operations plant.
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The news follows a 2015 announcement by GM revealing a plan to invest $263 million in Flint Engine Operations for a new engine line.
The engine line wasn't specified at the time of that earlier announcement.
“The next-generation Silverado builds on the success of our current models, many of which are produced here in Flint," said John Urbanic, Flint Engine Operations plant manager, said in a GM release.
Auto workers adjusting the chassis of the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD
"We are proud to expand the industry-leading diesel portfolio here in Vehicle City."
GM's decision to build the engine in Flint makes it the only diesel engine used in a light-duty pickup that's built in North America.
The company's smaller midsize pickup twins—the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon—are powered by a 2.8 Duramax inline-4 turbodiesel built in Rayong, Thailand.
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Meanwhile, FCA subsidiary VM Motori produces the 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel for the Ram 1500 in Italy.
Ford's new 3.0-liter Power Stroke V-6 turbodiesel, announced earlier in the month for a version of the 2018 Ford F-150 full-size pickup, will be built in England alongside similar engines used by Jaguar Land Rover.
While the Nissan Titan XD pickup is powered by a Cummins 5.0-liter turbodiesel V-8, built in Indiana, that truck is classed as a heavy-duty pickup.
2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke
2016 Chevrolet Colorado Diesel - First Drive
Nissan Frontier Diesel Prototype, Nashville, July 2014
That hasn't stopped Nissan from flirting with diesel for light-duty applications as well.
Four years ago, it displayed prototype versions of the current Frontier mid-size pickup powered by a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel also developed by Cummins.
Back at GM, the 3.0-liter diesel powering the Silverado is a clean-sheet new design, the automaker said, unlike the VM Motori-derived engine in the Colorado and Canyon.
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