Aaron Brzozowski
Our sister site GM Authority reports that Chevrolet this week confirmed it is working on a “flagship, medium-duty truck” expected to compete directly with the Ford F-450 Super Duty.
The forthcoming commercial truck, expected to wear a “4500 HD” designation, is on schedule to launch in 2018, utilizing a Duramax diesel engine and an Allison transmission for motivation. GM Authority suspects it will make use of the very same 6.6-liter “L5P” Duramax diesel that debuted in the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, producing 445 horsepower and an impressive 910 lb-ft of torque. Allison Transmission, a leader in commercial-duty slushboxes, has been supplying transmissions for GM trucks since the 1950s.
Of course, the all-new, 2017 Ford F-450 Super Duty might well prove safe to the threat of competition in the Class 4 truck segment, thanks to the 925 lb-ft of twist provided by its new, 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel, and the weight-savings secured by its aluminum-alloy body. We’ll find out soon enough, when Chevrolet re-enters the medium-duty truck segment with a new 4500 HD.
