GM’s Silverado, Sierra trucks earn top safety honours from NHTSA
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Marks first time pickup has achieved honour since NHTSA changed new vehicle assessment program
DETROIT—General Motors says its next-generation half-ton pickup trucks are the first vehicles in the segment to net top safety honours under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new rating system.
According to the automaker, the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 both received the NHTSA’s five-star safety rating, the first time a truck has done so since the organization changed its new vehicle assessment program for the 2011 model year.
“Safety is as important to truck buyers as it is to car buyers,” GM’s general director of vehicle safety Gay Kent said in a statement. “Silverado and Sierra set a benchmark for pickup truck safety by offering a full array of advanced features designed to protect occupants before, during and after a collision.”
The all-new Chevrolet Silverado offers the best fuel consumption of any V8 pickup on the market, according to GM. PHOTO General Motors
The Sierra and Silverado also feature a host of available safety features, including forward collision alert, lane departure warning and safety alert seats that warn drivers of potential traffic danger using directional vibration pulses from the seat cushion.
According to GM, the NHTSA only tested the crew cab models of the new Silverado and Sierra.
The automaker expects the popular four-door versions of the trucks to account for 60 per cent of its light-duty full-size pickup sales in 2014.
