2022 Chevrolet Silverado gets tech upgrade, hands-free towing and new ZR2 off-road flagship – TechCrunch

GM on Thursday unveiled the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, a full-size pickup truck that received a major technology upgrade, including its advanced hands-free Super Cruise driver assistance system and an infotainment system with integrated Google services, as well than a revised interior. A new flagship trim, the ZR2 all-terrain truck with a factory-installed suspension lift, has also joined the Silverado lineup.

The Silverado refresh precedes GM’s electric vehicle offensive, which will include Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks. GM aims to deliver 30 new electric vehicles to hit the global market by 2025 and move to all zero-emission vehicles by 2035. GM has said new Silverado versions will hit dealerships in spring 2022.

The Chevy Silverado’s exterior has also received a refresh, including a new front fascia and daytime running lights that come alive as the driver approaches or moves away from the vehicle. But the real change is in the cab – and in the hardware and software guts – of the truck.

Chevrolet offers the Silverado in LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, ZR2, LTZ, and High Country trims, all standard with a 2.7-liter turbocharged engine – now with 420 pound-feet of torque (up from 20 % compared to the previous model). Maximum towing capacity on 2WD models is 9600 pounds. GM has also made changes to make shifting easier and give drivers more power on demand.

The automaker also upgraded its 3.0-liter Duramax turbocharged diesel engine to provide a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 pounds (2WD models). Two other powertrains, the 5.3-liter V8 and the 6.2-liter V8, are also offered.

The interior cabin has been redesigned to make it more spacious and includes a 13.4-inch touchscreen and a new 12.3-inch configurable digital instrument panel as standard. Owners will also be able to add a rear camera mirror and a head-up display.

Finally, the interior of the Silverado will be offered in new colors, seat designs and premium materials. For versions with bucket seats, the new center console incorporates an electronic gearshift controller.

Alexandre Scartezini, Chevrolet Truck’s chief interior designer, described it as more contemporary and refined “with a hint of Corvette influence in his design DNA”.

All Google

Going deeper inside the vehicle, aka infotainment, users will find Google, or more specifically Android Automotive, at the heart of the operating system. This means that Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play are all integrated into the infotainment screen.

Android Automotive operating system should not be confused with Android Auto, which is a secondary interface located on top of an operating system. Android Auto is an application that runs on the user’s phone and communicates wirelessly with the vehicle’s infotainment system. Android Auto and its Apple CarPlay counterpart will both be offered in the new Silverado. GM said the system also works with Amazon Alexa.

Meanwhile, Android Automotive OS is modeled after its open source mobile operating system that runs on Linux. But instead of using smartphones and tablets, Google changed it so that automakers can use it in their cars. Google has been offering an open source version of this OS to car manufacturers for some time. In recent years, automakers have worked with the tech company to natively integrate an Android operating system built into all Google apps and services.

Hands-free driving

All Silverado trims come standard with six active safety features including automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist and forward collision alerts, lane warning, lane warning tracking distance, automatic high beams and front pedestrian braking.

The big change is the addition of the automaker’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology, which will be an option available on the High Country trim. It is important to note that the system can be used even while towing. Some features of Super Cruise, such as automatic lane change and lane change on demand, will be restricted if the truck is towing.

Super Cruise uses a combination of lidar map data, high-precision GPS, cameras and radar sensors, along with a Driver Attention System, which monitors the person behind the wheel to make sure they are paying attention. . Unlike Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance system, Super Cruise users don’t need to have their hands on the wheel. However, their eyes should remain directed straight ahead.

While GM has been steadily improving Super Cruise since its introduction in 2017, for years it has confined itself to its luxury brand Cadillac and limited to certain divided highways. That started to change in 2019 when GM announced plans to expand it to more models and use cases. The system can be activated on over 200,000 miles of roads in the United States and Canada.

Silverado will offer other trailer assist features, including one that will alert drivers of vehicles in their blind spot.