GM

Chevy shows refreshed Equinox, new Silverado in Chicago

Melissa Burden
The Detroit News

General Motors Co. on Thursday will debut a refreshed 2016 Chevrolet Equinox and a less expensive but nicely equipped 2015 Chevrolet Silverado Custom pickup at the Chicago Auto Show.

Both are aimed to keep sales humming in competitive and growing segments.

The Equinox, the third-best selling Chevy, is getting its first major refresh since the 2010 model year. GM says the 2016 Equinox, which goes on sale this fall, has a freshened front with chrome trim on upper models, new wheel designs, a larger color touchscreen radio and standard backup camera for entry-level trims.

Changes to the Equinox include a trim lineup that adds an entry L model and eliminates the 1LT and 2LT trim lines, projector-beam headlamps and dual-element tail lamps. Some trims get new wheels; side blind-zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert are available on LT and LTZ trims. The small SUV has a revised center stack. Premium fabrics were added to the L and LS models.

Chevy sold 242,242 Equinox crossovers in 2014, up 1.7 percent from 2013. January sales rose to a January record 19,555, up 34.4 percent from January 2014.

Analysts also expect to see a refreshed GMC Terrain crossover, possibly at the New York International Auto Show.

Dave Sullivan, manager of product analysis at AutoPacific, said a new Equinox and Terrain are on the way in a few years, but the Equinox freshening will help GM in the meantime.

“It doesn’t need to be a very dramatic refresh, but it’s one of the last vehicles to not receive front-end treatment that’s showed up on Impala and others,” he said. “It looks like an outsider in the Chevy family.”

Sullivan said he expects Equinox to pick up some fleet sales from the Chevrolet Captiva Sport, which GM discontinued. Adding the L trim line for the Equinox, dropping the starting price by $2,400 to $22,120 on the 2015 model puts the Equinox on more shoppers’ radars when comparing base prices, Sullivan said.

Chevy will reveal its Silverado Custom pickup, a double cab with a V-8 engine and features such as carpeting, power windows and door locks, 20-inch aluminum wheels, chrome bumper and grille, that starts at $33,820 with destination for a two-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive models cost $37,800.

The Silverado Custom is aimed to compete with the Ram Express, a popular seller for the Ram Trucks brand that helped it grow market share last year. A 2015 Ram Express starts at $27,740 including destination and one with a V-8 engine is closer to $29,000.

“We thought we had a little bit of opportunity in the market,” Chevrolet spokesman Tom Wilkinson said.

The Silverado’s average sales price last year topped $39,000. GM’s top-selling brand says 44 percent of light-duty truck sales are between $30,000 and $40,000.

“The economic recovery has led to booming sales of high-end pickups like the Silverado High Country,” Sandor Piszar, marketing director for Chevy trucks, said in a statement. “But there are also millions of customers in the heart of the market who want a great looking, well-equipped truck at an affordable price.”

GM said its base double cab Silverado starts around $31,000, while a more mid-trim LT in two-wheel drive costs about $35,500.

The Silverado Custom is available to order this month and could hit dealerships later in February, Wilkinson said. The truck will be available with a V-6 for $245 less.

mburden@detroitnews.com