Full-size pickup trucks are more popular than ever. One key reason is that, like off-roaders such as the Jeep Wrangler, pickups have become more practical family cars. Double cabs have become more popular than single cabs — and those double cabs have become not just serviceable but comfortable. If you see a new single cab pickup these days, it’s most likely a long-bed work truck variant — possibly boasting Home Depot logos on the side.
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That shift means manufacturers have largely abandoned single cab, short bed models, which would be more affordable and more ideally suited to off-roading. But Chevy may be bringing that variant back for the Silverado 1500 — or, more accurately, Chevrolet might be giving Americans access to the ones they’re already making.
You see, Chevy currently builds regular-cab, short bed model Silverado pickups in America, and they can be built in off-road-friendly LT Trail Boss spec. The trouble is, they are only available for export to the Middle East. But that may change soon; Bob Krapes, Chevy’s director of truck marketing, recently told GM Authority that offering a regular cab, short bed was something the brand is working on — and suggested the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed American availability.
“I would just tell you that because of the limitations that we’ve been dealing with in terms of the virus and all the things that the virus is causing, including limitations within the supply chain, it’s something that we’re going to work on,” Krapes said. “Nothing to announce today, but we certainly do care about it.”
The Silverado, which debuted in 2019, is due for a mid-cycle refresh for the 2022 model year — which seems like it would be a sensible time to introduce regular cab, short bed availability. Having that option may appeal to only a small percentage of Silverado buyers…but when you’re dealing with full-size trucks, a small percentage is still a lot of buyers. And perhaps zagging with a more attainable off-roader Silverado while Ford and Ram have zigged by building and planning 700-plus horsepower super trucks could be an interesting way forward for Chevy in the off-road space.