New tweaks for 2016 Silverado pickup truck

General Motors is making some changes for its 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 full-size pickup line, notably tweaking the exterior shape of the vehicle along with expanded use of 8-speed automatic transmissions.

“The redesigned 2016 Silverado … will feature a more muscular appearance and offer new customer-focused technologies,” noted Sandor Piszar, marketing director for GM’s Chevy Trucks division.

New front end designs with what Piszar called “bold horizontal elements, sculpted hoods and dramatic lighting” will be part of an “aggressive” overall strategy to build on the “momentum” for the division, which included offering a small-block diesel engine for its mid-size Colorado pickups.

Other changes for the 2016 model Silverado will include an update to the Chevy MyLink system with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus additional safety technologies, which will be detailed closer to the new pickup’s public debut later this fall.

Piszar added that, since the introduction of the redesigned Silverado 1500 in the spring of 2013, its sales have grown by double digits on a percentage basis each year.

Through June of 2015, Silverado sales are up 14.6 %, GM said, with Chevrolet also selling 41,575 midsize Colorado pickups during that same time period.