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The shooters at KGP Photography just got their best look yet at GM's new heavy-duty pickups, thanks to this convoy of lightly disguised test trucks. The heavy vinyl camouflage that previously covered every inch of GM's prior HD pickup prototypes is now gone, in favor of body-hugging graphic camouflage. Only the front fascia utilizes a vinyl bra covering.
As the convoy whipped by in haste, trying to get back to the safety of the Proving Grounds gate, KGP shooters managed to snap shots of a GMC 2500 HD, GMC HD Denali, Chevy Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD Dualie—all in Crew Cab configurations.
The standard grille on the Sierra 2500 will have a new three-slot design, which differentiates it from the Sierra 1500 pickups that have already been unveiled. The Sierra HD models will maintain the single light cluster that is found on the 1500 models. The chrome mesh grille on the GMC HD Denali is truly a massive thing, and the chrome is carried through to the front and rear bumpers, door handles and chrome running boards.
The HD Chevy Silverados get more sedate grille work than their GMC counterparts, with their simple, horizontal slats. As on the Silverado 1500 models, the Silverado HDs get stacked headlights, split by a thick center crossbar that continues across the grille.
It appears that the same strategy taken by the recently released light-duty pickups—cautiously evolved exterior designs on the outside, with a thorough and thoughtful rethink of many of the truck's functional pieces—spread throughout the new models. Whether these changes are enough will be found out soon enough, when the HD pickups are finally released. January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit seems like the most logical debut, although a stand-alone reveal is also a distinct possibility to help cut through the auto show noise.
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KGP Photography