2019 GMC Sierra Headed for March 1 Debut in Detroit

We’ve shown you the spy photos already, but your first glimpse of the real thing is now less than a month away. The wraps come off the next-generation GMC Sierra in Detroit on March 1st, Automotive News has learned, providing us with yet another new truck in a year that, so far, has brought little else.

Both the 2019 Sierra and luxo-barge Sierra Denali will appear in the Motor City next month, complimenting the next-gen Chevrolet Silverado that debuted last month. While the GMC is expected to gain the full complement of powertrain hand-me-downs, its styling will head in a different direction.

Up front, at least. From what we’ve seen of the new model, there’s little difference to be found in a side-on view, leaving the Sierra’s face as the big question mark. It looks like GMC plans an evolution of the design that’s served it well over the past many years, with new headlights, foglights, and a bolder grille to set it apart from its Chevy twin.

Certainly, the camouflaged face we saw last month seems less divisive than the Silverado’s. Time will tell if that’s actually the case.

The same weight-saving measures that shaved about 450 pounds from the Silverado will appear in the Sierra, aiding fuel economy. There’s a handful of tricks in store for that goal. For 2019, GM’s using Delphi’s Dynamic Skip Fire cylinder deactivation system on its 5.3- and 6.2-liter V8 engines, and a 10-speed automatic joins the model line for the first time. Like the Silverado, the Sierra will surely make use of the Flint-built 3.0-liter inline-six diesel announced last month.

We’re still waiting on specs for that intriguing mill, though GM hopes to top the fuel economy of Ford’s just-announced 3.0-liter diesel V6.

With truck sales making up an ever-greater slice of GM’s revenue pie, a redesigned full-size line should help the automaker compete in an age of rapidly declining car sales. In 2017, Sierra sales fell 1.7 percent, nearly the exact opposite of the Silverado’s sales performance.

[Images: Brian Williams/SpiedBilde]