Chevrolet PH launching Silverado and Suburban?

It seems Chevrolet distributor The Covenant Car Company Inc (TCCCI) is bringing out its big guns in the not-so-distant future. We have reason to believe that Chevrolet Philippines is making preparations to launch both the Silverado pick-up and the Suburban full-size SUV.

How did we come to this conclusion? TCCCI has secured an approval for two particular vehicles. What caught our attention was the size of the engine for both listings: 6162cc. Rounded up, that translates to 6.2-liters.

The approvals did not indicate the names of the models, but the GVW of the respective models are there: 3220kg and 3493kg.

Using the GVWs of the two mystery vehicles as a reference, we checked their weights in the US market. Starting with the Suburban, its GVW is rated at 7,700 lbs which translates to 3,493 kg. As for the Silverado, it has a gross vehicle weight ranging from 6,800 to 7,300 lbs (3,084 to 3,311 kg). This puts the full-size pick-up right in the ballpark figure of 3,220 kg mentioned earlier.

As for the 6.2-liter V8 engine, it's available in both the Silverado pick-up and the Suburban SUV and both have a displacement of 6162cc. The eight-cylinder cranks out a healthy 420 PS along with 623 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to a 10-speed automatic transmission with manual select.

With Chevrolet seemingly having secured the certificates for both vehicles, it might not be long before theyactually launch these in the country. Heck, Chevrolet already launched the Suburban's smaller sibling, the 2022 Tahoe, at this year's Manila International Auto Show.

While some might argue that today's fuel prices are not particularly favorable for large-capacity engines, those that will get either Chevrolet models are essentially immune from such issues. We're particularly curious about the Silverado; being a pick-up, it should benefit from the excise tax exemption. Let's wait and see if the pricing will be competitive.