Did Chevrolet Just Accidentally Reveal the Look of Its New Full-Size Pickup?

GM might have just leaked the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado. The Golden Bowtie recently filed a new patent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its design. In the filing, sketches of its exterior design are in plain sight.

While patents don’t necessarily confirm anything, these sketches may give us a sneak peak as to what to expect aesthetically from Chevy’s fifth-generation full-size pickup.

Evolutionary rather than revolutionary

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The current fourth-gen Chevrolet Silverado has been with us since 2019, meaning it’s about to crest the age of six years old. Given that the Silverado’s general series production cycle lasts anywhere between six and eight years, a new model should be on the horizon.

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This of course means a new design both inside and out, upgraded features and powertrains, and more. But while all of that remains under wraps, officially, these patent filings give us a clue as to what it could look like.

From the drawings, if accurate, the next-gen Silverado could be keeping some of the current model’s bespoke design features. The front end resembles the current model, but with certain distinctive elements repositioned.

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Such includes the thin-profile gun-slit LED forward lighting fixtures at the top of the headlight fixtures and just under the hood line.

The new front end also appears to retain the current model’s C-shaped daytime-running lights inspired by the ones found on the current Tahoe and Suburban.

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The grille, as always, remains large and in charge. The front fascia also appears even more rugged-looking with its pronounced bumper trim.

On the sides, the wheel wells look more pronounced. And the side panels appear to feature a few more creases and lines, in what could be an attempt to make the Silverado’s stance look more muscular.

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And at the back, the taillights rake on a cleaner design, versus the notched shape of the current ones.

Implied, but not confirmed

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In response to the discovery of the patent filing, which our friends at Car and Driver uncovered, General Motors issued an official statement noting that the sketches aren’t official.

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“GM regularly files with the US Patent Office to protect our IP, trademark, and technologies. Filings are not always indicative of future product. We cannot comment on speculation on future product,” a spokesperson wrote to C/D.

Regardless of their accuracy, we’re still anticipating a new next-gen Silverado to surface sometime next year.

Chevrolet

We also expect the new Silverado to benefit from Chevy’s latest line of V8 engines. Earlier this year, the Golden Bowtie pledged a large investment into updating its V8 engines and assembly lines.

Considering the circumstances and the Silverado’s traditional use of Chevy’s small-block V8, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that a new model could be just around the corner.

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