GM will no longer remove parts from trucks to calculate curb weights
Fri, 08 Aug 2014Following last week's mild uproar after it was discovered that Ford and General Motors were removing some optional parts from their pickups to lower the curb weight and consequently increase the maximum payload, GM has come out and committed to a base curb weight for its upcoming Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon compact trucks (although it has yet to publish them) and its current Silverado and Sierra. The company will do the same for its heavy duty offerings, although those numbers have not been finalized yet.
"This will make our curb weight and payload specs more consistent with those of most other truck makers, making it easier for customers to compare vehicles," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson told Autoblog in an emailed statement.
As GM notes – and as every manufacturer has noted since this story broke – customers still shouldn't take max payload ratings as gospel. Instead, they should refer to their truck's Tire and Load Label, like the one shown at the inset, which will offer detailed information on max payload, specific to their truck.
Automotive News, meanwhile, reports that Ford has not made any changes to the way it figures out max payload ratings, despite the GM announcement. The company was at the center of last week's news, when it was revealed that it removed items like the spare tire, jack, radio and even the center console, to determine the curb weight for the F-Series Super Duty.
By Brandon Turkus
See also: GM SUV window switch recall urges owners to park vehicles outside, 2015 Chevy Colorado to start at $20,100*, GMC Canyon at $20,995**, GM also sheds parts from its pickups to boost payload ratings.