The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Limited will be dropped from the range as soon as General Motors starts assembling the facelift 2022 Silverado.
GM's director of truck marketing, Kelly MacDonald, confirmed the news to GM Authority at the recent SEMA show.
Chevrolet will not go the same route as Ram, which offers the brand-new 1500 and the previous-generation Ram Classic at a reduced price.
If you look at Chevrolet's online configurator, you can see that there's little difference between the 2021 and 2022 models. The 2022 model is available in the same trims, color options, and interior combinations.
Still, Chevy deleted the Double Cab Trail Boss trim, a few bed features, and HD Radio as an option. On low-spec models, the air conditioning was replaced with a single-zone climate control system. Mechanically, Chevrolet deleted the 4.3-liter V6 and 5.3-liter V8 as an option, giving the 2022 model better fuel consumption figures.
Why the changes when the order books open for the heavily-revised actual 2022 Silverado in December? Like every other manufacturer, Chevy is struggling with the semiconductor chip shortage. The introduction of the refreshed 2022 model had to be pushed back, and Chevrolet needed a stop-gap model to keep selling cars.
Looking at the updated model, you can see why the semiconductor shortage stopped the refreshed model in its tracks. It debuts with a host of new features, most notably on the inside.
The 2022 model comes with a 13.4-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a Google-powered interface for the infotainment system, and semi-autonomous driver assistance from LT trim upwards. Chevy's Super Cruise will come with a new towing feature, and all models will come as standard with Chevrolet's Safety Assist.
Essentially, Chevrolet had two options. It could either offer a stop-gap model with reduced/adjusted features or introduce a heavily facelifted model without some of the nifty new features meant to attract prospective buyers.
A few manufacturers started removing certain features, while others, like GM, used the semiconductors it could get on high-volume models like the Sierra and Yukon.