Chevrolet has been testing the 2024 mid-cycle revamp of its truck-based SUVs for quite a while now. The Tahoe and slightly larger Suburban will continue to rely on six-cylinder diesel and eight-cylinder gasoline engines for the foreseeable future, yet pixel artist Digimods DESIGN imagined it with Silverado EV-inspired styling traits.
From the bumper to what used to be the grille and even the hood, there’s a lot of Silverado EV in there. The massive wheels and taillights also come from the electric pickup truck, namely the Silverado EV in RST flavor.
Due to arrive in dealer showrooms for the 2024 model year alongside a GMC-branded sibling, the Silverado EV RST First Edition cranks out 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet (1,064 Nm) in Wide Open Watts mode. Although not as powerful or torquey as the Hummer EV, it’s quite a bit pokier than the combustion-engined pickup truck, Tahoe, and the family-sized Suburban.
Speaking of which, the Silverado 1500 and the sport utility vehicle-bodied cousins are somewhat lacking in the oily bits department. Although the 3.0-liter diesel and 6.2-liter small block are more than adequate for these applications, the competition – and even other brands from the General Motors stable – can do much better.
Starting with General Motors, the Cadillac Escalade-V is the Detroit-based automaker’s only truck-based SUV to feature a supercharged V8. There’s no supercharged V8-engined pickup to speak of, which is a downer because Ram and Ford sell the 1500 TRX and F-150 Raptor R.
“Missed opportunity” best describes General Motors’ lack of interest in performance-oriented trucks and SUVs of the internal combustion variety. Looking at the glass half full, the biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit is hedging its bets with performance electric vehicles like the dual-motor Silverado EV RST First Edition and the tri-motor Hummer EV First Edition.
If there will be a Tahoe EV and a Suburban EV (bear in mind that Cadillac has confirmed an Escalade EV for debut in 2024), both will be underpinned by the BT1 body-on-frame platform. Closely related to the BEV3 for unibodies, the BT1 is currently used in the Hummer EV and Hummer EV SUV, Silverado EV, and Sierra EV.
We also have to remember that the Tahoe EV and Suburban EV aren’t wishful thinking. General Motors pledged to sell only electric vehicles by 2035 as long as market conditions allow for mass adoption of electric vehicles. Given the aforementioned, the Tahoe EV and Suburban EV will become reality in the near future.
General Motors isn’t switching to zero-emission vehicles only to become carbon neutral by 2040. The truth of the matter is the American automaker didn’t really have a choice due to legislation. California, for example, is prepping for the electrified future, with Cali scheduled to transition to all-electric new car and light pickup truck sales by 2035.
That said, how do you prefer your Tahoe? ICE or EV?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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