What Happened To The Chevy Cheyenne?

In 1971, Chevrolet introduced a trim level for second-generation C/K series trucks called the Chevy Cheyenne. Chevy continued selling the Cheyenne trim in the US until 1998 when it was discontinued prior to the Silverado’s launch. In 2003, Chevy resurrected the Cheyenne name for a concept car it showcased at the North American International Auto Show. concept Cheyenne featured innovations like side access doors and bed-mounted cargo areas. 

The old Cheyenne trim for the Chevy C/K is no longer available in the US. However, the Cheyenne’s had a long afterlife over in Mexico, where it’s the brand name GM uses for premium Silverado trims. The General Motors factory in Silao, Guanajuato, has produced the Chevrolet Silverado and its Cheyenne trim since 2005. Cheyenne is marketed as a high-end trim line in Mexico, while Silverado is entry-level, with the “work truck” and custom trim levels. 

The latest Cheyenne, the 2022 Chevy Cheyenne ZR2, is fitted with a standard turbocharged engine. The vehicle has a unique grille and hood, 18-inch black wheels with off-road tires, and a two-inch raised suspension. It’s rumored that a similar trim level marketed with the same name might be introduced in the US market soon. 

Features Of The Chevrolet Cheyenne 

The 2022 Chevrolet Cheyenne ZR2 is power-packed with a six-liter, 500-horsepower V8 engine with a torque of 580. The car has a Quadrasteer four-wheel steering system with an independent rear suspension. Honda Ridgeline and Cheyenne offer the same cargo space, but the Cheyenne has the advantage of side access doors which allows you to offload the vehicle from either side. 

The older C/K Cheyennes were a far cry from Chevy’s modern V8 monster. Cheyenne C/K trucks in the early 1990s had a compression ratio of 9:1:1 and horsepower and torque of 165 and 236, respectively. Models built post-1995 significantly improved horsepower and torque. The 1992 Cheyenne C3500/K3500 trucks are worth mentioning: they were fitted with four rear wheels instead of two, allowing the truck to double its weight-carrying capacity. The four wheels also worked great in case of punctures. 

Summary

The Chevy Cheyenne brand has come to mean different things over the years. The Cheyenne started off as a premium trim for Chevy’s C/K line of pickup trucks. When the C/K was phased out in the late 90s to make way for the Silverado, Chevy, naturally, stopped selling Cheyenne trim C/Ks. In Mexico, though, the Cheyenne lives on as a premium version of the Silverado. In Mexico, Chevy brands their top-tier Silverado trims, “Cheyenne,” and uses the Silverado name for entry-level models. To answer the original question, Cheyenne is still very much around as a brand: it’s just moved to Mexico as a Silverado trim. 

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