The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and Impala will be atop the fountain in Comerica Park's center field for the American League Champion Detroit Tigers' home opener on Friday.
DETROIT- The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and Impala will be atop the fountain in Comerica Park’s center field for the American League Champion Detroit Tigers’ home opener on Friday.
The full-size pickup truck and full-size sedan were picked by General Motors Co. to take the well-marketed spots atop the Chevrolet Fountain inside the park for the Detroit Tigers 2013 baseball season.
During last season, the Detroit-based automaker chose the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro and Malibu Eco to be on top of the fountain.
The Silverado and Impala, which were both hoisted into place on Monday, are expected to be two of the most important vehicles for the brand, as it overhauls its vehicle lineup.
The Silverado theatrically debuted late-last year during a special event in Pontiac prior to the 2013 North American International Auto Show. The vehicle is expected to debut this spring and, according to GM, will not only achieve the best fuel economy of any V8 pickup; it will top Ford Motor Co.’s F-150 pickup with its highly-touted EcoBoost V6 engine.
“This sets a new bar for mainstream pickups,” said Jeff Luke, GM full-size trucks executive chief engineer, during a conference call Monday afternoon to announce the pickup's specifications. "We think this is really important. These are not just plain trucks. These are trucks that most customers will actually buy and drive.”
The Impala, which debuted about a year ago, features an aggressive exterior redesign that takes distinctive cues from vehicles such as the Chevy Camaro and Malibu.
The “flagship" sedan will be offered in LS, LT and LTZ models, and three direct-injected engines: a 3.6-liter V6, new 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with eAssist,
Impala production began Monday in Oshawa, Ontario, and will go into product at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant later this month.
In 2012, at the end of their vehicle life cycles, the two vehicles combined for more than 380,300 sales -- 169,351 Impalas and 210,951 Silverados.
Chevrolet has been the Tigers automotive sponsor since 2010. Before that, from 2000-2008 Comerica Park's fountain was called the General Motors Fountain.
In 2009, when the automaker cutback its advertising during its restructuring, the Tigers did not sell space on the fountain. The organization instead put Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler logos up alongside GM's sign. Then in 2010, Chevrolet renewed sponsorship of the fountain at the start, according to GM.
The Detroit Tigers will take on the New York Yankees starting at 1:08 p.m. Friday for their home opener in Detroit’s Comerica Park. Click here for full coverage of all Opening Day events.