2019 Chevrolet Silverado Breaks Down in the Middle of Detroit Red Wings Marketing Stunt (Updated)
Red truck, Red Wings, red faces.
Update, 4:37pm EST: On a call with The Drive, a Chevrolet spokesperson clarified that the Silverado did not actually "break down" per se. According to the company rep, the Silverado's driver had to turn off the engine while the truck was stationary at the blue line—understandable, since running a hot, internally combusted V8 in one place, over ice for too long probably isn't ideal. When the truck was restarted, the driver then accidentally accepted a software update, rendering it immobile for the next several minutes. Once the update was done, the Silverado drove off the ice problem-free.
So, essentially what we have here is one of those stories where somebody is giving an uber-important PowerPoint presentation until Windows or iTunes or something interrupts with their own plans. Hey, we've all been there.
It's certainly been a long week for General Motors' PR department. After announcing the closure of three North American plants, the culling of over 14,000 jobs, and the discontinuation of six vehicles, what should've been a relatively routine marketing stunt turned into quite the embarrassing blunder.
At Wednesday night's Detroit Red Wings home game, a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss broke down on the ice during the second intermission, reports GM Authority. The Chevy pickup was reportedly supposed to drive around the rink and show itself off to the thousands of hockey fans at Little Caesars Arena but the Trail Boss "ground to a halt after just barely making it to the blue line," forcing Zambonis to go around it. Not very Boss.
Notably in attendance was Dan Jones, the North American SUV Communications Manager for rival truckmaker Ford. Taking to Twitter, Jones says the Silverado had to be "towed off with a Zamboni" while GM Authority and Chevy themselves say the truck eventually started and made its way off the ice on its own. After some Instagram sleuthing on our part, the latter story appears to have been the correct one.
In Trail Boss guise, the 2019 Silverado is powered by a 5.3-liter V8 good for 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. In case you were wondering, the Red Wings went on to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 later that night.
