TRUCKIN'; GM UPS ANTE IN BATTLE FOR PICKUP SUPREMACY : CHEVROLET LAUNCHES '99 SILVERADO.

Byline: Brian S. Akre Associated Press 

The auto industry's best-selling product isn't an auto; it's an all-American pickup truck. Big pickups represent the last market segment that remains the near-exclusive domain of Detroit's Big Three.

This week, the battle for the hearts, minds and monthly payments of the nation's pickup owners heated up as Chevrolet launched its redesigned, full-size Silverado pickup in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign.

The '99 Silverado debuted in national TV ads Thursday night. Chevy said the marketing campaign is the biggest in the history of General Motors Corp.'s largest division.

There's a lot at stake. The Chevy pickup, previously called the C/K, is GM's volume leader and among its most profitable vehicles. It represents 13 percent of GM's North American sales; the truck's $14 billion in annual revenue exceeds that of Microsoft Corp., Nike Inc. and Time-Warner Inc.

``There is no vehicle more important than our full-size pickup,'' Silverado brand manager Kurt Ritter said Wednesday. ``The success of Silverado is critical to the success of Chevrolet and General Motors.''

The new version uses fewer parts and is cheaper to build, which means GM stands to make even more money if it can maintain or expand its market share.

Chevy's pickup perennially ranks No. 2 to Ford's F-series, the top-selling vehicle in the United States for the past 16 years. Last year Ford sold 746,111 of the big trucks, compared with 553,729 for the C/K. GM also sold 171,674 GMC Sierra pickups, the Chevy's structural twin.

To challenge Ford for pickup supremacy, GM will have to win over the competition's loyal owners with a new model that's more conservatively styled than the curvaceous F-series or the bull-nosed Dodge Ram.

The Silverado and Sierra also lack what has become a hit option at Ford and Dodge dealers: dual rear doors for access to the back seat. GM's extended-cab models will be equipped only with one rear door on the passenger side; a four-door model won't be available until the 2000 model year.

But industry analyst James Hall of AutoPacific Inc. said the delay shouldn't hurt GM as it continues to increase production of the '99 Silverado and Sierra.

``The full-size pickup market is one of the last bastions of hard-core brand loyalty,'' Hall said. ``As they ramp up, they're not even going to be able to meet the demand of the Chevy buyers. They'll have no trouble selling what they're building for at least the next eight months.''

The '99 Silverado and Sierra represent the first redesign of GM's full-size pickup in a decade. Reviews have been positive.

``Everybody is very favorably impressed,'' said David E. Davis Jr., editor of Automobile Magazine. ``There are some misgivings about the very conservative styling. If they're going to stand out, it's on the very high level of quality and creature comforts in their cab.''

The styling changes are likely to be noticed only by serious pickup devotees. GM rejected a radical redesign, opting not to offend the tastes of current owners.

``In the pursuit of new business, you don't want to alienate the group that you have - the one that brought you to the dance in the first place,'' Ritter said.

Surprisingly, the 11-year-old C/K was selling at the same rate in the first half of the year as it did in its first year - before the summer's strikes halted production.

It was the threat the strikes posed to the '99 launch that figured into GM's decision to settle the walkouts in late July without winning any major concessions from the United Auto Workers. GM says the production launch has gone well and remains on schedule. The plants in Fort Wayne, Ind.; Oshawa, Ontario; and near Detroit are expected to reach full production by January.

Chevy is taking Ford and Dodge on by name in its introductory ads, which boast that the Silverado extended cab is bigger than the F-150 or Ram. The ads also claim that the Silverado's optional 300-horsepower V8 is the most powerful of any pickup.

Ford began a pre-emptive ad offensive two weeks ago with a subtle slight at Chevrolet's ``like a rock'' advertising theme: ``You're not going to find a better truck anywhere,'' the Ford ads insist. ``Not even if you look under a rock.''

Just the facts: '99 Silverado

The Chevrolet division of General Motors Corp. debuted its redesigned Silverado pickup in television ads Thursday night. Some facts about the new truck and the ad campaign:

VEHICLE: 1999 Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup.

PRICE RANGE: $15,995 for base model to $31,628 for option-loaded four-wheel-drive, extended cab LT model with the long bed.

COMPETITION: Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra (debuts in May).

ASSEMBLY PLANTS: Pontiac, Mich.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Oshawa, Ontario.

VERSIONS: Half-ton or three-quarter ton; regular or extended cab; two- or four-wheel-drive; short or long wheel base; fleet side or sport side. Four-door extended cab available in 2000.

DISTINCTION: GM's top-selling vehicle, represents 13 percent of the automaker's North American sales.

NEW FEATURES: Stiffer but lighter frame; improved suspension and brakes, with four-wheel, anti-lock discs standard on all versions; three new V-8 engines available - 4.8, 5.3 and 6 liter.

STRUCTURAL TWIN: GMC Sierra.

TYPICAL BUYER: Male (91 percent), married (72 percent), median age 46, needs truck for work (60 percent), household income $55,000 to $65,000.

WEB SITE: www.chevrolet.com.

Source: GM

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO (Color) Pickup trucks are the best-selling vehicle in America, and GM hopes its '99 full-size Silverado, with its redesigned body, tops the market.

BOX: Just the facts: '99 Silverado (see text)

Associated Press