It’s been more than a century since the Chevrolet brand was founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Across its over 100-year history, the Chevy brand has produced various types of vehicles, including SUVs, trucks, and sedans.
Chevy vehicles are manufactured by General Motors and, most times, share the same platform/chassis with GMC models.
This article lists the various Chevy truck models by year of production. There are over 300 Chevrolet truck models produced to date since the first-ever model launched in the 1930s. Chevy trucks are among the sturdiest models in the market and are packed with high-performance engines, too.
Chevy Trucks History
Chevrolet is popular for its truck series that boosts of some of the best market-leading models. Chevy trucks are highly powered for all kinds of truck activities and are also durable.
The first-ever Chevrolet truck was launched in 1934 – named Chevrolet Master; it was a medium-duty truck with an engine producing around 84.5hp – pretty poor but acceptable then.
Chevrolet has been producing different models of truck vehicles since 1930 – there are over 300 models so far.
The Silverado line is the most popular because it comprises light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty truck models – codenamed 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500, to differentiate the models. You can’t go wrong with a Chevy truck.
Chevy Truck Models By Year
1. 1941 – 1947 (Chevrolet AK Series)
The Chevy AK Series truck were light-duty trucks produced from 1941 to 1947. It was based on the GM A platform with the Chevrolet Deluxe.
Chevy AK series trucks were the best you could get at that time, but they were pretty good and flaunted attractive aesthetics. The powertrain comprised a 216 cu-in 3.5L I6 with a 3-speed manual transmission. You won’t find this truck on the roads anymore.
2. 1947 – 1955 (Chevrolet Advance Design)
After the AK series was discontinued, Chevrolet started producing “Advanced Designed” trucks. This series comprises light and medium-duty trucks – built to offer bigger space and higher sturdiness than the AK series.
Chevy Advanced Design trucks were equipped with higher-specked engines, and a 4-speed automatic transmission was available for the 1954 – 1955 models.
3. 1955 – 1961 (Chevrolet Task Force)
As expected, newer models should perform much better than older ones. The Chevy Task Force series was light and medium-duty trucks equipped with mainly V8 engines – some models came with I6 engines (3.9L and 4.3L), which produced a lot of power as needed for any trucking activity.
Also, the series had manual and automatic transmission options across all models.
4. 1960 – 2002 (Chevrolet C/K)
The C/K series is the longest of all Chevy truck series; well, if Chevy continues the Silverado legacy, it may outlive the C/K series. Between 1960 and 2002, General Motors produces several truck models under the Chevy brand – across four generations.
Mainly, the C/K series has chassis-cab trucks and medium-duty trucks. Models named with “C” had front-wheel drive powertrains, while models named with “K” had four-wheel drive powertrains. Hence the name “C/K.”
First Generation Models (1960–1966): The first-gen models were produced from 1960 to 1966; they were mainly light-duty trucks by design – aimed to replace the Task Force series.
Chevy C/K first-gen models include C-10, C-15, C-20, C-14, Apache, and Apache Crewcab – some of these models were renewed for the second generation. There were no redesigns or facelifts for the first-gen models, but GM made some small touches to the design for each new model year.
Second Generation (1967 – 1972): Comprising light and medium-duty trucks, the Chevy C/K second-gen models were pretty much powered – more than the first-gen models. This second-gen truck line was nicknamed “Action-Line.” So, the Action Line C/K trucks had a wide range of options – full-size pickup trucks, chassis cab trucks, and medium-duty commercial trucks.
For its launch, the 1967 model came with the same four-engine range as the first-gen models. There were also two Chevrolet small-block V8s. The next year, 1968, Chevy added a 396 cubic-inch V8 engine. The transmission options available were a 2-speed Powerglide automatic and a 3-speed automatic.
Third Generation (1972–1991): The third-gen C/K trucks were nicknamed “Rounded-Line,” and flaunted a better design than the older generations. It was produced across 18 model years, which made it the third-longest produced a truck model of American pickup trucks.
Rounded-Line C/K models offered a new four-door crew cab pickup truck alongside the traditional two-door pickup and chassis cab trucks.
Multiple engines and transmission options were available for the models produced in this third generation. Engine options include 4.8L I6, 4.3L V6, 6.0L V8, 5.7L Diesel V8, and 6.2L Detroit Diesel V8. Transmission options were 3-speed automatic, 4-speed automatic, 3-speed manual, and 4-speed manual.
Fourth Generation (1991–2002): This generation marked the end of the C/K series. It was produced from 1991 to 2002, featuring medium and light-duty trucks. Unlike its predecessors, the fourth-generation C/K line was not given a moniker.
4th-gen C/K trucks were mainly full-size pickup trucks and chassis cabs – but later transited into full-size SUVs. Engine options were majorly V8s and V6s paired with manual or automatic 3-speed, 4-speed, or 5-speed transmissions.
5. 2001 – 2006 (Chevy Avalanche First-Gen)
General Motors produced Avalanche models from 2001 to 2013; however, the first generation models ended with the 2006 model year.
Chevrolet Avalanche trucks were not so popular because the Silverado models were doing pretty well in the market. The Avalanche was built on Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade EXT chassis as a five or six-passenger pickup truck.
Chevy Avalanche has an off-road specific trim – the Z71. This trim comes standard with an off-road package, higher suspension, and a push-button four-wheel-drive system.
Engine options for the Avalanche were a 5.3L V8 gasoline, 5.3L V8 gasoline/E85, and 8.1L V8 gasoline, while the transmission was a 4-speed 4L60-E automatic.
Second generation (2007–2013): The second generation models started with the 2007 model year after the Avalanche was redesigned at the Silao Assembly in April 2006. This generation’s models came with all the standard and available features on Chevy’s Suburban and Tahoe models.
The Z71 package was available for the second-generation Avalanche – on the LT trim. Second-gen Avalanche offers more space and features, which is the difference from the first-gen models.
6. 1999 – to date (Chevy Silverado)
The Silverado truck range is currently Chevrolet’s flagship series. It offers a wide variety of truck models for every need, including heavy-duty trucks that can tow up to 34,000-pound weight.
Silverado models are built to compete against the Ford F-Series, Nissan Titan, Ram Pickup, and Toyota Tundra models. Chevy Silverado models include 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 – with their heavy-duty variants.
First Generation (1998 to 2008): First-generation models of the Chevy Silverado truck featured classical vehicles. Starting with the 1500 and 2500 pickup trucks, which were “classic” light-duty models, to the heavy-duty models, which are indicated with an “HD” moniker. For example, 1500 is a light-duty truck, and the 1500HD is a heavy-duty variant.
Second Generation (2006–2013): The Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 models were all renewed for the second generation, and a few new engines were introduced, too. Second-gen Chevy Silverado trucks had a redesigned interior, exterior, suspension, and frame – with more powerful engines.
These second-gen models had the options of two-door regular cabs, four-door extended cabs, and four-door crew cabs. An all-new hybrid model was available in this generation.
Third Generation (2013 – 2019): Third-gen Silverado trucks were very much better than models from the previous generations – with major updates on the HD editions. There were pretty many special editions launched in the third-gen era, like the Rally Edition 1 & 2, Black Out, Texas Edition, and Midnight HD edition.
General Motors had the 2017 model year facelifted, and a new 6.6L Duramax Turbodiesel V8 (L5P) was introduced in the same year. Before the production of the third-gen range stopped in 2019, GM built a few special editions to mark its 100th anniversary as a truck manufacturer in the United States.
Fourth Generation (2019 to date): On December 16, 2017, Chevrolet unveiled the all-new, fourth-generation 2019 Silverado 1500. Well, not only was 1500 renewed for the fourth-gen, but it is the only model with the highest number of upgrades and updates in this generation. Available trim levels include WT, Custom, Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, and High Country.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Truck Series Does Chevy Produce?
Chevrolet produces different truck models across four series – AK, C/K, Avalanche, and Silverado. There are other series like the Colorado and Montana. However, only the Silverado series is still actively updated.
What are the old Chevy Trucks Called?
Old and discontinued Chevy trucks include the AK series, Advanced Designed, Action-Line, and Task Force line. These old series have long been discontinued; however, you may still find a couple of them listed in used car dealerships.
What is Chevy’s Most Reliable Truck?
The Chevy Silverado 1500 is practically the brand’s best-selling truck model, and that’s because of its dependability. It is the most-trusted Chevy truck in America, and yes, it lives up to the hype and facts.