Chevy Silverado Hybrid Rescues Brickyard 400 Display

On-Board Generator Used To Power 80,000 Sq. Ft. Chevy Display During Power Outage

INDIANAPOLIS - The Chevrolet Silverado Parallel Hybrid Truck (PHT) provided a real-world demonstration of General Motors' hybrid technology after a local power outage threatened to shutdown Chevy's largest annual motorsport display at the NASCAR Brickyard 400 on Saturday.

The Chevy Silverado PHT features four 120-volt, 20 amp electrical auxiliary outlets under the rear seat of the cab and in the pickup bed that can accommodate up to four accessories while driving or when parked. The truck could power tools or appliances for up to 32 hours non-stop.

When the power went out in Indy affecting everything from the scoring tower to a large portion of the midway, a 2005 Chevy Silverado PHT was simply repositioned to power the various audio systems being utilized in the Chevy American Revolution display to entertain thousands of race fans.

"With some quarter of a million race fans at this venue, our ability to communicate is critical and without power everything comes to its knees as we lose all ability to communicate with our guests, " said Terry Dolan, Marketing Manager for Chevy Racing. "Having that Silverado hybrid allowed us to recoup and get back in action after only a couple of minutes. It was pretty remarkable how easily we were able to overcome such a potentially disruptive event."

The Silverado pickup was used for nearly two hours to power the audio systems being used by the emcee of the event, former MTV veejay Ricky Rachtman, as well as sound panels broadcasting XM radio stations during intermissions.

The Chevy Silverado PHT is the world's first full-size hybrid pickup. It features GM's powerful 5300 Vortec V-8 and Hydra-Matic 4L60-E four-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid delivers 10 to 12 percent improved fuel economy over GM half-ton pickups with no compromise in performance or utility. The Chevy Silverado PHT is more efficient because of the engine start/stop function and regenerative braking, which turns the motor into a generator as the truck decelerates. These hybrid versions of the 2005 Chevy Silverado will be available to retail customers this fall.

In 2003, GM again set industry sales records in the United States, its largest market, for total trucks and sport utility vehicles. GM became the first manufacturer to sell more than 2.8 million trucks in a calendar year and the first to sell more than 1.3 million SUVs. GM also remained the industry leader in total sales of cars and total sales of full-size pickup trucks.

General Motors , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.