New Chevy Silverado Leaked In Federal Goverment Patent Filings, And It's As Big As Ever

We're getting our first look at one of the most important vehicles in the entire American automotive industry thanks to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Drawings of the fifth-generation 2027 Chevy Silverado have leaked online, and they promise a total redesign of the truck's front end, an even taller hood and a rear end that looks a bit more in line with the Silverado EV.

The current Silverado has been in production since 2018, so it was certainly time for an overhaul, and while things look very different from these line drawings, it is still unmistakably a General Motors truck. To be fair, the patent doesn't say Silverado anywhere on it, but it doesn't take a brain genius to put two and two together. Initially, the patent (number D1,104,864 if you want to look it up yourself) was filed on August 12, 2024, but it didn't get approval from the Patent and Trademark Office until December 9, 2025. A few days later, those intrepid reporters over at Car And Driver noticed it, and it has since spread like wildfire online.

In any case, the next-gen Silverado gets new split headlights that look fairly reminiscent of the current Tahoe and Suburban's with an LED market light and turn signal up top and an LED headlight on the bottom separated. It's sort of a return to form. Silverados almost always had layered headlights until the current generation. One thing that remains the same up front, though, is the massive grille. It's as upright and imposing as ever, and the bowtie looks like it'll sit about 7/8th of the way up it on a crossbar that cuts the headlights in half.

The front bumper also doesn't look terribly different from the outgoing car, thanks to a big ol' tranpezoidal section in the middle. The hood, however, does seem to be a bit more chiseled than it was before, as do the front fenders. Of course, you should take all of this with a bit of a grain of salt since we've only got these line drawings to go off of. I'm sure the car will look different in the flesh.

Chevrolet via USPTO

Out back, the next-gen Silverado seems to take design cues from both the previous gas-powered 'Rado and the EV — especially in the taillight areas. They look to be wider than they were before, while also being a bit shorter than the ones on the current truck. Luckily, the bumper still keeps the integrated steps at the outer corners, which makes getting your crap in and out of its massively high bed that much easier.

Chevy's patent doesn't reveal anything about the truck's interior, but Car And Driver asserts that it'll more than likely have a large screen that extends from the steering wheel to the center of the dashboard — similar to what is currently found in a number of Cadillac models. That would be incredibly welcome. The current Silverado has a solid infotainment system, but Cadillac's massive screen is one of the best in the business.

As for powertrains, C And D says some motors like, like the turbocharged inline-four and Duramax turbodiesel inline-six, will carry over with minor changes. However, the meat and potatoes of the lineup, Chevy's small-block V8, will get a major overhaul by the time this thing comes out. In fact, it should be an all-new engine.

We'll have plenty of time to speculate, though. The current Silverado is going to have to soldier on for at least another year, because this guy isn't going to show up until the 2027 model year at the earliest.