Delay continues along with Toyota cries for foul

The 2014 Silverado’s statistics will be based on Chevy’s tests, not those developed by SAE.

The Detroit 3 is still stuck in a marketing confrontation over towing declarations for light pickups and that will continue probably until 2015.

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler rearranged their plans to continue ignoring the towing standard for pickups last week, along with SAE International, for the 2013 car year.

Instead of using the previously agreed test procedures to calculate the towing capacity, each auto brand will use its own tests. That will also increase the numbers in contrast to SAE standards. It makes the Detroit 3 representatives happier but leaves Toyota, the only member of the agreement that followed the standard test procedures, crying foul, with lowered towing stats.

At the previous New York auto show, a Toyota executive asked other auto brands to step up and to act right. But Jeff Luke, Chevrolet Silverado chief engineer, informed that GM won't follow the standard until its competitors start to do that, for example, segment leader Ford. Ditto Chrysler's Ram auto brand.

Ford, from its side, says that they understood the meaning of the standard to be applied only to new or redesigned vehicles, starting in the 2013 model year. The change won't be implemented until its next pickup is redesigned, approximately in 2015.

So for now, the confrontation continues.