CHICAGO -- The special-edition packages that Chevrolet has rolled out across its pickup portfolio -- think blacked-out wheels and slick graphics -- have been so well-received that Chevy plans to apply the idea to its SUVs.
"We're looking at special editions in the Tahoe family," Chevy U.S. chief Brian Swee-ney told Automotive News on the sidelines of the auto show here. "We're close on one."
Chevy is showing Midnight Special Edition models of its 2016 Silverado light-duty pickup and its Colorado midsize pickup at the show here. They combine off-road gear, such as a locking rear differential and a hill-descent control feature, with a "monochromatic" blacked-out appearance, including an all-black grille, alloy wheels and the bow-tie emblem.
Chevy is offering several other special editions on its pickups, including a recently announced Special Operations package on the Silverado, which features bigger wheels, fender flares, camouflage paint and LED grille lights.
Sweeney wouldn't say what package is in the works for the Tahoe. A blacked-out Midnight edition is a good bet eventually, though -- it has been the most popular of the new special models on the Silverado, said Sandor Piszar, Chevy trucks marketing director.
Chevy's SUV sales slipped last year, after big growth in 2014, the year that the redesigned Tahoe and Suburban were introduced. Tahoe sales last year fell 10 percent, to 88,342. Suburban sales slid 8 percent, to 50,866.
