2019 Chevrolet Silverado: Here's a quick first look

Well, it looks like Chevrolet knows how to make an entrance. The company surprised a group of media and Chevy truck owners at with a first look at the 2019 Silverado by flying the truck in by helicopter. The presentation came Saturday at a centennial celebration staged at Texas Motor Speedway.

General Motors remains mum on specs for the next-generation full-sized pickup, saying only that it will be lighter weight and come in eight trims, including the new Silverado LT Trailboss shown here. This model includes everything on the off-road specific Z71 package and adds a factory-backed two-inch suspension lift.

We're curious if any new advanced driver assist systems will make it into the 2019 Silverado, as the current model is pretty light on such technologies. (Today's Silverado doesn't offer blind-spot monitoring or adaptive cruise control, while the Ford F-150 is full of such things).

We're also curious to see what engine technology the Silverado adopts. While some of its rivals have adopted downsized turbocharged engines, GM has resolutely stuck with naturally aspirated powerplants, improving fuel economy through other measures.

This truck -- and its GMC Sierra twin -- are the bedrock of GM's entire business model. Even bearing in mind the Silverado's spectacular helicopter fly-in, there may be splashier new vehicle introductions this year, but none will be as important to their automaker as this pickup.

We'll get a closer look at the Silverado at the Detroit Auto Show in January.