Chevrolet just developed the ‘Beast' concept, you might return your Cybertruck deposit.
Tuesday, November 2, 2021 | Chimniii Desk
Key Highlights
- The Chevrolet Beast, which was unveiled just hours earlier at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, is the closest thing you're likely to get to owning a Halo Warthog.
- The Beast is a desert-ready monster designed to "push the popularity of high-performance off-road trucks to the next level," according to Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports.
- 'Built on a modified Silverado chassis, the Beast concept was designed to convert any terrain to pavement, albeit the photoshoot heavily suggests desert driving.
- "For the time being, the Beast is not available for purchase, but the fact that Chevrolet debuted such a deadly machine at SEMA demonstrates the company's direction.
- The Beast is joined at the Vegas event by eight other concepts, and you can learn more about the vehicles on display at Chevrolet's own SEMA microsite.
With the same "Drive fast, leave a sexy corpse" bad-boy mentality as the Cybertruck, the Chevy Beast promises to transform any terrain into a road.
The Chevrolet Beast, which was unveiled just hours earlier at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, is the closest thing you're likely to get to owning a Halo Warthog. The Beast is a desert-ready monster designed to "push the popularity of high-performance off-road trucks to the next level," according to Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports.
True, you can't properly compare the Beast to the Cybertruck without first accepting that they belong to entirely distinct vehicle categories. One is a master of the terrain, while the other is purpose-built as a heavy-duty cargo-pulling vehicle... However, they share an intersecting audience — those who simply want to buy a macho vehicle with 'huge chassis energy.'
Built on a modified Silverado chassis, the Beast concept was designed to convert any terrain to pavement, albeit the photoshoot heavily suggests desert driving. Under the hood is a Chevrolet Performance LT4 crate engine – a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 rated at an insane 650 horsepower – mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission that directs torque to a two-speed transfer case, which distributes it to 37-inch-tall off-road tyres mounted on 20-inch beadlock wheels.
Despite its performance-oriented design, the Beast is, as its name implies, somewhat terrifying to look at. The truck's aggressive angular features and narrow lighting provide it a no-nonsense look. Tubular doors and a simple clamshell-style front end reflect the functionality and aesthetics of desert running, while the rear of the vehicle was purposefully designed with almost no overhang to maximise the angle of attack on steep grades, as well as an open design to allow dust to pass through without collecting inside the vehicle. Additional distinctive design elements include a bespoke front grille, front and rear bowtie emblems, and Baja Designs® off-road lighting.
On the inside, the Beast's cabin is basic and utilitarian, with a quartet of four-point harnessed seats and a pair of 7-inch-diagonal LCD screens that monitor vehicle operations and performance statistics, such as pitch and roll during off-road driving scenarios.
"There is nothing else quite like The Chevy Beast," says Jeff Trush, general manager of Pace Car and Specialty Show Vehicles at General Motors. "It packs a punch in terms of performance and capability, which enables it to handle difficult terrain — and it just flies in desert running."
For the time being, the Beast is not available for purchase, but the fact that Chevrolet debuted such a deadly machine at SEMA demonstrates the company's direction. The Beast is joined at the Vegas event by eight other concepts, and you can learn more about the vehicles on display at Chevrolet's own SEMA microsite.
Designer: Chevrolet