Expected to be shown in the buff at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, spy photographers have captured our best look yet at the upcoming 2019 Chevrolet Silverado.

In a departure from recent Chevy trucks, it appears this test mule has a few curves and was not wholly designed with a builder’s square. It’s tough to tell with the granular camo, of course, but the shot of the rear three-quarter appears to show off a character line not seen before on Chevy trucks.

A dramatic crease seems to start just behind the headlight, extending back across the fender before making a dip towards terra firma along the driver’s door. For years, the only curved features on the Silverado exterior were the tires… and, are those rounded wheel wells?

If so, that detail would mark a significant departure in the Chevy truck design language, as the squared-off look has appeared on just about every Chevrolet half-ton since 1973. This may simply be some visual chicanery thanks to the camouflage, but this author doesn’t think so.

Also of note, the hubs remain the six-lug variety, the CHMSL seems narrower and wider than the current unit, and the front fascia incorporate some sort of ‘C’ shaped LEDs separating the upper and lower front lighting units.

GM is rumoured to make some radical changes to its full-size pickups in the form of an aluminum-intensive construction in a bid to shed weight and improve efficiency. The company is said to be working on making stronger aluminum and learning from Ford’s implementation of aluminum, after making fun of it in their marketing, of course.

A turbocharged V6 option is also said to be on offer with the new generation of GM trucks, as is a diesel V6 and a traditional V8. The 10-speed automatic, already seen in the Camaro ZL1, should replace the current 8-speed unit in many, if not all, versions of the Silverado.

The Silverado should be revealed next year, with an on-sale date in the latter half of 2018.