General Motors and Allison Transmission End Branding Deal, Requiring Unsold Trucks to be De-Badged Next Year

• GM heavy-duty pickups used Allison transmissions between 2001 and 2020, but kept the badging until now.

• Current Silverado HD and Sierra HD trucks use a GM-built 10-speed automatic that was approved by Allison.

• Before June 29, 2026, all unsold trucks will need to have their Allison badges removed.

General Motors and Allison Transmission will end their long-standing partnership on the last day of 2025.

Between 2001 and 2020, Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups used automatic transmissions designed and manufactured by Allison Transmission, a manufacturer specializing in heavy-duty transmissions for use in busses, 18-wheelers, and military equipment, among others.

This move was intended to reassure customers about the durability of GM trucks in the face of ever-increasing Diesel engine torque and towing capacities, which seemed to grow exponentially at the start of the new millenium.

In 2020, General Motors introduced a new 10-speed automatic called 10L1000, which it co-developed with Ford for use in HD pickups.

While Allison was not involved in this transmission’s development or manufacturing, the company vetted the design, which allowed Chevrolet and GMC trucks to keep their “Allison Transmission” badges.

According to General Motors, the licensing agreement that allowed it to use the Allison name on its own transmission will expire at the end of the year because the companies couldn’t come to an agreement to extend it into 2026.

This means that after December 31^st 2025, no new GM trucks will be allowed to leave the factory with the Allison badge and dealerships won’t be able to create new marketing materials that mentions the equipment manufacturer.

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A letter sent by GM to its dealers, which was published by TFL Truck, explains that there will be a 180-day grace period to allow for the sales of remaining inventories.

This means that by June 29^th 2026, all online and physical promotional materials will have to be removed.

More interestingly, unsold trucks that remain in dealer inventories anywhere will need to have their badges replaced with a new one that doesn’t mention Allison, as they won’t be allowed to be sold past that date.

To be clear, no mechanical changes will have to occur, both in new and unsold trucks, since the 10-speed transmission is manufactured by GM. This is entirely a marketing and branding modification.

Source: TFL Truck.com