Next-Gen Chevy Colorado Gets Ready for World Debut

[GMTruckGuy74]

Link: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/09/next-gen-chevy-colorado-gets-ready-for-world-debut.html

Next-Gen Chevy Colorado Gets Ready for World Debut

Posted by Mark Williams | September 21, 2011

By Mark Williams

Final testing of GM's all-new Chevy Colorado, built in Rayong, Thailand, is coming to an end as the global midsize pickup truck prepares for its worldwide introduction.

Thailand will be the first market to get the new truck, but concepts of the vehicle, such as the Colorado Rally, have already been seen in Argentina, Australia and Germany.

The model lineup will feature crew-cab and extended-cab variants powered by GM's new four-cylinder Duramax diesel engines. Built right next door to the Colorado's plant, the newly developed engines (2.5-liter and 2.8-liter turbo-diesels) will feature overhead cams, aluminum cylinder heads and specially controlled turbochargers.

Chief Engineer Roberto Rempel (pictured above) said his team finessed GM's successful truck formula to ensure the new Colorado meets local market needs in Southeast Asia and abroad. Rempel and his team lived in Thailand during the Colorado's development, immersing themselves in that highly competitive truck market and observing how the locals use their vehicles.

"The hard work for this program has been done, and we are incredibly pleased with the results," Rempel said. "We know customers of this type of vehicle want a workhorse and a daily-use vehicle all in one, so our product has to deliver.

"We have benchmarked the toughest, most flexible vehicles around the world. When you combine that approach with our detailed consideration of global expectations, we are confident the new Colorado will be a winner," Rempel said.

What does this mean for us? We assume that means the truck is coming here, which is what our sources told us in March when we posted the first look of the Colorado show car.

Although no official announcements have been made about a new midsize truck for the U.S. market, it's been reported that according to the terms in the recently negotiated UAW labor agreements, GM will invest $380 million at the Wentzville, Mo., plant to build a new pickup truck platform. The Shreveport, La., plant where current-gen Colorados and GMC Canyons are built is scheduled to close next year.

For more background on the GMI 700 platform, stay tuned to PickupTrucks.com.

[daves87rs]

Waiting....

[ocnblu]

Needs a regular cab, too, not just extended and crew, for work fleets and sport truck customers.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Link to article: http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2011/163_news110921_chevrolet_colorado_coming_to_the_us/index.html

Is the All-New Chevrolet Colorado Coming to the U.S.?

Maybe Chevrolet Colorado pickup is beginning to show its age

September 21, 2011

By Ben Timmins

The current-model Chevrolet Colorado pickup is beginning to show its age, but there may be something in the pipeline to replace it: General Motors' newest contract with the United Auto Workers suggests that it will produce and sell the all-new Colorado in the United States.

A sizeable portion of the contract between GM and the UAW, which was made public on Tuesday, calls for GM to invest $2.5 billion in its domestic plants to boost American production. One of those investments surrounds GM's Wentzville, Missouri plant, which presently builds the company's full-size G vans (i.e. Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana). The agreement, however, calls for the plant to build a new midsize pickup.

We wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that truck turns out to be the all-new, second-generation Colorado. Although GM is wrapping up development of the truck for foreign markets, the automaker has shied away from explicitly stating the truck will be sold in North America. That said, a Chevy spokesperson previously indicated if the company decides to bring a midsize truck to our shores, it would be the new Colorado. Here's hoping.

When it goes on sale in Thailand, the Colorado will be available with an extended or crew cab, and feature either a 2.5-liter or 2.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine. The current U.S.-market Colorado/GMC Canyon is available with I-4, I-5, and V-8 engine choices, but the truck itself, which dates back to 2004, is more than showing its age at this point.

The introduction of the new Colorado to the American market might not be such a bad idea: since the introduction of the last Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, competition in the form of Ford's Ranger and Dodge's Dakota have been discontinued. A new Colorado would only spar against Nissan's Frontier and Toyota's Tacoma.

Source: UAW, GM

Read more: http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2011/163_news110921_chevrolet_colorado_coming_to_the_us/index.html#ixzz1YmxZp0SS

[GMTruckGuy74]

Needs a regular cab, too, not just extended and crew, for work fleets and sport truck customers.

According to the second article, When it goes on sale in Thailand, the Colorado will be available with an extended or crew cab - so it is very likely that if the new Colorado (and hopefully a GMC version) goes on sale in the US, a regular cab will be offered as it traditionally has been. Which could be another reason why the Holden Ute will not be offered for sale here too.

[CSpec]

The current Colorado was beginning to show its age the minute it debuted.

[GMTruckGuy74]

I received the latest edition of Truck Trend in yesterday's mail and the Chevy Colorado concept (Thailand version) is on the cover. I have yet to read any of the magzine, let alone the cover section.

The current Colorado was beginning to show its age the minute it debuted.

Well, I can't agree about its age at debut, but it definitely showed off its cheapened interior that was never addressed in its lifetime with a true MCE.

[hyperv6]

I got in one at Detroit before they hit the market. I told the guy from GM that I would not trade them my 97 Sonoma even for it. I tried to like it and I hoped they would improve it but by 08 I needed a new Vehicle and I chose a HHR over the Colorado at to this day have no regretts.

I never could figure out the waste of time putting the V8 in and not addressing the real issues. The I 5 was good enough for the average buyer but the styling and interior needed major help from the start.

I would love to see this new truck be of the quality the new GM cars are showing and be a hit on the market. The key is going to be the pricing. The problem is they charged so much for the last Colorado and then discounted the Silverado so much you had to be a fool to buy the smaller truck.

[Robert Hall]

The current Colorado was beginning to show its age the minute it debuted.

I remember seeing the first year ('05?) at an auto show when they first came out and thinking the interior looked cheaper and nastier than the S10 it replaced.

[ocnblu]

I found the interiors on the GMT355 to be made of more durable materials than my S-10s.

[z28luvr01]

I found the interiors on the GMT355 to be made of more durable materials than my S-10s.

Agreed, my '05 is coming up on 72K and there's not a squeak or rattle in it to be found (once I adjusted the striker for the ext. cab door). The directional/wiper/cruise stalk has yet to come off in my hand. Switches and buttons are light years ahead of those used in the S10. It's a truck, and the interior is befitting of a truck in that it's simple, functional, and easy to live with and maintain.

If you've only sampled the base (light grey, bench seat, manual windows) interior, then yeah, it's chintzy.

Still, I'm happy to hear that we're getting a new Colorado. The small truck segment is one that GM should not wave the white flag on, as it did the minivan market.

[hyperv6]

Well I owned a 88 S-10 With Tahoe Trim and a 97 loaded extended cab Sonoma with a ZQ8 suspension. Both trucks went over 100,000 miles for me with nary a interior issue. The GMC is yet on the road today in FL still with a perfect original interior,

The first Colorado I got in had seats that looked like they were out of a 1982 Camaro and this is not a good thing. The door panels flexed as I pulled on the door pulls and that with the cheap plastic did not inpress me as this was a upscale model too. The ZQ8 Colorado I drove the passenger seat back shook and viberated to the point you could see it as you drove down the road. These were things I never saw out of my Sonoma ZQ8 even when I autcrossed it. On a tight track I could out run a LT1 Z28 if we were both on street tires.

Even one of my bosses bought one and had nothing but issues. He even got the crew cab with leather and has seat issues with the materiral.

When they did this truck and jacked the price I tried to love it and worked hard for a long time to accept it but just never could. I did not want a full size but for the money a Truck sales discounted Silverado LT is a much better truck vs a similar priced Colorado.

I paid $11K for my S10 and sold it for $5K after 10 years and 100,000 miles. The Sonoma stickered at $22K and I bought it new for $17K then sold it 11 years later with 100,000 plus miles to the first buyer 3 hours after I put it up for sales for $5,500 in late 08. I looked at the price of the Colorado and used ones and could see I would never see any kind of resale on it like I had gotten with the other trucks.

I think Ford did the right thing even though they keep a old truck around a lot longer than they should have buy keeping the price and size of the truck down. The Colorado and Dakota were just too big and too close to a half ton in price to make it appealing.

I just had a Colorado crew the other day to drive. The bed is a waste as I could hardly get a home yard mulcher in it. The rear doors were so narrow I would have been happier with a extened cab.

I do love the I 5 but it was never great on gas and heavy. It was a much better engine power wise than either of my 4.3's.

Sorry I wanted a Colorado but just could not bring myself to buy one. I tried really hard and just could not pull the trigger.

[Sixty8panther]

Ford is so fu*ked.

They had it made in the shade after the B-body got axed.

The Crown Vic. / Police Interceptor was the only car

used by about 92% of all police departments and other

law enforcement authorities in North America for about

a decade and a half, the F-series trucks as usual sold

like hotcakes because the fact that 20% of their

mechanical components were made like crap did not

prevent every municipality and 40% of contractors from

buying them since OMG it's $800 cheaper than a GMC

or Chevy!

Now they are at the end of the line, they rode the Panther

chassis, Ranger & Econoline products till the wheels

fell off and now it's going to COST them for their greed

and complacency.

The Caprice and Charger will OWN the police car market

for many years to come and the next gen. Colorado &

Canyon will hopefully decimate Ford's small pickup sales

while the Taurus police car becomes a lame joke.

This is why I hate most post-war Ford products. Ford

gives American cars a bad name.

The only innovative thing they've done as of late besides

the low volume Mustang is the Connect & Edge, both of

which have the potential to do well sales wise.

[A Horse With No Name]

Focus and Fiesta are doing very well for themselves also, as is the Fusion.

Ford sadly had no choice but to axe the old Crown vic due to safety regs...stilll

I really like the GM Canyon and Colorado....and am thinking one as a used vehicle at some point might make sense.

Be interesting to see the new one in the flesh.

[hyperv6]

Do not underestimate Ford. They are not in bad shape by anymeans. They are doing ok with their cars and right now they have public opinion on their side. That is something you can just go out and add to a car you have to earn it. Right now GM still suffers in this area and still has to earn it.

The public can be swayed and fooled easily if they like you.

[riviera74]

GM needs this new truck out ASAP for one reason: competition. The Ranger is still around, and so is the Tacoma. The issue is value for the dollar. Given their notorious policy of discounting of Silverados and Sierras, the new Colorado (GMC Canyon too?) need to have a selling point that the larger trucks do not have at all. In theory, the new Colorado could be the equivalent of the F-series (from a sales standpoint) and be #1 in its segment. Can GM do that? I Don't Know.

[hyperv6]

I suspect Ford will bring the larger Ranger here in the future and it may replace the F 150 or at least off set it. Ford is up to something here and have shown they are willing to take risk in the name of sales and MPG. The Turbo 6 was a gutsy call and it paid off well. While one MPG does not sound like much it adds up over the numbers they move. Also they charged more for these truck and I am sure each showed more profit over the V8.

I still think this Colorado is a little larger than I would like to see. I think the original S 10 size was right and made it something you could buy and just beat around town in and haul nearly anything you needed to haul. They were cheap to buy, cheap to run and was as much a car as a truck.

[Drew Dowdell]

F-100

They are going to move the Ranger up in size to be more like the Dakota (R.I.P.)

[GMTruckGuy74]

Final testing of GM's all-new Chevy Colorado, built in Rayong, Thailand, is coming to an end as the global midsize pickup truck prepares for its worldwide introduction.

I hope this announcement will occur soon... patience is one of my many virtues, but damn! why does GM have to test it so many times?!?!

[hyperv6]

Final testing of GM's all-new Chevy Colorado, built in Rayong, Thailand, is coming to an end as the global midsize pickup truck prepares for its worldwide introduction.

I hope this announcement will occur soon... patience is one of my many virtues, but damn! why does GM have to test it so many times?!?!

GM is anouncing things around 16-18 months before release anymore. It seems once they are are relesed over seas we get them 24 months later on average. I think Chris said this was going in to Wentzville as a 2014 so I would expect the fall of 2013 release and showing at the Detroit show in 2013. So we should hear something official in 2012.