The Chevrolet Colorado is a mid-sized pickup truck usually lost in the shadow of its more famous, and much bigger brother, the Chevrolet Silverado. Overseas, though, the Chevy Colorado is just the right size, especially in Asia. Analysts for years speculated General Motors planned to drop the Colorado from its lineup, following Ford’s path in discontinuing the Ford Ranger. Yet GM defied that conventional wisdom buy announcing last October that it would be bringing a next generation Colorado to the U.S. market after all. Either the automaker saw an opportunity to fill the Ranger’s void or couldn’t bear the idea of Toyota and Nissan eagerly filling the gap with their extremely popular Tacoma and Frontier pickups.
Don’t expect this all-new small Chevy truck to wear the same name, though. At last week’s 2012 New York Auto Show, GM North America President Mark Reuss confirmed a new mid-sized pickup truck would be making its appearance sometime after the all-new Chevrolet Silverado and its GMC Sierra twin made their debut in 2014. Speculation has it that this new pickup would not necessarily carry the Colorado moniker.
Automotive.com’s take: The Chevrolet Colorado replacement, whether it’s called the Colorado or not, will most likely be based off the current one rolling around the roads of Thailand and other parts of Asia. These Colorado models wear the current Chevy signature dual front grill and headlamps and are powered by two strong diesel engines. Five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions are available with either engine option. Both are more luxurious than the dated American model; GM will likely have to ensure the U.S. model doesn’t compete against the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado and, especially, the higher segment GMC Sierra.
Source: Detroit News
