2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Chevrolet Colorado Rally Concept

Aw, it's a baby Avalanche. That's actually not a bad looking truck, and it'd be nice to see some smaller trucks again.

I never understood why the former compact now midsized truck market wasn't more significant here in the US as the offerings from the Tacoma and Frontier to even the Ridgleline are good alternatives. I think if people made more logical buying decisions, the midsize truck market would increase by a significant margin.

Before all the number whores start nagging, I realize that full size trucks can tow more but how often does someone tow 11,000lbs?!

I also find it amazing that consumers will pay $50k for a leather lined full sized truck that never will see dirt yet won't pay $25-30k for a good midsize truck. Just doesnt make sense.

i like it! please make this the second-gen colorado.

I've often wondered why the domestic car companies think the USA, that probably buys more trucks than the rest of the planet combined, won't buy mid-size trucks. I think the answer is the dealers. They would much rather put some money on the hood of a full size than try to sell you a mid size. It's shame as this truck even if it was just average, would sell like crazy.

After a decade of the dreary Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, GM finally has a competitive truck in this mid-size segment and it's in doubt that it will be sold here. Something is wrong with this picture. People didn't buy the last models because they were pretty awful, inside & out. Ford still sells the Ranger which is on a platform that dates back 2 decades (although that franchise may be coming to an end too). So what? Do we leave the mid-size market to Nissan, Toyota and Honda? I hope not.

I think these would sell well, with a bit of marketing push.

(Hasn't GM has discontinued the Avalanche, or at least the Cadillac version?)

Why pay $25-30k for a midsize truck with 14 city 19 hwy mpg when you can buy a full size truck for $25-30k with 15 city 20 hwy mpg?

Compact trucks sold for compact prices and delivered significantly better mpg, when the market went midsize the pricing was supersized, and mpg actually became the same to even lower than fullsize trucks due to lack of innovation and updates to the midsize trucks.

Incentives are 2X to 3X higher on fullsize trucks compared to midsize which makes the midsize trucks a poor value proposition.

Midsize trucks killed the compact truck market.

Looks good. The only problem they gonna put pretty typical crappy interior.

"where the current thinking is that customers want to pay $12,000 for a compact pickup, while manufacturers want to sell trucks that cost $20,000 -- hence the disconnect and lack of new product."

Exactly.

In the U.S. (especially with truck buyers apparently), the bigger-is-better opinion rules. Why buy a vehicle that actually fits your needs when for not much more you can get something that completely exceeds them?

Oh, and +1 hondacura4

I've got a bunch of GMcard money burning a hole in my pocket, and I have a paid off S-10 ZR2 (whwich would be this trucks spiritual father) that is still in great shape but I wouldn't mind updating. Bring this truck (Minus the show car interior and accesories) here with some kind of decent motor, a manual tranny, and a basic interior that can match my S-10, sell it for $25k and I'll run out and buy one immediately. Otherwise I'll be keeping my truck until it blows up and I'll keep saving that GMcard money until I can afford a Caddy-V.

"where the current thinking is that customers want to pay $12,000 for a compact pickup, while manufacturers want to sell trucks that cost $20,000 -- hence the disconnect and lack of new product."

The disconnect is way more disconnected.

I can buy a full size brand new Silverado regular cab 2WD with automatic and air for $15,995 after incentives are applied.
Toyota Tacoma 2WD regular cab automatic will set me back over $18K and that is base with no options. No incentive and a discount of around $700.

Like others here, I can't. Understand the willingness of ford/gm to let the jpanese rule the compact pickup market, anymore than the massive minivan market. The dollar is lower than ever, the volume is there, the technology and platforms are available.

In Fords case, I see tons of rangers out there. They gotta be selling well enough. The transit connect isn't a viable chassi for a a lightweight ranger replacement? If not, can't a new. Chassis be. Justified for 100k sales? The compact market is very underserved with crappy options.

Make a new ranger edge with an acceptable interior, 30+ mpg base model, and watch sales skyrocket!

You telling me a mustang can get 30mpg and a lightweight pickup can't? Impossible.

You telling me a 30mpg pickup truck won't sell? Its a surefire hit!

Did the 22k ram tradesman ever really get built? I haven't seen any.
That tradesman is awesome for the money. No doubt. But its not the solution for most people. Its thirsty, too big, and any kind of options will quickly get you to 30k. I mean, a full size pickup without extended cab is very limited iin use.

But make a well-optioned compact pickup with great gas mileage for under 20k and watch the lines grow long.

Look at cruze/fiesta/focus sales to understand that fuel economy is trumping size right now.

A Coloradolanche

Overall a good looking truck except for the window treatment for the rear doors.

Put in a 3.0l version of the 3.6 with say 275hp and a 6-speed manual or auto and we are good to go.

"In Fords case, I see tons of rangers out there. They gotta be selling well enough. The transit connect isn't a viable chassi for a a lightweight ranger replacement? If not, can't a new. Chassis be. Justified for 100k sales? The compact market is very underserved with crappy options. "

You see a lot of Rangers because they sell well to fleets and they've been largely unchanged for over a decade. There is little money in fleet sales.

The Transit Connect is a unit body vehicle, so it probably wouldn't make a viable compact pickup unless you wanted a car-based one. And Ford has already introduced an all-new Ranger in foreign markets that they will not sell in the United States because Americans don't want it. They have already voted with their wallets.

I don't understand why people have such a difficult time grasping that Americans simply *do* *not* *want* compact trucks. Except for about 10 commenters on this site. This is why the market for them is slim, because there is little demand and no money in it.

"But make a well-optioned compact pickup with great gas mileage for under 20k and watch the lines grow long."

And nobody does that because no manufacturer could make money on a good compact pickup that is well-optioned and costs under $20K. An arguably lousy well-optioned 2011 Ranger XLT costs $25K+ MSRP. If you introduced a more sophisticated redesigned model, how on earth could it be sold for less than $20K?

i bet ford could sell the current ranger at mid teens and still make money on each. tooling paid off a decade ago, very little feature content involved in each. pickups have very good margins. but no matter. they should bring modern drivetrains into the mix, if only to raise CAFE numbers for the best-selling F150.

ford has made no attempt whatsoever to give ranger some market appeal. no special models, no marketing, nothing. ranger's lack of updates was acceptable before current 4$/gallon gasoline. nowadays, its time to rethink the market.

i'm shocked how well compact pickups are maintaining their resale value. down here, similar money gets you similar vintage F150 and Ranger. its eye-opening. nobody wants big trucks in the used car market.

"ford has made no attempt whatsoever to give ranger some market appeal."

They did in the 90's... its time has passed. It's simply a dying segment. The product you see today is a result of the market response: sales and transaction prices declined so they stopped making compelling product and simply focused on pumping it out to fleets as cheaply as possible.

From Ford's VP of Global Product Development, Derrick Kuzak: "The compact pickup market in the United States has been declining for the past 15 years, dropping from eight percent of the industry in 1994 to around two percent in 2010."

Best looking GM truck in a long, long time. They should bring it here. Or at least utilize the styling concept.

""The compact pickup market in the United States has been declining for the past 15 years, dropping from eight percent of the industry in 1994 to around two percent in 2010."

And that largely explains why the refreshed Tacoma doesn`t offer a 6 speed auto or why Toyota doesn`t even bother to put the upgraded 4.0L V6 of the FJ in the Taco. Bummer.