General Motors is using the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet to generate a little news today. First up, the announcement that the next-generation Chevrolet Colorado pickup will make its way to the U.S.
The fully redesigned truck will go on sale in southeast Asia later this month, but the U.S. version is still at least a year away. Chevrolet was vague on the details for the U.S. version, only saying that it will be engineered to meet local needs.
And in this case, that also means local production, although no specific plants were mentioned. Expect to hear more about the 2013 Chevrolet Colorado early next year once the U.S. specs get hammered out.
bankerdanny says:
08:14 AM, 10/10/11
It sure would be nice if GM were the first auto maker to introduce a diesel in it's small pickup line.
Imagine a Colorado with a 5,000 pound+ towing rating, a city MPG of 20+ and a highway rating of 30. All that should be possible with a diesel. Why would such a vehicle not sell well, even at a premium price?
bankerdanny says:
08:15 AM, 10/10/11
OK, the first to introduce a modern diesel. I know VW offered one in the Rabbit pickup and I think Isuzu used to offer one too.
moparbad says:
08:29 AM, 10/10/11
30 miles per gallon with diesel.
This is a reason to buy a midsize.
No diesel, no sale.
lostboyz says:
09:40 AM, 10/10/11
They need a different face, the face of the traverse isn't something that markets trucks very well here.
colorado kid says:
09:50 AM, 10/10/11
Without the "modern" qualification that's really funny. Everybody used to have a diesel small pickup. Chevy (LUV and S-10), Ford (Courier and Ranger), Dodge (Ram 50), Toyota (they didn't used to name their pickups), Nissan (They didn't name theirs either) Mazda (B2200), Mitsubishi (Mighty Max), Volkswagon (Rabbit Pickup), Jeep (Comanche), Even International had a less than full-size pickup with a diesel (Scout Terra). What all of those trucks had in common (except the Ram 50, the Mighty Max the Comanche and optionally the Scout Terra) was that they were normally aspirated and bog slow. The IHC was possibly the slowest of the bunch without the available turbo, and not fast with it. The turbo-diesel Jeep, Dodge and Mitsu were comparable in speed to their 4 cylinder gas relatives.
plamry says:
11:23 AM, 10/10/11
By putting in a diesel, they may just have a gamechanger. With a standard 4 or the pathetic inline 5, this is yesterday's news.
miamifan1 says:
04:21 PM, 10/10/11
i don't understand why 30mpg isn't achievable with a regular 4 DI engine. the equinox weighs 4000+ and achieves 32mpg EPA rating!
with diesel, i would expect high 30's.
brn says:
06:27 PM, 10/10/11
Diesels aren't the next coming. If they were, Ford would have produced a small one. Remember how Miranda failed? It was an overpriced, over inflated, over speced, poorly designed, poorly assembled, POS that couldn't meet US emissions. Is what what you really want?
I'm very curious to see how the new Colorado turns out.
xprojected says:
06:56 AM, 10/11/11
@miamifan1: The Equinox rating is known to be overly optimistic. If you check fueleconomy.gov for example, you'd see that "real world" mileage for a 2010 FWD I4 Equinox was closer to 24.5. Diesel is not a magic MPG pill -- especially with the tough emissions requirements. You might get 20% better truck mileage than a comparable gas engine, if you're lucky, by trading size for torque.
miamifan1 says:
02:07 PM, 10/11/11
@xprojected: we all know EPA numbers are pink-hued fantasy. but they are still the only actual empirical data available for comparison. and all companies abide similarly.
and my point still stands: if they can manage EPA of 32mpg for equinox, then colorado should easily match that.
bankerdanny says:
12:51 PM, 10/12/11
@Colorado: Your right. As I read your list I remember seeing many of those vehicles when I was in high school. I don't remember a Commanche diesel though.
rwatson says:
02:14 AM, 10/13/11
bankerdanny says:
08:14 AM, 10/10/11
Why would such a vehicle not sell well, even at a premium price?
It isn't big enough to fill one's rear view mirror 5 feet away.
Seriously, I ask myself that question every time a manufacterer builds something new and seemingly useful.