Mid-size truck buyers have something to look forward to next year from General Motors, although it’s probably not what they would expect.
GM North America president Mark Reuss said this morning that the brand plans to bring both a GMC and Chevrolet mid-size pickup to the market in 2014.
“Don’t think of them as Canyon and Colorado replacements because they’re not,” Reuss said during the Dawda Mann annual Automotive Industry Breakfast.
His statement stands in contrast to previous expectations that the Colorado would return — likely in 2014 for the 2015 model year. Past speculation following the Colorado’s unveiling during the 2011 Bangkok Motor Show saw some assuming the truck would return in 2013, but that has proven not to be true.
SEE ALSO: New Chevrolet Colorado Two Years Away for North America
Now it sounds like General Motors might be taking steps to further separate its Chevrolet and GMC trucks.
“We’re going to really target different buyers with these two trucks,” he said after his speech. “We’d love to have a truck like a Chevrolet midsize truck go really attack the West Coast with a lifestyle truck that is really beautiful and fun. It’s a different positioning than a semi serious duty cycle truck that we might do with a GMC Canyon.”
Apart from possibly offering greater brand differentiation, Reuss said the truck will offer much greater fuel economy over the currently-available full-size trucks. It also sounds like a diesel powertrain could be under consideration with Reuss saying the company is looking “at all that right now.”
Finally, the brand is weighing new names for the trucks — a move that could prove to be wise. The Colorado and Canyon were poor sellers that weren’t very competitive. Given that, it might not hurt to disassociate the new trucks.
[Source: the Detroit News]
Discuss this story at GMInsideNews.com