Call it a Colorado comeback: as part of its newly renewed contract with the United Auto Workers, General Motors has agreed to produce a new midsize pickup truck at its plant in Wentzville, Missouri. Although GM has yet to confirm anything, this may be our best sign yet that the all-new Chevrolet Colorado is destined for North America after all.
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.
