New Chevy Colorado Confirmed With Duramax 4-Cylinder Diesel
It’s almost ready to rumble, but unfortunately, it won’t be doing any rumbling here. In an official press release, General Motors has stated that the new Chevrolet Colorado will indeed be built for ‘rest of the world’ consumption, much like its new Ford Ranger competitor.
The ‘global’ Colorado (currently undergoing final testing – see above) will be offered in a choice of extended and crew cab configurations and feature 2.5 and 2.8 liter Duramax diesel engine options under the hood with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions. It will be assembled at GM’s facility in Rayong, Thailand, which has undergone a tooling upgrade of some $300 million to handle production of the new truck and Thailand, understandably will be the Colorado’s launch market.
Launches in other markets across Asia and the Pacific Rim, as well as Africa, the Middle East and South America will follow.
Having spent much time in Thailand during the vehicle’s development process, in order to gauge the kind of buyers found in the local pickup market as well as driving conditions many trucks are subjected to, Colorado chief engineer Roberto Rempel and his team believe that Chevy’s new mid-size pickup is more than up to the task.
“We know customers of this type of vehicle want a workhorse and a daily-use vehicle all in one, so our product has to deliver. We have benchmarked the toughest, most flexible vehicles around the world,” Rempel said. “When you combine that approach with our detailed consideration of global expectations, we are confident the new Colorado will be a winner.”
So why can’t we in North America have one?
More by Huw Evans
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I personally am boycotting all US auto makers by not buying another gas / diesel vehicle . I agree that the oil companies control our reps in Washington with payoffs so the only way we can have any power is not to buy ( consumer control). Just think if 90% of all people would stop buying certain products that company would soon cease to exist !! I've traveled the world and we are being played here by big oil . Also my next car is electric even if I can't drive far , Tesla is the bomb developing charging stations. I'm ready to buy a 3 cylinder Perkins diesel and install in a small used pickup, they won't even know !
I'd love to see more "Baby Duramax" 2.8 litre diesel engines built and sold here in the USA. Will it ever reach the mainstream status it does in other markets? Maybe, maybe not. But how can anyone say with authority whether people here in the USA will like the engine unless it's offered? If people like it, then production should be made here in the USA and in Canada.