General Motors Midsize Trucks to Debut at LA Auto Show

General Motors’ two new mid-size trucks will most likely debut during the 2013 L.A. Auto Show in late November, GM spokesman Otie McKinley said.

The Detroit giant has yet to officially confirm its plan to unveil the trucks there, but McKinley told to AutoGuide that he expects the trucks to debut in L.A. GM president Mark Reuss said in the past that the company wants the Chevrolet version to target the West Coast as a lifestyle truck that “is really beautiful and fun.” Reuss also said that the forthcoming pickups won’t be meant as replacements to the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado sold previously in North America.

In other markets where the Colorado is currently sold, GM offers both a 2.5- and 2.8-liter turbocharged diesel powertrain. The company is expected to offer at least one diesel engine in its mid-size trucks when they become available in North America. Output from those powerplants is rated at 150 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque for the 2.5-liter unit while the 2.8-liter offers 180 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon to get Diesel Power

Chrysler will soon offer a 3.0-liter diesel engine in its half-ton Ram 1500 pickup truck, a move that General Motors says it has no current plans to follow. Credit that choice to the company’s decision to market a diesel mid-size pickup. An oil burner in the GMC variant – often billed as the more rugged work truck despite being mechanically identical – would make sense because it could probably offer towing capacity close to larger trucks.

Provided GM’s plans stay the same, it won’t be long before official information is availble. The 2013 L.A. Auto Show opens to the press from November 19 through 21.

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