According to General Motors North America President Mark Ruess, GM (GMC’s parent company) is getting back into the smaller truck segment, with two all new trucks coming next year.
While Ruess succeeded in keeping the details to himself, he said these new pickups (one for GMC and another for sibling brand Chevrolet) will have better fuel economy yet will be able to do 95% of the work done by the full-size GMC Sierra.
He also said the smaller GMC truck will not share engines with its big brother.
A Small GMC Truck Heading Back to the Lineup
The two trucks will each be aimed at different type of buyer. One pickup will be geared towards working individuals who need a fuel-efficient work truck, while another will appeal more to “lifestyle” buyers who need to haul recreation and outdoors equipment.
The GMC Canyon, along with its near-identical twin, the Chevy Colorado, was discontinued after the 2012 model year. With slumping sales during the economic downturn, GM decided to phase out the smaller trucks and focus on its bread and butter, the full size Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado.
Now that pickups are making a rebound alongside the U.S. economy, GM feels the time is right to re-invent the smaller truck segment.
GM is waging that a rejuvenated small GMC truck will be able to wrestle away customers from Nissan and Toyota, who currently dominate the smaller truck segment with the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.
Currently none of the Detroit Three (General Motors, Ford, Chrysler) offer anything smaller that a full-size pickup, so GMC has a great shot at succeeding with a lighter, more fuel-efficient pickup.
Model names were not given for the new trucks, but Ruess was adamant that the trucks will be completely different compared to the Colorado and Canyon. He did not, however, rule out using the former small truck names.
Pickup sales are up 12% this year, giving indication that Americans are renewing their commitment to hard-working, versatile pickups.
The smaller trucks are expected to be debuted during the Fall of 2013, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which runs in November.
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