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Chevy Colorado gets box delete option designed for upfitters

The Colorado, which marks the return of Chevrolet to the midsize truck segment, is receiving critical praise, and now it's time for the pickup to get to work. At the National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, IN, Chevy is unveiling a box delete option package for the model that allows businesses to custom tailor the Colorado to their needs. The choice to remove the bed is exclusively available on the Colorado Work Truck trim in the rear-wheel drive, extended cab model with a 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic gearbox, and Chevy claims this is the only option of its type in the segment. Beyond the obvious loss of the rear, these trucks feature eight mounting points on the frame for upfitters to install any necessary modifications. They also get the Z82 trailering package and a locking differential. The versions with the box delete package carry a payload rating of 2,200 pounds an a gross vehicle weight rating of 6,001 pounds. "It's ideal for utility companies requiring service bodies, as well as landscapers and other businesses needing the utility of a flatbed," Ed Peper, US Vice President for General Motors Fleet and Commerical, said in the option's announcement. Further options with the package are limited to choosing a repositioned fuel filler for the upfitter to install and deleting the rear seat for extra interior capacity. The box delete becomes available in mid-April, and buyers get a $300 credit off the price of the Colorado when it's selected. Colorado 'Box Delete' Expands Options for Businesses Chevrolet package offers unique midsize pickup platform for alternative uses 2015-03-04 INDIANAPOLIS – With a box delete option, business owners and fleet managers can have it their way when it comes to customizing the back end of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. Chevrolet today announced availability of the package in mid-April. It is on display this week at the annual National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. It is the only such option offered in the midsize truck segment. "With the segment-leading efficiency and maneuverable size, the Colorado makes a great, flexible choice for urban businesses and fleets to make the most of a midsize truck," said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet & Commercial.

GM to squeeze out more production capacity for midsize trucks

General Motors was predicting a strong showing for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon before they debuted, and demand among dealers for the midsize trucks even exceeded company's expectations. The positive situation has left GM with a problem, though: finding ways to increase capacity for the pickups at the Wentzville Assembly plant in Missiouri. With a third shift already running, GM has continued to look for ways to build just a few more of the trucks at the plant. The company has plans to hire as many as 1,000 more workers for the Saturday and Sunday shifts to construct an additional 2,000 pickups a month, according to unnamed insiders at the factory speaking to Automotive News. The little adjustments even extend to getting rid of an unpaid break to add 18 minute of assembly time over the course of a day, which equals about 3,500 more vehicles a year. All of this effort comes because the trucks are in such high demand. According to GM's figures, the company has delivered a combined 35,720 units of the Colorado and Canyon from January through April 2015, and the Chevy was the fastest-selling truck in the US for the previous three months. In May, it spent an average of just 12 days in showrooms before being snapped up. And even better for the company, 43 percent of these buyers came from other brands. According to Automotive News, the most popular trade-ins have included the Ford F-150, Toyota Tacoma, and Dodge Dakota. Related Video:

2016 Chevy Volt will have more EV range, bigger battery

Meet the new Volt, not the same as the old Volt. That appears to be the story when General Motors introduces the 2016 Chevy Volt at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Today we're getting some more details on the guts of the new plug-in hybrid, and it turns out they're going to be much improved from the current Volt, which first went on sale at the end of 2010. Sure, the first-gen Volt did get some improvements along the way (a slightly larger battery pack, lane departure warnings) but the new Volt – which will go on sale in the second half of 2015 – marks the first time GM has been able to return to the drawing board and really make the improvements that its customers want. That's how Larry Nitz, GM's executive director of vehicle electrification explained it to AutoblogGreen today when explaining the all-new Voltec extended range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain. "In the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability." – Larry Nitz Nitz said that the new Volt will be better in almost every sense: a bigger battery, longer EV-only range, 20 percent better acceleration in the low speed range and higher overall efficiency. This is due, in part, to the Volt's two motors being able to both act as generators and power the car. As we noted this morning, the 2016 Volt will use a larger, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a version of which is already used in the Chinese-market Cruze. Nitz said that this has a number of benefits, including more power and quieter operation. "Some people would say, why did you make [the first-gen engine] so big. I would say, why did you make it so small?" he said. "It works good, our customers love it, but the reality is that if you go a little bit off and use the car a little harder, you can get the engine to need to operate at a higher speed. In an EV, that's quite noticeable. So, what we did in the Gen 2 is we gave the engine a little more power, a little more torque, a little more displacement, more capability and what it has marginally enabled is not only is it more efficient but it's also quieter." Nitz wouldn't talk about how the new powertrain might affect the two other products that use the Volt's underpinnings – the Cadillac ELR and the Opel Ampera – but if you've got a quieter option, we assume that's something ELR drivers would enjoy. But that's a story for another day.