“There’s much more to come from a truck portfolio perspective.”
That is from GM senior vice president of product development Mary Barra during the 2013 North American International Auto Show.
Given that many were disappointed by a lack of a Ford Raptor fighter during the announcement of GM’s all-new 2014 Silverado and 2014 Sierra, the quote is definitely motivating.
In December, GM Authority reported that General Motors was in the process of renewing its rights to the ZR2 trademark, which we believe will be used as a designation for a Raptor-style off-road truck.
What kinds of products do you wish for from GM’s truck portfolio? Sound off in the comments!
Comments
While I think the new V8s will cream Ford’s Ecoboost on customer preference, power and economy, there is room for a compact Diesel suitable in the 1500 PU without having to go to the big boy Duramax.
I think the diesel engine is the ONLY way I would over-look the embarrassment that these trucks really are. The more I see them, though, is the more I hate them. I can’t believe that GM did this to us…
Richard, by did GM’s new trucks “do” to you? Styling is subjective, so I hope you’re not referring to that…
The only problem with the Silverado is the front. I does not look ugly but at the same time it does not look better than the previous generation silverado.
To me, the new generation of the Silverado is significantly better-looking than the last-gen, which I would not buy primarily because of the styling. I would, however, be all over this one.
I have to disagree completely, I much prefer the large single headlight set up to this bifurcated design. I agree with awil428 that it seems like they completely ran out of ideas styling wise and just went with a tweak for the sake of calling it new.
To address the initial question, I would like to see something similar to what VIA motors is doing. There’s no reason GM couldn’t do it, and if you want a raptor fighter I would look to their 800 hp monster: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081727_via-motors-xtrux-electric-truck-2013-detroit-auto-show-live-photos
As we already know, styling is subjective. That said, I trust GM did its due diligence in market research and styling appeal/factors…
As for the VIA offerings, the reason GM does not compete in the segment is because the market is pretty much non existent. You can bet that as soon as there is a viable (profitable) way to bring such a vehicle to market, GM will do so.
I sell GM products in the oilfield of central Canada and we really need a truck that can better handle the abuse that these oil workers give the trucks – if that is even possible. It seems like no one makes anything that can handle the abuse.
What kind of abuse? II am wondering if the trucks are specced appropriately.
What type of work are these trucks doing? I’d imagine specialty vehicles are required for most work (beyond the actual construction/earth moving equipment/vehicles).
If it is remote and rough transport, why waste time on ‘civilian’ trucks and get similar vehicles to multi-axle arctic transport vehicles?
The MILCOTS (Militarized Commercial Off-The-Shelf) or as most people call them Milverados seem to be working fine for the Canadian Military.
alex there will be alot of truck news in the very near future, the only things released to date are the largest portion of the market products, all of the other niche pieces will follow including off road, turbo, and fuel economy leadership. along with mid size truck, large suv etc. there continues to be a great deal of work going on on all the upcoming releases there is a great plan in place and it will be released over the next 12 months or so. more to follow.
What’s the great plan, JD? Rounded wheel arches? The diesel engine? A better front end? I have the BEST plan (not just a great one): Let us have the real 2014 truck…the charade is over…it was funny for a while but I’ve stopped laughing…
GMC should offer a high end, luxury Sierra to fill the void the Escalade EXT will leave
How about a Denali?
Even more luxury, more than a Denali. Think cadillac luxury.
that would be crossing the line
I’m kind of wondering if GM sees a market for an Escalade pickup. I see a ton of EXT ‘Sclades around and I personally love the look of them. With it/the Avalanche gone a crew cab Escalade is intriguing to run parallel to the soon to debut new Escalde lineup.
Chevrolet needs its halo truck now.
Not sure that the average consumer out there would know that this is a new truck…..wish they had done something a little more radical…..especially in the grille area. Maybe sunk the crossbars, fill and logo…
Would like to see sport versions of ALL GM’s trucks (both mid & large sizes).
Of course offer 2wd versions but also offer AWD versions of these sport trucks, as well.
Both 2WD and AWD versions need to have lowered sport suspensions, low profile tire & wheel packages, an available manual transmission and standard limited slip diff. The AWD version should have a compact dual mode, single speed transfer case so the driver can switch between RWD and AWD at will.
Seems like all trucks on the market keep getting bigger and bigger. Hope the new Colorado is a more realistic homeowner friendly size. I have an S-10 Crew cab that looks like a MINI next to my brothers regular cab regular box Silverado 4X4. Is the 2014 bigger than the 2013?
2014 has the hood height of the current HD
Hard to belive. G.M. used to build everything. Locomotives, construction equiptment,busses, trucks of all sizes, right up to the largest truck ever built. Who are the do-it -all companies now? Mercedes, Hundai, Toyota , Volvo. But G.M. sure can turn out them fancy pick-ups and station wagons (you guys probly call ’em suv’s) gol-eee! Go G.M.
Ha, look at a Tahoe then look at a A6 Avant or CTS Wagon, are you saying those are both station wagons?
What country are you from?
I wish they actually made station wagons in the US, a Cruze wagon??? The only one GM sells in USA is the CTS wagon, right? If you really want to insult crossover SUVs you should call them by their real names – minivans.
And the 3rd gen CTS won’t even have a wagon variant
I think this new truck looks good for a 3/4 ton or a work truck, but for a 1/2 ton it lacks the pizazz or the modern look that I think most were hoping for. If they would change the front alittle for the ZR2, that might shut up some of the naysayers.
I think the Ford Raptor looks nice, but i would have no use for them.. My off-roading is getting in mud and going on a trail in the woods, not rock climbing or baja racing, if I wanted to jump dirt hills i would on an atv.. A Colorado (new) would be able to out tow a Raptor. I don’t think either are SAE approved with the Raptor rated at 6,000lbs and the Colorado (2.8Duramax]) I think is around 7,000lbs. So you could still to some towing but not a whole lot which I know isn’t the main purpose. I know they will most likely do a XFE trim like that have done in the past, but I really do hope they bring the Diesel in the half-tons and I think they might, I’m sure they have gotten a lot of feedback on that as well. A special off road truck “ZR2” would be nice to see, and especially silence all those kids. Maybe a TTV6, but I doubt it. And will they ever bring back the Silverado SS? or are those days gone.
What I was meaning to say is that Raptors are nice, but the majority I have seen never them hardly have any mud or dirt on them, carrying any type of trailer or hauling anything in the bed.. I think its a grown man’s toy. They look nice and ride good, but getting 16 mpg or less to just drive in town and look good isn’t worth it. But people like variety which i agree, I like GM to offer a better differentiation in trims kind of like how Ram has it set up.. I like to to see a 6.2L with a single cab frame with a dual exhaust like Ram. The LT configuration can get a little confusing for buyers in my opinion, but oh well.
The 7 liter engine would be nice is a SS version. By the way I love the style of my 2007 Silverado and love the new style even better. I have it as my desk top picture and it just keeps growing on me. I did not like the 2007 when they came out, but they to me a classic clean look.
I really would hope this truck would stay competitive with the current Ram and F150 and the next gen F150 (Ford Atlas concept)
The commercial side of the portfolio is barren to say the least! If GM is serious about trucks, they need to do more than expensive ‘toys’, which is exactly what the Raptor is. I am not saying there isn’t a place for that kind of vehicle, but there are far more lucrative opportunities in other market segments.
The plan will unfold over the next 12 months I cannot give further details or what would Alex report on? The trucks released so far are by far the best trucks we have ever built when it comes to quailty, design, performance and durability the looks come down to personal preferance and I would like you to go see them and ride in one when they are out, every clinic we have had shows nearly unanamous positive feedback. on another issue in regards to the raptor there will be a product to compete, as far as Atlas the new grill is nice but other than that i wonder how well that shape goes through the wind tunnel the rest of the truck is just an evolution of the current style, our truck is all new and please look at the older truck and new truck side by side everything has changed. expect alot from us and you will see alot more in the very near future.
I have faith in GM’s engineering if they have been given the freedom and budget. I am not always sure that marketing is up to the task though.
The teaser photos are nice…….but how about a Top Ten List made available to the world….the Top Tent Things that we changed in the Trucks …and Why.
In other words, let’s take some of the personal concerns vis-a-vis styling out of the ballgame with some solid engineering fundamentals.
JD I kinda want to know have you guys thought of putting maybe like autonomous parking or something like that on the cars and trucks that are sold in the US?
Jd are we getting a diesel? I want gobs of torque and 30 mpg! I know it can be done shit hire me if you need help!
Ryan — JD won’t be able to give you specifics right now. Are you an engineer?
Bbray makes a strong point you can have all these wooptiedoos and crazy offroad features, but if you dont have the basic commercial truck down right then what do you have…
@yaba that’s precisely why GM unveiled the “basic” trucks, the bread-and-butter product, in December — and left the specialty/niche stuff for later. Bbray is referring to medium-dutys, specifically, where GM doesn’t compete right now.
When I hear “much more to come from a truck portfolio” I think she is referring to the new Colorado/Canyon 7/8 size trucks? Maybe I’m wrong, but Reuss has already commented that GM will have a “whole portfolio” of trucks not just the full-size Silverado/Sierra. It’s been said the full-size Silverado/Sierra will be the “workhorses” and the Colorado/Canyon will be more “lifestyle” trucks? What that means I’m not real sure? Personally I think it’s a huge gamble? If it works, then Akerson,Reuss, Barra, etc…..will be heros. If it does’nt ,these same names will be looking for a new job.
Something tells me that the portfolio comment was not only about the forthcoming Colorado/Canyon, but also about upcoming variants of the Silverado and Sierra.
Other than that, I’m not seeing how anything released here is a “huge gamble”…
The gamble is, again only my opinion, to go this direction with the 7/8 size trucks in the first place? What could happen with the Colorado /Canyon is instead of taking sales away from other brands, you simply “steal” business from GM’s own larger, higher profit full size trucks? It will be very interesting to see how they package and price all of these.
where is Gm in the medium duty segment? My fathers construction company has two kodiaks and one is needing replacement in the next year or two and wed love to have a 5500 chassis silverado or another kodiack.I read on here awhile back about Gm doing something with new medium duty trucks,any info?
GM is non-existent in the medium duty segment. There were some really good rumors about a year and a half ago, but mum’s been the word ever since… which doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t working on it.
So maybe the second interior to choose from? Do you think it`s gonna happen?
I remembering seeing the 4.5L Durmax when it was rumored and kind of showned back in 08-09. The trucks rear view mirrors were like the HD models, it reminded me of the 03 Silverado 1500 HD. Whatever GM has in store I know I will like it.. I have faith in wht they can accomplish. The truck and corvette/camaro segment have always been very competitive. I like what they’ve done with the trucks and the corvette .. They do have some great staff working there..
Side mirrors
Time for a 2nd generation Syclone and Typhoon with a turbo 4.3L V6
Yes!
GM is planning on the new Colorado doing both; stealing sales from brands that dont have a mid/small truck, and keeping the personal/light use buyers in a truck that they can afford to buy and feed.
Wow! Did this ever get a lot of comments. Here’s my 2 cents worth. I could overlook the looks of the truck if they could fit a more agressive grill on the ZR-2. But putting more ass under the body is what’s real important here. Don’t know where some of you guys live, but here in S. Cal. I see a crap load of Raptors at the off-road races and many of them chase and pit race vehicles. Not many garage queen Raptors in Baja . Ford must seel the majority of them here
GM needs a medium duty truck again.Maybe offered in the GMC line only.Offer one large gas v-8 and different diesels for different applications.Also different transmissions(manual and automatic).
GM is absent in a number of segments that probably are a higher priority.
I am baffled why GM has no vehicle to compete with Jeep — a large and profitable segment — since they did away with the Trailblazer/Envoy.
GM also needs to realize that they need more than a sedan in the small segment — the European Cruze hatch is gorgeous — and there are many wagon/hatch/sportback/etc. out there (Mazda 3, Hyundai/Kia, Fiesta, etc.) GM hasn’t been very successful in selling hatchbacks since the Chevrolet Citation but that may be the result of many things, including features, price differentials, advertising, dealer stocking practices, etc.
Yeah they have hatchbacks with Spark/Sonic, but they also share the same styling cues. Clinics would tell you if these vehicles had any crossover appeal to competitive models but I think that they are too small.