Though many have been hoping for a Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra rival to Ford’s F-150 Raptor, General Motors seems to have no intention to build such a truck. What’s more, the automaker wouldn’t confirm to Edmunds whether it will use the name Badlands on a future model, despite filing an application to trademark the name.
Upon being first to discover the Badlands trademark, we speculated that it would be a perfect name for a high-performance, off-road-oriented version of the Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra to take on Ford’s Raptor, which is already in its second generation after the all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor was unveiled at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. As such, the only true rival to the Raptor is Fiat-Chrysler’s Ram Power Wagon. Despite the speculation, GM product development chief Mark Reuss said that there are no plans to develop a full-size pickup truck to battle the F-150 Raptor.
“We have a lot of priorities,” Reuss said. “Capital is not endless. That is not one of our highest priorities in terms of spending capital right now.”
But Reuss is a fan of the idea of a performance pickup truck based on the midsize Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 concept that debuted at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
“We showed the ZR2 and said we would like to do that,” he said.
The Colorado ZR2 concept stands 4 inches (10 cm) higher and wider compared to a regular four-wheel-drive 2015 Colorado. It’s also equipped with off-road racing shocks, front and rear locking differentials, 35-inch off-road tires, and unique front and rear fascias to increase approach and departure angles. If manufactured, it would be GM’s only vehicle that’s ready for serious off-roading straight from the factory.
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Comments
They would sell more of them and undercut Fords price.
The Raptors future will be limited as CAFE goes up.
GM is building for the future with trucks and it will prove to be a great benefit in 10 years from now.
2017 Rap is aluminum and has the ecoboost 6 with over 400hp, they don’t need to worry about CAFE, they have a fleet to deal with that, in the same regard they aren’t worried about it with cars like the GT350.
The time is coming they will not be able to sell these. Fleet or not.
Also GM is looking for volume where the profits are.
the GT 350 the time is limited there too. After 2025 all bets are off and while we will have performance it come in many different ways.
When Ferrari and Porsche are building Hybrid you had better pay attention.
Well to be frank, no shit. Do you believe McLaren, Porchse, Ferrari, Koenigsegg give a shit about fuel economy? They didn’t build supercar Prius’, the hybridizationof their cars is performance oriented first, the slight fuel savings a far second. A lot of cars use some sort of hybrid system to increase fuel economy, but even the P85D is gunning for performance. The 918 can travel *up to* 12miles on battery with a feather foot, it also achieves 200mph+ and has a 600hp V8, with a combined rating of 880hp (ish, im not looking it up), but ya, they made the 918 for CAFE standards.
But trucks don’t have to now, and won’t have to in 2025, meet the same requirements as other vehicles. 33mpg is the target for light duty trucks, and the CO2 emissions target in 2025 for trucks is basically where a midsize car is currently. The bigger the vehicle the less stringent the CAFE requirements. Smaller vehicles will require a greater MPG increase by 2025.
A company like GM with many large vehicles will have a lower CAFE requirement than a company like Mazda that doesn’t make a truck or large van or SUV. Each automaker will have their own CAFE rating.
Not only that, the MPG rating CAFE uses was developed in the 70s, or maybe was the 80s, the often thrown around CAFE requirement of 54.5MPG is more like 48-50MPG by modern ratings.
Ok Frank
Even all that aluminum and Smaller trucks are not going to pull your ass out of the fire.
The fact is people on both sides of the isle are now looking at even higher standards.
The fact is in a half ton truck Ford is working as hard as any to eliminate the V8. GM is working on options other than the Half Ton like a smaller truck V6 only and the 3/4 ton trucks with more upscale packages as they escape the major regulations and they also sell at higher prices to pay any penalties if they become an issue.
With companies struggling to get the MPG they have now they are looking at 3 cylinders and cars that no one really wants.
I am glad you are so confident Frank as the folks who work at the automakers are sitting up late at night searching for ways out as they know it will not all be done with small cars bailing their asses out. I should send them an E mail and just tell them to ask Frank as he has it all sorted out.
Mass is a big issue and there is a concerted lobby in DC that wants to eliminate trucks. The automakers are reported they may make a play in 2018 to ask for help on these regulations. If Hilary gets in and survives her gaffs she has already said lets move the regulations up. If the conservative wins it is not a guarantee that they will roll them back either. They are playing to the middle and most of them are looking for some kind of energy policy no one has had the nerve to put fourth.
The super car makers have gone this way to save the Supercars. Others of the same MPG will have to make the move to other things to save their products. Their issue is they can not just tack the cost on like Porsche can on a 918 at $600,000. Porsche could have even shuffled things around to use some of the numbers from VW if they like but they know that is not enough either.
The cars you will need to meet these regulation are Spark like 3 cylinders to save the trucks. Do you realize how many smaller cars you need to sell to offset nearly 2 million trucks a year?
When you see companies going to the point of start stop and other crazy things we would never imagined years ago now standard and still not giving large gains in MPG you know they have a lot of work to do.
the bottom line is the Raptor is a truck that is not for the long term. They even have gone to a V6 in it now and already eliminated the V8. Next will be size and it will shrink. as it Shrinks the power will come down but performance will remain as less mass as that is the key to the future less mass be it by materials or size. That is at least what the GM engineers are preaching today not my opinion.
So I will let you be Frank or Andrew or what ever the hell you want to be.!
GM is going to need a V6 version of the ZR2 if they go ahead with the go ahead!
I would imagine the Zr2 will solely come with the 3.6 V6.. maybe, maybe the baby duramax, I have feeling that was just for added hype – both for the ZR2 and Duramax release this year. But that 2.5 4cyl gasser can’t even be on the table as a possibility
I would rather they make making the HDs more competitive priority one, along with giving the Silverdo and Sierra a makeover, so I’m totally fine with this decision. I do hope they realize that lots of folks will be cross-shopping the Raptor and ZR2 though, if only in their dreams. I hope they get them right and keep the price as low as possible.
“Capital is not endless”
GM needs to create its own fed, so they can print their own money, the way this RAT guvmint does.
Big tires will be hard to turn for the car derived 3.6, bring on the 4.3!
The 4.3 is useless in the full size trucks (less power compared to 5.3, little to no MPG advantage), but it could be just what the doctor ordered in the Colorado / Canyon. More low end grunt and who knows what it could do if it gets 23 mpg in the bigger trucks, maybe even better than the limp wristed 3.6?
Also worth mentioning, the base 4 cylinder is equally pointless in the mid-sizers as the 4.3 is in the full sizers (virtually no fuel economy advantage over 3.6 and NO power).
Raptor has been very profitable for Ford because of both sales volumes and transaction price and is arguably one of the best halo vehicles around.
Trucks are the main source of Ford’s economic success — you can see why GM wouldn’t want to attack that and instead spend precious capital building low volume slow selling models like the ELR.
Post of the day. GM doesn’t always employ brains in decision making, but they definitely use your money.
What’s this rather s##t just build the damn thing.
MAKE THE ZR2 PLEASE!!!!!
PLEASE MAKE THE ZR2. I want this truck!!!!!!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
As soon as GM gives this truck a column shifter and a bench seat I’ll buy one.
If GM will commit, I will buy the ZR2 either way. I must admit, however, that a bench seat has my dogs attention! She much prefers bench seats over buckets so she can lie down.
Seriously, just build the damn thing. I went to the chicago auto show twice, and tried to voice my interest. All I was told was to write an email, which resulted in a form email back.
I’ll be one of the first in line to buy one if they do. This is a classic case of “shut up and take my money.”
The back seat area as presented would be useless. I am 5’9″ and I cannot fit in the back sit of the Colorado extended cab. And once I squeeze in, I don’t see riding more than 1 mile in the seat. Either they make the ZR2 in crew cab or completely delete the back seat so you can at least use it for storage space.
Build the damn thing! It will sell!
I think they should make the Extended Cab and the Crew Cab. I think you should also have a choice of elemiting the Back seat on the Extended Cab like you suggested. However they do it again just build the Damn thing. No guts no glory.
I finally got in the back of an extended cab and it is more useless than my old Sonoma. Two useless seats with two useless bins under them. I wish it has a smooth floor and a seat that folded into the wall.
If I go for the Canyon it may just be a Crew this time.
There are like 10 different performance camaros and 5 different vettes yet a performance oriented truck on their number one selling chassis is not in the budget? Its a flagship. I dont get it. Even if Ford doesn’t sell a ton of Raptors there’s an image that is attached to the F150 that never was before.
The ZR2 with a V-6 with a turbo or Aluminum V-8 with 8 speed auto.