Our spies just captured the GMC Canyon undergoing testing with what appears to be an updated front fascia, foreshadowing a minor facelift to Big Red’s midsize pickup truck offering.
The model seen here is a Canyon Crew Cab with a camouflaged grille and front bumper, with the camo hiding a slightly updated face. Given the horizontal span of the grille slats, it would appear as if the GMC Canyon facelift will introduce a larger single-piece grille.
Current 2019 GMC Canyon
That differs from the setup on the current model, which features two sets of intakes on the front-fascia – the primary grille, followed by a smaller lower intake that’s more inset into the lower bumper cover. The design seen here suggests that both intakes will be consolidated into a single unit.
The result is a larger grille that is both taller and wider than the grille configuration of the current GMC Canyon. The change follows an ongoing automobile design trend that sees the size of front grilles grow with every generation of a certain vehicle. We’d expect the updated design elements to follow the direction set out by the new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Sierra Heavy Duty, thereby aligning the midsize Canyon with GMC’s evolving corporate face.
2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4
Meanwhile, the rear end of the prototype is camo-free and the design of the rear end has no noticeable updates or changes to speak of.
Despite this sighting, our sources indicate that the GMC Canyon will not be getting a midcycle enhancement. As such, this sighting is simply representative of a very minor update to the front fascia, rather than a full-on refresh/MCE. The same rings true for the Canyon’s corporate cousin, the Chevrolet Colorado. Both midsize pickups will live out their current lifecycle until their next-generation replacements arrive on or after 2023. In fact, the Chevy Colorado might not even get a new front fascia, given that it recently got it a slightly new one with the ZR2 Bison.
In any event, we should see this minor GMC Canyon facelift for the 2021 model year.
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Comments
Looks like they’re gonna ugly it up to conform to the rest of Chevy’s lineup.
I’ll bet it gets the wrap-around fender tabs from the Camaro.
It’s a GMC Canyon. The Chevy is the Colorado. Both need a slight facelift to stay competitive, and, yes, big grilles are still in vogue. Some pull it off better than others.
Need to see them both unwrapped to process my opinion.
Oh that’s right, it’s a GMC so it will have a few acres of fake chrome on the front end.
BTW, Camaro sales dropped 25% after the ’19 fascia redesign, so don’t assume a “facelift” will keep these trucks competitive, at least not the way Simcoe’s design studio does facelifts.
Thanks.
I never implied the facelifts would be a benefit. We can’t determine that until we see the updates, and follow the consumers acceptance of said changes.
My statement was from a perspective that, NOT doing some kind of update, may result in stagnate sales. You can only keep an older design for so long, especially with increased competition.
A lot of people want the, “ latest and greatest” and they will jump the GM ship to get if GM doesn’t at least try and stay relevant.
And, yes, I agree the updated Camaro is a step backwards, and as you stated, sales (or lack thereof) reflect that.
Halogen projectors :/
I’m not feeling the GMC designs lately. It seems like they are trying way too hard to achieve the “big truck” image with lots of square concepts, large squarish grills, etc. Did they really need to do this to the Canyon too? It’s a mid-size trucks for god’s sake, it doesn’t need to look like a Peterbuilt tractor. The whole thing needs to end.
Also, what really bugs me about the mid-size trucks is that they are basically as long as full size trucks, cost nearly the same, and yet feel cramped on the inside. Why even buy one? And this GMC, looks just way too huge for what it really is. Overwrought is the word that comes to mind.
That said, these trucks are the perfect thing for towing your small boat down to the lake or river. The bed is pretty large for a smaller truck, and you really do get most of the capability of a full size truck unless you do heavy towing. I like that. And I think the colorado looks way better.
I dont undrestand this ugly GMC style with big chrome radiator grill – this is design madness. Its not elegant, just stupid. Please GM bring back your designers from Europe (Opel unit) to teach you and give you some inspiration.
Bring the designers from Opel to build a truck?
Because they lose so much money on trucks and made so much from Opel?
Ople will just soften the look of those trucks if they were responsible for the overall update of there appearance and that is something I personally do not want to see in a truck, the Ranger looks too soft to me, especially in the front-end..Ford Escape inspired!!!
GM sold Opel
Kenworth grille, Cobalt tires.
Today, if you look at a ’94 Ram, the one that started the big rig look for pickups, it still looks good, but appears almost subdued when compared to late model trucks. Today’s manufacturers took a good thing and made it grotesque in an attempt to one up one another.
Ok I get it, have out do and out SELL competitors,,, here’s a fantastic idea, LOWER THE PRICE SO AS THOSE of us that have to WORK for a living can get one without refinancing our house or go without eating.
So to lower prices there needs to be a lowering of material cost and labor cost. So you want everyone else that works for a living to take a cut in pay so you can get a new truck?
Sorry life does not work that way. To get ahead you need to gain new skills and get a better job. Society bends for no one.
I am not liking that I have to play the waiting game on the new Canyon refresh. I have a 2016 and really like it but was hoping for a lot of the Sierra options to be refreshed to the Canyon.
Sooner than 2023. Might have to go another direction before 2023. Don’t want to wait that long to trade trucks.
Others here have covered it well. The direction GM is heading will have me repairing my older vehicles for a long time to come. The 2017 Colorado I got new was a pile of shit and got more paint chips in one year than my 1997 Chevy has to date. Transmission couldnt make its mind up so that was annoying too.
Will they replace the faulty 8 speed transmissions they’re currently shipping?
I was just about to buy one until I did my research on this. Now I’m waiting for them to fix this, or get a ranger when they offer a v6.
Opinions are like assholes everyone has one.
The transmissions were addressed for 2019 and work well. Though they should have been fixed before shipping to dealers
The 355 TSB also has addressed the older transmissions that have had issues. The new fluid resolved the issue.
I think the GM car and truck designs have gotten progressively worse under the new GM Design Chief Michael Simcoe. Back in 1995, he was the Director of Design for the some of the ugliest cars/trucks ever built- Daewoo, Suzuki, and Isuzu. I would assume he has some major input into many of these latest designs, and I don’t really care for them. I predict the new upcoming versions of the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, and mid size trucks will look worse than they currently do. And let’s hope the new Tahoe doesn’t get that same rock em sock em ugly face of the new Silverado.
Larger grilles provide more cooling. If consumers want a 1/2 ton truck to pull 13K lbs then how do you expect to get, only way to get it is by enlarging the area for air flow. Same for the midsize trucks. Although with GMC, I would agree that it’s just to commonize it with the rest of the truck line up.