GM is reducing the number of paint colors on offer across its lineup with the launch of the 2025 model year. That includes all four of its U.S. brands (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC), as well as nearly all models and trim levels, and is a component of General Motors’ new “winning with simplicity” strategy. GMA’s own Alex Luft outlined the changes on the latest Chevy Society podcast, which you can watch below.
Looking over the multitude of paint options available across General Motors’ portfolio for the 2025 model year, we find that, in some cases, the total number of paint colors was reduced, while in other cases, individual trim levels offer fewer paint colors to choose from.
Let’s start with Chevy, where we find that some models and trims offer as many as four fewer paint options for the 2025 model year, including the C8 Corvette; Chevy Silverado 1500 LT, ZR2, and LTZ; and Chevy Silverado HD LT and LTZ. That said, some models actually offer more paint options than before, such as the 2025 Chevy Silverado EV, the production of which is ramping up now, but on balance, the Chevy brand offers far fewer paint options for the 2025 model year than was the case for the 2024 model year.
| 2024MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025 vs 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Blazer 2LT, 3LT | 7 / 9 | 7 / 7 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Blazer RS | 7 / 9 | 6 / 7 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Blazer Premier | 6 / 9 | 5 / 7 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Blazer EV (all trim levels) | 8 / 8 | 6 / 7 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Colorado WT | 7 / 8 | TBD | TBD |
| Chevrolet Colorado LT | 6 / 8 | TBD | TBD |
| Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss, Z71, ZR2 | 8 / 8 | TBD | TBD |
| Chevrolet Corvette (all trim levels) | 14 / 14 | 10 / 10 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS | 5 / 8 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT, RS | 8 / 8 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Equinox Premier | 8 / 8 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Equinox Activ | - | 6 / 8 | - |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV 2LT/3LT/2RS | 8 / 8 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV 3RS | 7 / 8 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV LT, RS | - | 6 / 8 | -2/-1 |
| Chevrolet Express (all trim levels) | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | 5 / 6 | 6 / 7 | +1 |
| Chevrolet Malibu RS, 1LT, 2LT | 6 / 6 | 7 / 7 | +1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 WT | 8 / 11 | 5 / 9 | -3 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom Trail Boss | 8 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom, RST | 7 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT | 10 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss | 10 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 | 10 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ | 11 / 11 | 7 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500 High Country | 8 / 11 | 7 / 9 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV 3WT, 4WT | 2 / 2 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV 2WT, 5WT, 8WT | - | 3 / 7 | +1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV LT | - | 6 / 7 | - |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV RST | 2 / 2 | 6 / 7 | +4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD WT | 6 / 10 | 5 / 9 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD Custom | 7 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD LT | 10 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD LTZ | 10 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 | 6 / 10 | 6 / 9 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Silverado HD High Country | 6 / 10 | 6 / 9 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Silverado MD (all trim levels) | 12 / 12 | 12 / 12 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Suburban LS | 8 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Suburban LT, Z71, RST, Premier, High Country | 9 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -3 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe LS | 8 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Tahoe LT, Z71, RST, Premier, High Country | 9 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -3 |
| Chevrolet Trailblazer LS, LT | 6 / 9 | 6 / 8 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Trailblazer Activ | 8 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Chevrolet Trailblazer RS | 9 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -3 |
| Chevrolet Traverse LS | 4 / 8 | - | - |
| Chevrolet Traverse LT, Z71, RS | 6 / 8 | 6 / 8 | 0 |
| Chevrolet Traverse High Country | - | 6 / 8 | - |
| Chevrolet Trax LS, LT | 7 / 10 | 6 / 8 | -1 |
| Chevrolet Trax 1RS, Activ, 2RS | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
The same can be said of the Buick brand, with the Enclave ST and Envista Preferred offering a limited number of paint options, as compared to one additional paint option offered for the Buick Encore GX Avenir and Buick Envista Avenir.
| 2024MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025 vs 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Enclave Essence, Premium | 7 / 8 | - | - |
| Buick Enclave Avenir | 6 / 8 | 6 / 7 | 0 |
| Buick Enclave Preferred | - | 6 / 7 | -1 |
| Buick Enclave Sport Touring | - | 5 / 7 | -2 |
| Buick Encore GX Preferred, Sport Touring | 8 / 8 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Buick Encore GX Avenir | 5 / 8 | 6 / 8 | +1 |
| Buick Envision (all trim levels) | 6 / 7 | 6 / 7 | 0 |
| Buick Envista Preferred, Sport Touring | 8 / 8 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Buick Envista Avenir | 5 / 8 | 6 / 8 | +1 |
With regard to the Cadillac brand, the CT4 and CT5 offer an additional paint option in 2025, while the Escalade and Lyriq are offered with fewer options.
| 2024MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025 vs 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac CT4 (all trim levels) | 8 / 8 | 9 / 9 | +1 |
| Cadillac CT4-V | 9 / 9 | 9 / 9 | 0 |
| Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing | 10 / 10 | 10 / 10 | 0 |
| Cadillac CT5 | 8 / 8 | 9 / 9 | +1 |
| Cadillac CT5-V | 9 / 9 | 9 / 9 | 0 |
| Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing | 9 / 9 | 10 / 10 | +1 |
| Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing 20th Anniversary Special Edition | 20 / 20 | - | - |
| Cadillac Escalade (all trim levels except V-Series) | 8 / 8 | 7 / 8 | -1 |
| Cadillac Escalade-V | 6 / 9 | 5 / 8 | -1 |
| Cadillac Lyriq (all trim levels) | 8 / 8 | 6 / 8 | -2 |
| Cadillac XT4 (all trim levels) | 8 / 8 | 8 / 8 | 0 |
| Cadillac XT5 (all trim levels) | 7 / 7 | 7 / 7 | 0 |
| Cadillac XT6 (all trim levels) | 7 / 7 | 7 / 7 | 0 |
Finally, we have GMC, which shows a big reduction in the number of options for the Sierra 1500 Pro, SLE, and Elevation; as well as the Sierra HD SLT. Meanwhile, the new GMC Sierra EV Denali is available in five additional hues as the launch of the all-electric Sierra gets underway.
| 2024MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025MY Available Colors For Trim / Total Available Colors For Model | 2025 vs 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMC Acadia (all trim levels) | 6 / 8 | 6 / 8 | 0 |
| GMC Canyon Elevation, AT4, AT4X | 8 / 8 | TBD | TBD |
| GMC Canyon Denali | 5 / 8 | TBD | TBD |
| GMC Hummer EV SUV 2X | 7 / 9 | 7 / 7 | 0 |
| GMC Hummer EV SUV 3X | 9 / 9 | 7 / 7 | -2 |
| GMC Hummer EV Pickup 2X | 7 / 8 | 7 / 7 | 0 |
| GMC Hummer EV Pickup 3X | 8 / 8 | 7 / 7 | -1 |
| GMC Savana (all trim levels) | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 | 0 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 Pro | 8 / 11 | 5 / 9 | -3 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 SLE | 9 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -3 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 Elevation | 9 / 11 | 5 / 9 | -4 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 SLT | 7 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -1 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 | 8 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -2 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 Denali | 7 / 11 | 5 / 9 | -2 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X | 7 / 11 | 6 / 9 | -1 |
| GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate | 5 / 11 | 5 / 9 | 0 |
| GMC Sierra EV Denali | 1 / 1 | 6 / 6 | +5 |
| GMC Sierra HD Pro | 6 / 10 | 6 / 9 | 0 |
| GMC Sierra HD SLE | 9 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -3 |
| GMC Sierra HD SLT | 10 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -4 |
| GMC Sierra HD AT4 | 6 / 10 | 6 / 9 | 0 |
| GMC Sierra HD AT4X | 6 / 10 | 6 / 9 | 0 |
| GMC Sierra HD Denali | 8 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -2 |
| GMC Sierra HD Denali Ultimate | 7 / 10 | 6 / 9 | -1 |
| GMC Terrain SLE, AT4 | 6 / 8 | - | - |
| GMC Terrain SLT, Denali | 7 / 8 | - | - |
| GMC Terrain Elevation | - | 6 / 6 | -1 |
| GMC Yukon SLE | 7 / 9 | - | - |
| GMC Yukon SLT | 9 / 9 | - | - |
| GMC Yukon Elevation | - | 6 / 8 | -2/-3 |
| GMC Yukon AT4 | 7 / 9 | 6 / 8 | -1 |
| GMC Yukon AT4 Ultimate | - | 6 / 8 | - |
| GMC Yukon Denali | 9 / 9 | 7 / 8 | -2 |
| GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate | 8 / 9 | 7 / 8 | -1 |
The reduced number of paint options for the 2025 model year coincides with General Motors’ Winning with Simplicity strategy, wherein the automaker offers fewer standalone options and more equipment as standard.
“For example, we have eliminated over 1,000 selectable options across our current and near-term product programs, which is reducing hardware, software, ordering, and manufacturing complexity, and importantly, all the costs associated with them,” said company CEO Mary Barra during General Motors’ Q4 2023 earnings presentation.
The new strategy is expected to save upwards of $200 million over the course of the 2024 calendar year.
Comments
This will prove to be a stupid ‘solution’. If you want to ‘win with simplicity’, make your trim levels like Honda, where they are all the same, you just get to pic your exterior and interior color. Want a leather package vehicle? Great it’s also going to come with all this other stuff. To have 4 color options on your highest trim level Silverado 1500 is ridiculous.
Yes, but if they do that, they need to bring back the lower trim levels that they’re dropping.
More poor decision making from gM. We already have a poor number of choices for exterior paint or interior color choices. Taking away from that is just nuts leaving many vehicles and trim levels with but 3 or 4 paint choices and one interior color, usually black! So customers are being asked to pay more and more for less choices and options. It’s no small wonder sales are tapering off
Please at the very least leave blues and reds alone. I will not buy a car in your typical rental car shade of Black, White, Gray, or Silver.
Agree. And how much you wanna bet that the colors being dropped are the no charge ones?
As I was reading the article, the first word that came to mind was stupid. Is GM just saving money (another way of saying making more money) or will the prices of the vehicles go down. Realistically, most brands of domestic vehicles offer the same thing: colors or the lack there of, HP, electric gizmos etc. They need to model more products with choices that a corvette offers. Other than a vette, GM produces boring utilitarian appliances.
So does any other mainstream automaker. If everyone built Ferraris then Ferraris wouldn’t be special and the one guy making boring utilitarian vehicles would clean up.
Most of us cannot afford $500,000 Ferraris, but at least we had some cost effective options in the past for a vehicle that was not boring.
Just make ‘em all white. They’re all already just boring appliances anyway. Given that, who needs colors?
GM has sunk so much money into EVs with no ROI that every other aspect of the business is now paying a price. They were banking on big profits from China and from in-car service subscriptions but neither of those are generating income now so they must cut anywhere they can.
Oh boy. Here we go with one more decision made by someone who’s job isn’t needed and they are just doing stuff to be relevant. How about the “winning with simplicity” starts with eliminating the stupid people making these decisions.
Don’t take my word for it. Go pick up a nice paper brochure for nearly any brand (I’ll use Cadillac) from the 70’s or 80’s. First, you had this high quality brochure that you got to touch, look at and in some cases they even had a pleasant smell. Flip to the back in most cases and you would find an entire page of colors in single or two-tone. You could choose between cloth or leather in a multitude of colors other than black, tan or gray. And guess what? GM sold a heck of a lot more vehicles back then.
It’s ok. When BYD is allowed to sell in the US market, it will probably be over for most of the big legacy brands anyhow. Sad, yes. But likely true.
Sparky,
What you say is true and interesting. I’ve been looking at old GM cars from the late 70s/early 80s (B, A, and E Bodies) and it’s amazing how much the “personality” of the cars could change based on selected options. There were many colors, engine choices, wheel/tire choices, different interiors with totally different seats (bench/split bench/bucket), suspension choices. The choices could make the same car feel substantially different. It could be sporty or decidedly luxurious or basic. And you didn’t have to pay $350,000 to create a car to your own individual tastes.
GM global sales have been declining 475,000 units per year on average* for the last 8 years. I see nothing from this management team that’s going to reverse that trend… or even stabilize it. That’s not “winning”.
*CY 2016: 10M
CY 2023: 6.2M
Sales should be all that matters. They need a renewed focus on building cars and trucks that people want to buy. GM may be profitable but they’ve been in a continual state of decline since Mary Barra was hired in 1980. Certainly all that is not her fault because she’s only been CEO for 10 years but, as JL points out, the decline during her tenure has continued, and has been significant and no one seems concerned about it.
For years they’ve masked the US sales decline with gains in China and profits there, but now they’re losing in that market as well and it seems all their eggs going forward are still in China and in the EV basket which may or may not prove to be wise.
If EVs don’t dramatically increase in popularity and China continues to struggle, what does GM have left? Where will they cut next to hide their problems? Closing their winter testing facility, selling off their world headquarters building, eliminating IT offices, exiting markets and many products categories have already been done. With the latest move of eliminating consumer choices on engines and now even colors, it seems the cuts are becoming more dire.
I read here that GM felt they’d saved a significant sum with the simplicity strategy by cutting choices and thus production costs but the article ended by saying GM sales are down. So are they really saving? If buyers won’t buy a four-cylinder Enclave or a 4-door, short bed only Canyon and instead shop elsewhere, does it really benefit the company in the end. Seems short-sighted to me.
gm is racing itself to the bottom!
Yes but at least their woke/DEI scores are high! That should be good for an extra dozen or so sales 🙄
gm already had limited colors, they wont have any choices after this
I just like beige colored cars. I am glad I got that on my 2015 Impala and 2021 Tahoe. They just cut out the beige this year for the 2025-29 series Tahoe.. Oh well . Was thinking of buying a 2025 tahoe upgrade for the super cruise but thats out the window cuz i just like beige. :). doesn’t show dirt. and their color of beige has a touch of silver in it…..the best. it will probably be back in 2030 with the complete redesign. Will have to wait 5 years. oh well…..
“You can purchase any GM vehicle in any color, so long as it’s black.”
GM races to the bottom under Mary Barra’s leadership. Soon all GM vehicles except the Corvette will available in any color you like as long as it’s black, white, silver, or grey. Adiditionally all colors will be expensive extra cost add-ons. Any customer unwilling to pay extra for non-colors will receive their new GM vehicle in primer. Honestly, I believe GM has a death wish.
They killed some of the better colors on the Corvette and now you can get Barney Purple or whatever and a couple shades of orange and yellow. Let’s see how that impacts those sales! All I can say is a bunch of dumb a$$es came up with this idea.
Dumb.
We need MORE colors, not less.
I think there should be a Custom, LT and Trailboss regular cab fullsize pickup available, in addition to double and crew. There should be a regular cab, extended cab, and long bed crew cab midsize truck available. There should be a ZQ8, lowered sporty midsize truck available instead of only high-riders. There should be a body-on-frame midsize SUV available, Colorado/Canyon-based.
I think it should be simple to paint any trim level of truck in any color you offer for that platform. I do not believe in restricting color availability according to trim level.
I believe the simplicity they are seeking could be realized in other ways while serving a wider range of customer tastes.
They’ve lost me. I like the Sierra but I’m not paying extra for a color that is no charge on a Silverado. If you do a search for Silverado 1500, there is an option for Special Exterior Color. I found a number of trucks that were Woodland Green and some orange. And they were not all WT’s. The paint was $450 extra. At least if I pay for paint, I’d like to get a color that isn’t your run of the mill red or black
A few years ago, we were planning on replacing wife’s 2013 Camaro SS, but the color she had picked out was either discontinued or unavailable for quite a while, so gm/Chevy lost a sale that time. Ended up not getting a replacement Camaro until 2022 (only took 9 months from order to delivery) & she got her new SS Camaro. Now in the wisdom that gm uses, they discontinued the Camaro & if/when replaced probably some kind of ev thing. Well, we’re somewhat older & have had many Camaro/Firebird models since the late 1970s & the V8 is our preference. Pretty much guessing our future car purchases are on hold indefinitely until something major happens. Of course I highly doubt gm really cares what customers really want anymore.