The Colorado ZR2 AEV Concept is a concept vehicle of an extreme off-road pickup truck. It was introduced by Chevrolet at the 2017 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Equipment Association (SEMA).
Chevrolet states that the Colorado AEV concept is “expanding the performance envelope of the segment-redefining Colorado” while demonstrating “the capability of Colorado and its off-road performance variant, the Colorado ZR2.”
“Colorado has reignited the midsize segment with class-exclusive features and performance,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Truck Strategy, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Some customers want even greater capability, and the ZR2 AEV concept and ZR2 Race Development Truck showcase the efforts we’ve made to explore how owners can get even more from their trucks.”
The Colorado ZR2 AEV concept was created in collaboration with legendary off-road manufacturer American Expedition Vehicles (AEV). The truck features the available 2.8L Duramax LWN turbo-diesel engine and elevates the already-capable ZR2 for even greater adventures.
“ZR2 puts an exclamation point on Chevy’s off-road engineering ability,” said AEV founder Dave Harriton. “Our collaboration taught us that Colorado makes a great platform for building an off-road truck that can take you as far out as you want to go, safely.”
Features & Equipment
The ZR2 AEV concept features a Chevrolet Performance development suspension that includes:
- Front and rear jounce shocks
- Plunging front half-shafts
- High-angle upper ball joint
- Increased stiffness high-angle tie rods
- Long-travel rear leaf spring suspension
- Anti-wrap link
- Rear differential cover
- Specially tuned Multimatic DSSV shocks
In addition, the concept also includes the following content:
- AEV front and rear off-road bumpers
- Complete underbody skid protection
- Expedition bed rack
- High clearance fender flares
- High-rise snorkel
- AEV DualSport beadlock wheels
- 35-inch BF Goodrich KM2 Mud-Terrain tires
- Front and rear high output LED auxiliary lighting
- ARB refrigerator/freezer
- Equipt aluminum storage cases
- NATO-style fuel cans
- James Baroud USA awning (in the bed)
- Recovery shackles
- Hi-Lift jack
- Warn 9.5xp-s winch
- MAXTRAX
Production Potential
Chevrolet did not announce plans to produce the Colorado ZR2 AEV concept during its introduction.
However, in April 2018, Chevrolet parent company, General Motors, filed a trademark application to register ZR2 Bison with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The ZR2 Bison can be linked to the Colorado ZR2 AEV concept since the AEV logo includes an image of a bison. Then, in May 2018, new spy shots showed a Colorado pickup undergoing testing with features similar to those found on the AEV concept.
As such, we believe that the Colorado ZR2 AEV concept will reach production as the Colorado ZR2 Bison by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
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