Photo: Chevrolet
The Chevrolet Colorado is a very popular offering in the mid-size pickup truck segment, and the launch of the third generation for the 2023 model year will no doubt boost its appeal. Chevrolet certainly thinks so because the sales mix it planned for the truck is top-heavy, with the majority of sales expected to come from the higher trims.
The upcoming 2023 Chevrolet Colorado is scheduled to start regular production on January 25. As expected, General Motors has already set in stone the sales mix based on customers’ feedback and expectations. According to our sources, Chevrolet expects a low percentage of sales to be for the base Work Truck (WT) variant, with 20 percent of the sales mix. The bulk of sales would consist of the bread-and-butter LT trim, with 32 percent of sales.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sales are expected to come from the higher trims of the truck. The Trail Boss will account for 25 percent of the sales, and the Z71 trim will take whatever is left. Of course, some readers have already noticed that the top-of-the-line ZR2 trim level does not appear on this list, and there’s a simple explanation for that: the ZR2 only enters production in April, and thus it’s not part of the initial production mix.
The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado was announced this summer as an evolution of the second generation rather than the revolution people expected it to be. GM scrapped the ambitious plans for new underpinnings, and instead, the Chevy Colorado got a souped-up version of the previous GMT 31XX platform. GM was already facing high costs to advance current electrification plans, so investing in a transition platform it would use for a limited time did not make much sense. Therefore, it chose to improve the existing platform, which has already paid for itself.
Moreover, to streamline production, the truck is now only offered with a 2.7-liter turbo powerplant, albeit in three output levels. The base L2R variant comes with 237 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, while the Turbo Plus L3B variant develops 310 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. For the range-topping ZR2, Chevrolet has tweaked the engine to deliver more torque (430 lb-ft) while keeping the same 310-hp output.
The lineup was also simplified, with the base WT 2WD version and an extended cab being scrapped. This makes the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado appear a lot more expensive than the 2022 model year, although, like for like, its price has seen only a moderate increase. For instance, in the case of the new base version, the MSRP is now $30,695, whereas the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado crew cab short box is $29,530. The online configurator was made available this November, revealing interesting information that my colleague Mircea Panait covered in detail.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sales are expected to come from the higher trims of the truck. The Trail Boss will account for 25 percent of the sales, and the Z71 trim will take whatever is left. Of course, some readers have already noticed that the top-of-the-line ZR2 trim level does not appear on this list, and there’s a simple explanation for that: the ZR2 only enters production in April, and thus it’s not part of the initial production mix.
The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado was announced this summer as an evolution of the second generation rather than the revolution people expected it to be. GM scrapped the ambitious plans for new underpinnings, and instead, the Chevy Colorado got a souped-up version of the previous GMT 31XX platform. GM was already facing high costs to advance current electrification plans, so investing in a transition platform it would use for a limited time did not make much sense. Therefore, it chose to improve the existing platform, which has already paid for itself.
Moreover, to streamline production, the truck is now only offered with a 2.7-liter turbo powerplant, albeit in three output levels. The base L2R variant comes with 237 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, while the Turbo Plus L3B variant develops 310 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. For the range-topping ZR2, Chevrolet has tweaked the engine to deliver more torque (430 lb-ft) while keeping the same 310-hp output.
The lineup was also simplified, with the base WT 2WD version and an extended cab being scrapped. This makes the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado appear a lot more expensive than the 2022 model year, although, like for like, its price has seen only a moderate increase. For instance, in the case of the new base version, the MSRP is now $30,695, whereas the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado crew cab short box is $29,530. The online configurator was made available this November, revealing interesting information that my colleague Mircea Panait covered in detail.
Google News