In the market of selling compact trucks, Ford and Chrysler have hung the hat, dropping out of the competition for the best compact pick-up. Ford has stopped selling the Ranger model in North America and Chrysler has made the decision to stop production of the Dakota. The reason for this lack of interest in developing new compact pickup truck models is that, compared to projected big truck sales of 1.9 million this year, the projected sales of compact trucks is only 225,000. This has left GM alone in the market of compact pickups with Toyota.
The Japanese made Toyota Tacoma is the top compact pickup with sales of 146,472 through the month of November. The Nissan Frontier is the compact pickup truck that comes in closest to Tacoma car sales with 58,000 trucks sold in the U.S. through November. Honda comes in next, with a total of 16,160 Ridgelines sold through November.
The Chevrolet Colorado, built by GM, made its debut last month at the Los Angeles auto show. There may be plans for GM to release a ZR2 off-road version next year. Mark Reuss, the president of the North American GM, stated that the Colorado will have lots of opportunities for extra options and accessories. He has also revealed that the Colorado looks more like a full-sized truck. It is built for the U.S. market, having seating that is geared to American sized passengers, while the Toyota Tacoma is a best seller in new car markets around the world.
GM is hoping that its new Chevrolet Colorado will be a great contender against Japan’s Toyota Tacoma. Let’s first take a look at GM’s Colorado.
GM Chevrolet Colorado
Reports are, that for a compact pickup, the Colorado is able to pull and carry a lot of weight, with a load capacity of a little over 6,700 pounds. The Colorado offers a lot of interior comfort and conveniences that one would not normally expect to see in a compact pickup. Some of the options packages include projector headlights and electronic warning systems that inform of an oncoming collision and lane departure. The high tech options package for the Chevrolet Colorado is a key strategy for impressing American buyers and boosting car sales in the United States.
Toyota Tacoma
It is not easy to predict how well the Tacoma will sell since GM has not yet released the price of the Colorado. Toyota normally sells 10-15,000 Tacomas in any given month. The Toyota has been the best-selling compact truck in the United States since 2005. For Toyota’s new 2014 model will come with a new SR appearance package taking on a sporty new look, with four levels of Entune audio. The Tacoma’s rear view camera has been moved to the head unit display of Entune. The vehicle interior offers consumers access to entertainment, GPS navigation and information services.
So, the game is now on between the GM Colorado and Toyota Tacoma.
