The slow tease of the next-generation Chevy Colorado continues. GM just took the wraps off its Chevrolet Colorado Rally Concept at the Buenos Aires International Motor Show.
In contrast to the debut of the at the Bangkok International Auto Show in March, the Rally Concept's double cab sheet metal is much closer to what the production pickup will look like.
The Rally Concept highlights off-road prowess, which fits right at home in Argentina, co-host country (along with Chile) for the . Consider it a little brother to the GMC Sierra All-Terrain concept and heir to the famous Chevy S-10 ZR2 legacy.
The Colorado rally rig features aggressive 305/60R18 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires and a high-performance long-travel suspension with remote reservoir shocks, similar to the All-Terrain's dampers. Winches are integrated into the front and rear bumpers, so it doesn't matter which way you're pointed if you get stuck. A spare wheel and tire is mounted in the cargo box.
The rally theme continues inside to the Colorado's twin cockpit design. Baja-ready race seats feature five-point harnesses to hold the driver and navigator in place. The center console sports controls to adjust tire pressure and suspension settings on the fly. Acrylic windows protect against side impacts and have molded inlets for air circulation. There's also a fire extinguisher – just in case.
Under its hood is GM's new 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that sends power to the wheels via all-wheel drive.
We still expect a version of the second-gen Chevy Colorado , but it’s unlikely that a North American version will offer a diesel engine because of strict U.S. emissions regulations.
With a gas engine for the U.S. and Canada and diesels overseas, second-generation Colorado sales could exceed 100,000 units of production annually, exceeding worldwide sales goals for one of its major competitors, the recently introduced Volkswagen Amarok.
"The success of this concept in Buenos Aires will be a preview of what we see on the streets around the world in a while," said Carlos Barba, general director of design at General Motors South America.
According to manufacturing documents we've obtained, the Colorado's start of regular production is slated for Oct. 3, 2011, in Thailand and Jan. 16, 2012, in Brazil, where it will likely be sold as the S-10.
According to our sources, the code names for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon versions for North America are 31XC and 31XG. Start of U.S. manufacturing is scheduled for around July 2014, though production of the current Colorado and Canyon are expected to end by 2012 at the plant in Shreveport, La.
[Source: General Motors via Jalopnik]
