General Motors is gearing up for the next-generation Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon as the company has announced plans to invest $1.5 (£1.1 / €1.3) billion into the upcoming pickups.
$1 billion (£749 / €899 million) will go into upgrading the Wentzville truck plant in Missouri. The funds will be used to update the paint and body shops as well as general assembly areas. GM also plans to purchase new machines, tooling and conveyors.
The investment will secure the jobs of approximately 4,000 employees and GM President Mark Reuss called it a “firm commitment” to the plant, city and state of Missouri. He added, “This is part of our comprehensive strategy to invest in growth areas and strengthen our U.S. manufacturing base.”
Also Read: New GMC Canyon Coming Coming Early Next Decade, Could Spawn Body-On-Frame SUV
GM declined to talk about the next-generation pickups, but noted they have sold more than 700,000 Colorados and Canyons in the United States since returning to the mid-size truck segment. The company also credited the models with helping them become the “most successful pickup truck company” in America.
While GM is staying tight-lipped about the pickups, previous reports have suggested the next-generation Colorado and Canyon won’t appear until 2022 or later. That’s still a ways off and little is known about the models.
However, there was speculation that next Colorado and Canyon could spawn a body-on-frame SUV. The model was rumored to join the GMC lineup and be more rugged than crossovers such as the Acadia and Terrain.
That remains unconfirmed and a later report suggested the SUV was shelved alongside the 32XX mid-size truck platform that was originally slated to underpin the next Colorado and Canyon. Instead, the upcoming models will reportedly use an updated version of their current architecture.
Of course, that’s not official and we’ll likely have to wait a couple of years before we find out what GM has planned.
