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Monday, March 21, 2011
Why Thailand? As it so happens, the southeast Asian country is the number one market for midsize trucks in the world and about 43% of the new cars sold there are trucks. The extended-cab truck sports the same dual-port grille that's become a signature of Chevrolet's design. In this case, it looks much like that of the Malibu midsize sedan. The truck rides on 20-inch aluminum wheels fitted with off-road tires and its exterior features details such as LED turn-signals in the rear-view mirrors, Pepperdust Metallic paint with aluminum details in the fascias, projector-style headlamps with LED accents, and LED taillamps. GM vice president of global design Ed Welburn says that "its broad-shoulders proportions are derived from nearly a century of Chevrolet truck heritage." As for whether the truck will replace the existing U.S.-market Colorado/Canyon, GM continues to remain silent. However, a GM official we spoke with said that the automaker has no plans to abandon the midsize truck market and that a new version of the truck is on the way. We're betting it will come out looking much like the show truck, with different engine options and a steering wheel on left side, of course. Whatever it ends up being, it will surely built somewhere in the NAFTA area to avoid the so-called "Chicken Tax" that makes importing trucks from countries like Thailand unprofitable. GM says details for the production model will come later in the year, so stay tuned. Thanks to: Motor Trend



