Photos: Lack of Small Trucks at GMC Dealership a Good Sign, or Intentional?

[camtah]

Coming from a GM family, I am saddened by GM 's commitment to the small or mid-size market. While the full size may have higher profit margins, better technology and better advertising, it still doesn't fit in my garage. I had a few S-10 pickups in the past and I waited eagerly for the Coly/Canyon twins to debut. While I admire the looks, the price/performance was abysmal compared to the competition and the small/full size market divide. If GM is not interested in this market segment, then fine..get out of it and put your resources elsewhere. I want to support GM, as I have many family members that work/worked for them for over 50 years. I am not the typical market buyer "target" that full size trucks cater to. I am a weekend warrior that is active in many outside projects that wants a nice daily driver that has the guts to be tough enough to get dirty on the weekends and can tow the occasional trailer that is slightly larger than a Red Flyer wagon.

IMHO, the 5.3 with AFM/FF with the 6 speed AT would be a step in the right direction. Also and interior upgraded would be nice, but I can tolerate the current one if the running gear improved. Yet the price point would half to make sense, otherwise it is the death of small trucks at GM and Toyota/Nissan wins the war.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by member12

I would have bought a Colorado or Canyon Crew cab 4x4 with the off road package, but unfortunately none were available in the Houston area. There were none like that in stock anywhere. I ended up in a full sized truck from Mac Hiek Chevy on the Katy Freeway.

People like you are the very reason why GM dealers don't stock ISZ190/GMT355 pickups.

It pays to hide the existence of the compact pickups to potential buyers if you know that enough of these potential buyers will end up in YOUR fullsize pickups.

The only way to change this would be to have more people like you end up in Tacomas or Frontiers... THEN the GM dealers might suddenly start to be interested in trying to find a way to sell Coloranyons to these guys.

[PURPLEIMPALA]

Originally Posted by t-rex

Sadly though, if buyers begin opting for smaller trucks in big numbers, most will gravitate to Toyota and Nissan before looking at the GMT355s. Little surprise considering how half-baked they are. Once again, GM only pays attention to the products that makes them money and ignores everything else. Little wonder why GM's market share today is two points lower than where Ford was a few years ago. Soggy, ugly, poorly-executed crap like the GMT355s are part of why that's so.

Not Nissan. I've been looking for small, inexpensive 4 cylinder pickups with manual transmissions, and neither Dodge nor Nissan had anything like what I was looking for. At the dealers' lots, they are hard to find, but online, Chevy, Ford, GMC, and Toyota all had (semi) cheap, 4 cylinder models that appealed to me. The Chevy Colorado was my favorite, and the Ford Ranger was my second choice, but the nearest ones I wanted were a few hundred miles away. I hope the small, frugal ones are easier to find by the time I'm ready to buy. I'm sure they will be.

[dubit]

Originally Posted by rsnumber2

Pretty simple in our case. They don't sell.

When they first came out people liked them, but about a year afterward, we couldn't give them away. We have a few on our lot, prominently displayed, but very few takers. The truth is, they are over priced, with no margin, and no rebates. So when you mark one down `$1000 and say it is on sale, people **** their head and say "huh?" they expect us to come off $5000 like the full size trucks, and it's just not possible.

Good (but old) trucks, poor marketing, and little incentive to buy.

Yeah, pretty much the same at our dealership as well guy. We're also a Toyota dealer and I've seen many people mention the Tacoma's. But they don't sell well either. You'll see them because Toyota continues to allocate them to a dealer regardless if they want them or not. While we can decline the allocation - it is frowned upon and if the dealer principle doesn't sign the letter of declination that Toyota sends to him/her in time you get them anyways.

We currently stock 1 GMC Canyon & 1 Chevy Colorado. Average age on both is over 200 days on the ground. Let some other dealership pay the floorplan costs and dealer trade for the unit if you need one for a customer.

[Canyonaro]

I have been saying this since I joined here. GM just doesn't care about their small trucks, and it really makes me a little angry. They are really great trucks, but it is obvious they don't care. I am convinced that the only reason they upped the 3.5l I-5 to the 3.7l I-5 is only because of the H3, not because of a need for the 355 trucks. And they dropped the manual option on the I-5 since the 2007 model year...stupid stupid stupid. I haven't seen a commercial just for these trucks (have for the H3).

I could go on but why, I have given my 2 cents in many threads on the subject.

[GMINmoderator]

If it doesn't fall in the 30K price bracket GM doesn't care about it. No profit in using union workers to build 15K cars and trucks. AND why buy a colorado for 27K when you can get silverado extended cabs all day long for 25K and some change? The MPG isn't even that much better with the colorado, at least with the full size-ers you get way more truck.*

My 2 cents.

*the views expressed are that of the poster and do not reflect those of GM inside news, GM, or its affiliates. Tax, tags, and dealer fees extra. See website for details. Void where prohibited. Not available in AK, HI, or Puerto Rico. : P

[Robert Ryan]

Are the Sierra's and Siverado's all 5.3's? or do you have smaller V6 or larger capacity vehicles available?

[Canyonaro]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Are the Sierra's and Siverado's all 5.3's? or do you have smaller V6 or larger capacity vehicles available?

You have the 4.3l V6, 4.8l V8, 5.3l V8 and the 6.0l V8, not to mention the 6.6l Duramax.

Of course this year the Colorado/Canyon have the 5.3l V8 optional.

[akenaten]

Originally Posted by t-rex

Sadly though, if buyers begin opting for smaller trucks in big numbers, most will gravitate to Toyota and Nissan before looking at the GMT355s. Little surprise considering how half-baked they are. Once again, GM only pays attention to the products that makes them money and ignores everything else. Little wonder why GM's market share today is two points lower than where Ford was a few years ago. Soggy, ugly, poorly-executed crap like the GMT355s are part of why that's so.

Sadly I think I'd have to agree.

The dealer I go to for servicing (Plummer in Lodi) rarely has more than 2 or 3 Canyons on the lot. I see them on the road every once in a while.
I think the 4.8 liter V8 would be a good choice for a high end model.
And why is it that the 4.8 seems to be used so little?

[CHASLS2]

Originally Posted by ptmeyer84

the colorado/canyon twins are too big. What happened to the compact pickup market? Everything is midsize now. The midsize and the fullsize are way to close in price and size.

give me a 4cyl LB S10 sized

I agree,

Bring back a small s10 size truck or even smaller, and have a option for a v8.

[CadiEldo67]

The smaller trucks need a redesign or at least an MCE soon. Really, the Atlas engines are fine for this application, but the 5.3 V8 should be offered across the board. The 6 speed auto should also be an option, but could it be that GM hasn't developed a transmission capable for this application yet? Really, the dash should be redesigned, and since the center counsel is really just wasted space, with the hump between the seats, the auto shifter should be down there too. I would also like to see an Auto 4WD button for the 4X4 models, that way, you don't have to go back and forth to save fuel, but still maintain traction as needed. (Even though I only used 4WD to back up the driveway) An auto passenger window would be a but it isn't necessary.

[Ming]

V8, V8, V8.

I'm a little surprised that with $4.00 / gallon gas, that people aren't calling for more fuel efficient engines instead.

4 years ago this argument made sense. Not so much now in 2008. Or 2010.

And I'm not sure that the I-4 and I-5 are up to the task anymore (or ever were). Unless I'm wrong, I don't think they ever really met the price point for production that they should have, and the whole family of Atlas engines never got spread around enough to see an offset cost benefit from mass production across different product lines.

I'm starting to think that, from all of the feedback in this thread and elsewhere, that something entirely new, possibly from Brazil, will wipe out the Colorado/Canyon as the H3 also fades into history.

[bobojay]

As you guys can see, I am a long time GM employee/retiree. I bought a 2006 Colorado when I retired to be "loyal" to the company.
Well, this truck has been one of the worst disappointments in vehicles in my life. I've got the tire issue, the interior is VERY VERY cheap. The turning radius is terrible, and there are rattles squeaks and shakes everywhere. I can't say I've had many service issues. It has been dead reliable so far.
GM let Isuzu do the engineering on the 355's and it really shows.
The I-5 is plenty powerful, but mixed with the 4L-60E transmission, it is rough, noisy and shifts way, way too often on the highway when hitting the littlest rise in the road. Up, down, up, down the transmission shifts. Especially with the cruise control on.
I can say though, I would buy another one IF, GM would put say the 3.5OHV or the 3.6OHC V-6's in them with the 6spd auto. or the 5.3 with the 6spd. auto, and upgrade the interiors to Malibu standards.
Till then, no way!

[Robert Ryan]

I can say though, I would buy another one IF, GM would put say the 3.5OHV or the 3.6OHC V-6's in them with the 6spd auto. or the 5.3 with the 6spd. auto, and upgrade the interiors to Malibu standards.
Till then, no way!

Australian Colorado is like that, but a bit heavier than the US Colorado.

[CadiEldo67]

Originally Posted by Ming

Unless I'm wrong, I don't think they ever really met the price point for production that they should have, and the whole family of Atlas engines never got spread around enough to see an offset cost benefit from mass production across different product lines.
.

I find the part in bold to be quite ironic, as there was 800 millions versions of the GMT-360's out and about, I'm sure even Toyota had a version.