Can GMSV succeed where Holden and HSV have failed? Can the 500nm Colorado Trail Boss beat the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in Australia?

Should GMSV restart Colorado in Australia?

The battle between Holden and Ford seems as old as Australia's automotive history itself, but there is one area where the Red Lion has consistently lost the war with the Blue Oval, and that is the battle between the Colorado and the Ranger.

Summary? The Holden lacked a real double-cab hero in its final years in Australia, when the Ford Ranger (and Toyota HiLux, for that matter) overtook the Colorado in sales.

Colorado sales in 2017 were 21,579 vehicles, then dropped to 18,301 2018 in 17,472 and 2019 in 42,728 at 2017. Compare that to the market-storming Ranger, which sold 42,144 vehicles in 2018, 40,960 in 2019, and XNUMX in XNUMX.

At least part of the problem, at least according to us here at Cars Guidewas that Ford stole the double-cab thunder with the Australian-designed Raptor, leaving the Colorado looking a little half-baked.

Well, Chevrolet in the US just helped solve that problem with the release of the new Colorado Trail Boss, a beefed-up dual cab solution that - at least at first glance - will slip neatly into our market.

Luckily, it's also equipped with the requisite diesel engine, 3.5-tonne maximum pulling power, and a decent 700-plus-kilo load capacity.

But importantly, it also improves rigidity: it comes with a suspension alignment kit, new underbody skid plates at the front and middle of the car, red tow and escape hooks, and 17-inch wheels finished in matte black. .

It also looks sturdy, with its large, boxy front end and typical American stiffness.

Under the hood, at least for our market, there will be a 2.8-liter turbodiesel with about 135 kW and a big 500 Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

And that's before you take a look at the Colorado ZR2, which further increases stiffness with a XNUMX-inch suspension lift, wider tracks, electronic locking front and rear differentials, and off-road tuned suspension - then it's a true Raptor contender.

Bad news? GMSV is currently quite busy building a new brand, a new dealer network, launching the 1500 Trail Boss, LTZ and Silverado 2500, and preparing for the arrival of the Corvette.

As a result, the brand says it is not "speculating on other products" at the moment.

“We are still waiting to bring the Silverado 2500 to market and we have a Corvette waiting in the wings to launch and we have been busy building our GMSV dealer network so we are focused on all of that. models at the moment,” says GMSV spokesman Ed Finn.

"Therefore, we are not speculating on other products at the moment."

However, that's not really a "no", is it? So we can hope at least.