Chevy Colorado shows charm of 'real American' pickup

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sun, December 10, 2023 | 07:15

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Chevy Colorado shows charm of 'real American' pickup

Posted : 2019-08-26 19:01

Updated : 2019-09-01 19:34

Reporters drive the Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck during its launching event in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, Monday. Courtesy of GM Korea

By Nam Hyun-woo

HOENGSEONG, Gangwon Province _ GM Korea on Monday debuted the Chevrolet Colorado pickup in Korea, challenging the unrivaled status of SsangYong Rexton Sports in the domestic pickup truck market.

"With its overwhelming proven performance and unrivaled presence, the Colorado will enable a whole new lifestyle that Korean customers have never been able to experience before," GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem said during the launching event in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province.

"We don't see any direct competitor in the Korean market, because the Colorado is quite unique," he said, describing it as "the first authentic American pickup truck in Korea."

The mid-size pickup is the latest GM Korea import vehicle from the U.S., where more than 140,000 Colorados were sold last year.

The 5.4-meter-long body is powered by a V6 3.6-liter gasoline engine specially tuned for truck duty. The engine, yielding 312 horsepower and 38 kilogram-meters per torque, is capable of towing up to 3.2 tons and at the same time delivers a reasonable 8.3 kilometers per liter fuel economy, thanks to its active fuel management system, which enables four out of six cylinders when lightly loaded.

As it styles itself as an "authentic" pickup, it provides 1,170 liters of loading capacity and is equipped with a variety of features essential and handy for truck duties, such as a full-box frame body, mechanical locking differential, cargo lamps and corner steps.

On an off-road course, the Colorado showcased its trustworthy chassis strength, providing a rigid but reliable ride while overcoming inclines, swamps and rocky roads. Also, it provided satisfying torque at low speed, fulfilling its duty as a truck.

GM Korea released the Colorado in three trims ― the real-wheel-drive Extreme trim, all-wheel-drive Extreme 4WD and Extreme-X, an upgraded version of the Extreme 4WD. The trims are priced at 38.55 million won ($31,671), 41.35 million won and 42.65 million won respectively.

Though it is an import model, after-sales services for the Colorado are available at more than 400 Chevrolet service centers across the country. The company also said the domestic law categorizes the Colorado as a truck, thus it is subject to multiple advantages in terms of taxes.

Though Kazem said the company sees no rivals in Korea, the launch of the Colorado is expected to throw a strong challenge to the SsangYong Rexton Sports, which accounts for most of the domestic pickup truck market.

Last year, a total of 42,021 pickup trucks were sold in Korea and 41,717 or 99.2 percent of them were the Rexton Sports. This is because the SsangYong vehicle was the only pickup truck available in Korea apart from parallel imported models.

"Chevrolet is ready to respond to our Korean customers' needs beyond their expectations, by importing and manufacturing a wide range of models from minicars to EVs, to sports cars, to full-size pickups and SUVs," Kazem said. "Chevrolet will continue to expand its range for consumers in Korea."

Orders for the Colorado began on Monday and delivery will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem, right, poses with the Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck during its launching event in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province, Monday. Courtesy of GM Korea

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr