Truck Highlights from the 2015 NAIAS

The Future of Chevrolet’s Colorado
Chevrolet already made a big splash in the truck market in 2015 late last year with its new mid-size Colorado. After leaving the market segment a few years earlier, the Colorado boasts class-leading fuel economy, horsepower and new segment features (easy-lower tailgate, CornerStep bumper, crash avoidance detection, etc.). All the changes added up to a refined mid-size truck and one that performed well enough to earn the win in our recent Mid-Size Truck Shootout.

Even though Chevy’s big news hit last year, it did have its cool ZR2 concept truck on display in Detroit. Although there’s no confirmation that Chevrolet will produce the ZR2, they did tell us it looks like there might be enough interest in the market to do so. We hope so. While we’ll have to wait and see if that become a reality, we do know that the Colorado will have a new diesel powerplant option in 2016. We popped the hood on one of Chevy’s Colorados on display and were happy to see what this new motor will look like inside the truck (pay no attention to the power inverter to keep the truck charged while on display at the show). We can’t wait to see how this little diesel performs in the already great Colorado platform.
 

Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept Truck
Although it may not offer much excitement for the traditional off-road crowd, Hyundai’s unique Santa Cruz concept shows that trucks, or truck-like vehicles, are even alluring to manufacturers who’ve never previously engaged in that segment.

Powered by a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine, the Santa Cruz concept’s powerplant is said to produce 190 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque. Hyundai told us it expects this vehicle to net about 30 mpg on the highway. The crossover concept looks partially like a truck and partially like a Subaru-style crossover, but it is intended to provide an urban solution that incorporates truck-like utility with a small footprint to negotiate the city landscape. The truck bed itself is said to extend to a size that would equal most mid-size truck beds, and the cab features an extra-cab-style backseat with a suicide-door opening. Hyundai is gauging interest in this type of vehicle, so it’s possible we could see one down the road. We doubt we'll ever see one on a tough trail, but it proves that even the car guys are looking at the truck market for inspiration.

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