The 2017 Holden Colorado ute and Colorado 7 SUV have been revealed at the Bangkok motor show on behalf of Chevrolet Thailand.
The unveiling follows the publishing of spy photos and leaked press images that reveal the facelifted ute and SUV in their regular production form.
These concepts, however, were developed in secret at Holden’s Melbourne design and fabrication centres to produce realistic on-road and off-road upgrades for the Colorado vehicles.
Working with their Thai and Brazilian counterparts, Holden’s styling and engineering teams were directed to produce a range of accessories for the heavy duty Colorado Xtreme concept and the Trailblazer (Colorado 7) Premier concept.
“The Colorado Xtreme and Trailblazer Premier show vehicles were created with the intent of injecting excitement and passion into the critical light commercial and SUV segments, while reinforcing Holden and Chevrolet’s commitment to exciting design and listening to customer feedback,” Holden managing director Mark Bernhard said.
Bernhard said the new Colorado concepts, along with the recent Buick Avenir and Opel GT concepts highlight the role that Holden’s design and engineering teams will continue to play in the global General Motors operation.
Holden’s Port Melbourne facility is one of only two in the world capable of taking a concept all the way from sketchpad to motor show floor, along with the Detroit headquarters of GM itself.
Bernhard’s predecessor, Mike Devereux, now global vice president for GM international sales, marketing and aftersales, said that the Colorado Xtreme is inspired by “the ultimate tough American truck”, and the Trailblazer Premier concept combines the ute’s off-road capability with a “more luxurious and sophisticated” look and feel.
In both cases, there’s a new front-end look that includes new headlights with a reshaped housing and a dark new finish to the internals, along with another broad new take on the ‘‘dual port’’ Chevrolet grille design.
The profile and rear styling of both models is largely unchanged, but both pick up a huge haul of accessories — some for fashion and some, in the case of the Colorado Xtreme ute, for function.
“This truck is in direct response to consumer’s desire to personalise their vehicles,” said Australian-born GM international design vice president and former Holden chief designer, Michael Simcoe. “Our priority was to ensure they were, first and foremost, practical and useful additions that were perfect additions to the vehicle.
“Inspiration for the truck came from many sources, in particular, we looked at the US market where Chevrolet leads the way as far as truck design.
“By looking at the Xtreme it’s clear that the North American market influenced many of the styling cues. The end result is a serious pick up with no compromise.”
Holden has yet to confirm that these concepts point to the “exciting plans” it has for the 2017 model-year Colorado.
Sources say there will be significant updates to the Colorado range, including extensive improvements to suspension and steering, developed and tested at the Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria.
-CarAdvice.com.au