New Zealanders got their first GMC vehicle taste late last year in the form of the Holden Acadia. Sporting a revamped grille and an exciting new name, the Acadia was added to Holden's line-up alongside the Trailblazer, to fill the urbane large SUV gap.
And, could another GMC be on its way?
GMC's Canyon Denali — a double-cab ute exclusive to America and Canada — was spotted without camouflage near Holden's Lang Lang testing facility in Victoria earlier this week, sparking rumours of why it's there in the first place.
Speaking to Wheels, a spokesperson from Holden revealed that the truck was undergoing transmission calibration and emissions testing when it was spotted on the highway. When asked if the introduction of the GMC truck to the Australian market could be a possibility, they added that they weren't able to comment on future plans.
Which is interesting, because the Canyon would make for a surprisingly logical replacement for the aging Colorado. Admittedly, it's also built on the same GM platform.
Curiously, the American pick-up is lighter; tipping the scales at just over 1800kg while the Colorado weighs in at just 2100kg. The two trucks also share 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Duramax engines — although the Colorado's powerplant produces around 12kW more than it's American-based counterpart and almost 80Nm more of torque.
When it comes to towing capacity, the GMC's lack of torque doesn't affect it's capacity too much, as there is only a 50kg difference in pulling power between the two (3500kg for the Colorado, 3450kg for the Canyon).
Looking at these specs, and considering that the Colorado as we know it has been around for about seven years, it'd be natural to draw a connection between the Canyon's timely Aussie appearance and the need for a next-gen Colorado. Especially given that Ford and Volkswagen, as well as Mazda and Isuzu, have confirmed that their next double-cab utes will be 'badge engineered' creations.
So, will it happen — is our next Colorado going to be based on a GMC Canyon?
Given that there's only ever been one GMC model introduced to New Zealand and Australia, it's probably unlikely. However, with Holden in its current state of disarray, it's anyone's guess.