DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. will build and sell the redesigned Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck in the United States, the company said Monday.
The smaller pickup's future in the U.S. had been in doubt ever since June 2009, when GM announced it would close the factory in Shreveport, La., where the Colorado is built.
GM wouldn't comment on just when the new truck will go on sale in the U.S. or how much it would cost. The company is getting ready to sell the latest version of the Colorado in Thailand, followed by other regions around the globe. Thailand is the world's largest market for midsize trucks, the company said.
The truck should appeal to U.S. buyers because of its design, capabilities and fuel efficiency, Chris Perry, Chevrolet's marketing chief, said in a statement.
It is based on a frame developed in Brazil, but engineers in other major markets will tailor the truck to the needs of their regions, the GM statement said.
The chief engineer for the truck lived in Thailand during its development, watching people use their vehicles, and GM said it will do similar research before launching the truck in the U.S. and other markets.
In Thailand, the truck will be powered by gasoline and diesel engines, but GM wouldn't say what engines the truck will get in the U.S.
The Shreveport plant will continue to build the current Colorado through mid-2012 before the factory closes. GM would not say where in the U.S. the next generation Colorado will be built, but a summary of GM's new contract with the United Auto Workers union says it will build a midsize pickup at a factory in Wentzville, Mo., near St. Louis.