Chevrolet Debuts Chassis-Cab Midsize Truck
INDIANAPOLIS – Chevrolet introduced a commercial version of its Colorado midsize pickup here that is sold without a cargo box to give businesses the option of installing service bodies on the truck.
Available on two-wheel drive extended-cab models and offered solely with a 3.6-liter, 305-horsepower V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission, the “box delete” Colorado has a 2,200-pound payload rating and a 6,001-pound gross vehicle weight rating. The package also includes a trailer-tow package and locking differential.
The rear bumper is also deleted, but temporary tail lights are installed on the frame. A full-size spare tire is included, along with a rear-vision camera harness with connecter and blunt cuts included, Chevrolet said.
There are eight body mount provisions - four per frame rail – and the fuel filler remains in the truck’s standard position. However, an optional BJA-code service body fuel filler is available and shipped loose in the cab for upfitter installation, Chevrolet said.
The truck was unveiled at the NTEA Work Truck Show, held at the Indiana Convention Center from March 3 – 6.
“The Colorado was developed with the upfitter industry in mind,” said Mike Jones, product manager for mid-pickups, CNG and LPG. “Input from body manufacturers and fleet owners helped us make the most of the optional fuel filler mounting location to suit their unique needs.”
Commercial versions of the extended-cab Colorado can also be spec’d to remove the rear seat for added cargo capacity, Chevrolet said.
The box delete option will be available in April, the company said. General Motors U.S. vice president for fleet & commercial Ed Peper said the trucks is “ideal for utility companies requiring service bodies, as well as landscapers and other businesses needing the utility of a flatbed.”
