As Chevrolet celebrates a century of building trucks during the 2018 Model Year, it is expanding its midsize truck line-up with two new editions for the Colorado as it readies for the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas.
The 2018 Colorado ZR2 Midnight Edition features an all-black exterior finish, black Chevy bowtie emblems and 17-inch five-spoke black accessory wheels, including the spare. The ZR2 Midnight also features a black sport bar with off-road LED lighting and ZR2 logos on the sport-bar sail panels.
The ZR2 Dusk Edition offers the same content as the ZR2 Midnight, but can be purchased in all other ZR2 exterior finishes, with black accents throughout.
Chevrolet offered a peek at the new editions at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan, ahead of their official debut at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas where they will be part of Chevrolet’s display of concept and production vehicles from Oct. 31–Nov. 3, where Chevrolet is planning to show 20 different concept finished with GM accessories.
“The Colorado ZR2 Midnight and Dusk Edition models offer customers even more personalization choices from the only company with three distinct trucks: midsize, full-size and full-size heavy-duty,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Truck Strategy, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Chevrolet offers more choices because the truck market is too diverse for a ‘one size fits most’ strategy.”
(To see more about Chevrolet’s celebration of its truck centennial, Click Here.)
The Colorado ZR2 is effectively a segment of one, equally at home rock crawling, desert running or as a daily driver. It sits 2 inches higher than the regular Colorado and features a 3.5-inch-wider track.
Performance features include an off-road suspension with cast-iron control arms and segment-exclusive Multimatic DSSV dampers. They are the first off-road shocks to feature position-sensitive spool valve technology, making the truck equally adept on and off the road, Campbell said.
Other standard ZR2 features include front electronic locking differential, electronic locking rear differential, hill descent control, an aluminum skidplate to protect the radiator and oil pan, off-road rocker protection, Autotrac transfer case, transfer case shield, four-wheel disc brakes, modified rear axle with a 3.42 ratio and special off-road setting.
The ZR2 is further differentiated from the Colorado with a unique grille and modified front and rear bumpers. The ZR2 is available with a standard 3.6-liter V-6 matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission or an available 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel with 369 lb-ft of torque.
The Colorado ZR2 also features the latest safety technology and connectivity such as 4G LTE Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control and available Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning augment the safety package.
(Pickups expected to have helped drive surge in sales in September. Click Here for more.)
The ZR2 Dusk Edition show vehicle is finished in Summit White and equipped with the available 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel, as well as a diesel-exclusive Performance Cold Air Intake.
Model year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Chevy trucks and more than 85 million trucks later, Chevrolet has become one of the most recognizable brands in the world.
“The Chevy Trucks Centennial is a huge milestone for us, and is equally important to our customers,” said Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet Trucks Advertising and Marketing director. “That’s why we will be celebrating 100 years of Chevy Trucks over the course of the next 100 days. It’s important that we share this celebration with our loyal customers who have helped us achieve this accomplishment.”
Chevrolet kicked off the Centennial Celebration at the State Fair of Texas, where it 2018 Silverado and Colorado Centennial Special Edition with unique Centennial Badges and Centennial Blue exterior paint, a 100-year door badge, spray-in bedliner with heritage bowtie emblem, accessory floor liners with heritage bowtie emblems, Centennial Blue exterior paint, 22-inch painted wheels with chrome inserts, 22-inch all-terrain tires, chrome tow hooks and a chrome bowtie on the steering wheel.
“The Silverado and Colorado Centennial Editions are a result of collaboration between Chevrolet Design, Engineering and Marketing, to commemorate the history of Chevy Trucks,” said Rich Scheer, Chevrolet Trucks director of Exterior Design.
(Ford Motor Co. celebrates 100 years of pickup trucks. For the story, Click Here.)
“Both vehicles offer our most enthusiastic fans a way to demonstrate their love for Chevy Trucks and celebrate the Chevy Trucks Centennial with us.”
