V8 Canyon delayed??!!

[RJB]

According to this article it is a distinct possibility. I of course was eyeing this for my next truck to replace my current truck. This combination of a V8 in a small package is very enticing, because I like to offroad a little and this truck would be sweet for this purpose.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/13/v8-chev...yed-until-2009/

Edited November 13, 2007 by RJB

[RJB]

Well the Canyon would have been a good choice. The H3 Alpha is way out of my price range, and I still do want a Wrangler Unlimited(Rubicon) and god knows when the H4 will finally be released.

[daves87rs]

Well, if they want to save the truck...it would be a smart idea....

[K.C.]

Disappointing, but I'm wondering if this V8 will come with a redesign of the vehicle and hopefully a nice interior that is also functional.

[Robert Hall]

I can't imagine there would be much demand for a V8 in one... a V6 would make more sense...but a class-competitive interior would help the most, I think..

[RJB]

Well as is the truck falls way behind in the towing department. Even with the addition of a V8 it wil still be below some of the trucks in this segment. I attribute this to the chassis not being strong enough.

Edited November 14, 2007 by RJB

[GMTruckGuy74]

Even though GMC states in the 2008 Canyon brochure that the V8 won't be available until early 2008, they did plaster the brochure with pictures of the Canyon with the V8 emblem. I guess if they fully cancel or delay the the option even further, a new brochure will have to be made without the V8 emblems all over the place. It's a shame, because for many, many, many years now enthusiasts of GM's small truck offerings have been waiting for a factory V8 engine option.

[Z-06]

I hope GM does not abandon this small truck and UTE market.

Things are not looking too bright for those in the near future.

[RJB]

Even though GMC states in the 2008 Canyon brochure that the V8 won't be available until early 2008, they did plaster the brochure with pictures of the Canyon with the V8 emblem. I guess if they fully cancel or delay the the option even further, a new brochure will have to be made without the V8 emblems all over the place. It's a shame, because for many, many, many years now enthusiasts of GM's small truck offerings have been waiting for a factory V8 engine option.

Hey that's me!! I've been waiting for a long long time, I'm a GM guy so I can't really look elsewhere. It would be nonsensical to get rid of these trucks. The market trend is going towards smaller vehicles anyway, so why not improve these smaller vehicles(Canyon)and more people would flock to them.

Edited November 14, 2007 by RJB

[GMTruckGuy74]

Maybe bigger things are on the way with the GMT-355 pickups if GM is going to wait until the 2009 M-Y to introduce the V8 engine option? Maybe a very quietly kept MCE is on the way, and having the V8 debut with the new look would make the small trucks a bigger splash at intro time? Don't forget that the Hummer H3T is coming for 2009, so maybe more changes are in order for the Canyon/Colorado twins. Hopefully GM won't keep us in the dark too long (Detroit, Chicago, NYC shows?). While I want to like the Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4wd, I'm more drawn to the style and features of the Sierra (although I don't require a truck, I prefer them to cars). If there were enough changes made to the Canyon for 2009, I might be willing to give them a closer look over the Sierra (and I'm sure the fuel consumption would be a little bit better in the Canyon).

[RJB]

Maybe bigger things are on the way with the GMT-355 pickups if GM is going to wait until the 2009 M-Y to introduce the V8 engine option? Maybe a very quietly kept MCE is on the way, and having the V8 debut with the new look would make the small trucks a bigger splash at intro time? Don't forget that the Hummer H3T is coming for 2009, so maybe more changes are in order for the Canyon/Colorado twins. Hopefully GM won't keep us in the dark too long (Detroit, Chicago, NYC shows?). While I want to like the Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4wd, I'm more drawn to the style and features of the Sierra (although I don't require a truck, I prefer them to cars). If there were enough changes made to the Canyon for 2009, I might be willing to give them a closer look over the Sierra (and I'm sure the fuel consumption would be a little bit better in the Canyon).

Well I do know that you love the new Sierra All Terrain, as do I, but $40,000+ for a Sierra, or a Canyon for about $30,000 depending on how much the V8 option will be, I think I'll stick with the more affordable choice. Now if I were to increase my income by about $20,000yr I would be at the dealership right now instead of driving a 5 1/2 year old truck!

Edited November 14, 2007 by RJB

[daves87rs]

Maybe bigger things are on the way with the GMT-355 pickups if GM is going to wait until the 2009 M-Y to introduce the V8 engine option? Maybe a very quietly kept MCE is on the way, and having the V8 debut with the new look would make the small trucks a bigger splash at intro time? Don't forget that the Hummer H3T is coming for 2009, so maybe more changes are in order for the Canyon/Colorado twins. Hopefully GM won't keep us in the dark too long (Detroit, Chicago, NYC shows?). While I want to like the Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4wd, I'm more drawn to the style and features of the Sierra (although I don't require a truck, I prefer them to cars). If there were enough changes made to the Canyon for 2009, I might be willing to give them a closer look over the Sierra (and I'm sure the fuel consumption would be a little bit better in the Canyon).

And a engine that is very good on gas for those who want a cheap, affordable truck that is good on gas....

[Windy-57]

The market trend is going towards smaller vehicles anyway, so why not improve these smaller vehicles(Canyon)and more people would flock to them.

To me, this is a tough call. I do believe that the small truck market is somewhere in the middle on the scale of importance to GM. I'd rank the next Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Zeta and Theta all above the GMT355s. That said, you make a great point that if trends continue and spread to the pickup side, GM could be in a lot of trouble if large numbers of people went to move out of Silverados and into Colorados (they're class leading with the Silverado, but definitely not on par with the Colorado). So with that, the GMT355s become a very important piece of security against loss of share for GM. But, then they really need to fully redesign (like Malibu-scale redesign) these trucks and not just throw in a V8 and call it good.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Well, this makes the choice of what car to grab as a graduation gift a little easier; looks like I'll be behind the wheel of the cheapest black '09 Camaro I can nab. Shame, too. A black V8 Canyon would look really nice next to my Sonoma.

Random note, I wish the GMT-355s offered a step-side bed.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Random note, I wish the GMT-355s offered a step-side bed.

I gave up on that dream about two years after the trucks officially debuted for sale. The S-Series sportsides were a sharp looking truck, especially with the ZQ8 sport suspension package. But it seems once GM came out with the GMT-355s, only the Hummer H3 got any attention. The Canyon & Colorado have not had anything special done to them since their release in the late summer of 2003. It's such a shame that GM has practically abandoned this segment. These trucks should have had a major update like the Malibu, since they both came out at the same time (2004 MY in 3Q CY 2003).