After the 2013 model year, the exclusive half truck/half SUV market will be down one heavy player. Due to what Chevrolet calls tapered sales, the full size Avalanche will no longer be produced. Since its introduction in 2001, the Silverado based “SUT” has sold approximately 580,000 units but in the past few years, sales of crew cab GM pickups have simply over-powered the unique vehicle. In order to give the multi-purpose Avalanche one last hero, Chevrolet will offer an exclusive, final-year trim which has been given the name “Black Diamond.”
“Although Avalanche sales have tapered off in recent years, as crew cabs have grown to dominate Silverado sales, we know there are many Avalanche enthusiasts among Chevy customers,” said Mark Clawson, Avalanche marketing manager. When it debuted in the early 2000s, the idea behind the Avalanche was simple. In order to blend a SUV with a pickup, the engineers at Chevrolet took a body-on-frame GMT Tahoe/Suburban platform, and transformed the third row into a truck bed. The end result offered the spacious interior of a Tahoe with seating up to five as well as the open-air cargo capacity of a half-ton Silverado. For its first model year, the Avalanche proved unique enough to earn Motor Trend’s 2002 Truck of The Year Award.
“The Chevrolet Avalanche was one of the earliest forays into re-inventing the traditional pickup truck, said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst, Edmunds.com. For its final bow, the 2013 Black Diamond edition will offer body-colored bed surrounds, unique badging, rear camera, rear park assist, adjustable pedals, fog lamps and remote start on the LS. Base pricing has also been reduced by $2,500 meaning that a rear drive, LS can be had for $35,980 plus destination charge.
Source: Chevrolet
