GM General Motors Company

By Mike Ramsey 

General Motors Co. said it plans to offer a diesel engine option in its forthcoming medium-size pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

GM's global vice president of Chevrolet, Alan Batey, said during an analyst presentation that the company sees an opportunity to reach new customers with a diesel offering in the medium-size trucks. He said the new trucks, which will go on sale later this year, will be 1,100 pounds lighter than the current F-150 pickup.

The trucks will be "extremely fuel efficient," he said. The company hasn't said what the fuel economy of the new trucks would be. The new trucks are slight smaller than the full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Write to Mike Ramsey at michael.ramsey@wsj.com

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