DETROIT, MI – In a special GMC presentation a day ahead of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at the Russell Industrial Center in downtown Detroit– the GMC Canyon was unleashed to the media. The past few years, General Motors (GM) made similar presentations before NAIAS when they unveiled the Cadillac ATS and the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and they went back to the well, one more time.

With another mid-size pickup in the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado just debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, GM is set on making a major impact in the mid-size pickup segment. GM had gone away from the midsize pickups along with the other two from the big Detroit three (Ford, Chrysler), but it looks like they’ve realized there’s now a gap in the market that can be exploited. Currently, the Toyota Tacoma leads the way in this segment followed by the Nissan Frontier, but now they have to take on the tag team that is the Colorado and Canyon – which I’m not sure they’re prepared for.

“There was an opportunity knocking,” said Mary Barra, the soon-to-be CEO and current Executive Vice President of Global Product Development for General Motors during the GMC Canyon presentation. “The plan is to grow the segment simply by listening to customers.”

The GMC Canyon is a true sibling to the Colorado as their engine choices are identical. The Canyon will be offered with the same 2.5-litre, four-cylinder engine that puts out 195 horses and 184 lb.-ft. of torque and the upper-tier 3.6-litre V-6 that gets 300 horses and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. The larger engine can’t haul what the Silverado and Ford F-150 can as those are on the larger scale, but it’s best-in-segment when it comes to towing (at least 6,700 pounds) and in payload (at least 1,450 pounds).

What makes the Canyon different is that it will be a premium option for mid-size truck buyers. The Canyon, as with many GMC models will carry premium materials, much like how the GMC Sierra is to the Chevrolet Silverado. The Canyon’s three bar front grille is bold and in your face with the GMC logo right dab in the middle. 

When it comes to the interior, the Canyon is filled with optional high-tech and safety features. For the techies that includes a new eight-inch navigation screen, an EZ-Lift-and-Lower locking tailgate. On the safety side, the Canyon can get lane departure warnings, collision alerts, a corner step in the rear similar to the Sierra and has a built-in next-generation 4G OnStar.

In a year from now, GM is planning to have the only diesel in this segment with the addition of the all-new Duramax 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine. They hope to feature them in both the Colorado and the Canyon. 

No price or fuel economy numbers have been released, so we will have to wait to hear that news.

The GMC Canyon will be on display during the press and public days of the Detroit Auto Show. Follow along for more reveals as they come straight from NAIAS.