They are going to pull their heads out of the asses? I couldn't believe they shelved it in the first place, look how well ram is doing with the eco diesel 1500. GM already missed a shit load of sales...
The 4.5 would have never gotten the fuel economy that the Ram ecodiesel gets. With the 2015+ direct injected V6 and V8 gassers that GM offers, the 4.5 would have BARELY offered a fuel economy advantage (over the gassers).
Add on the $3-4k+ (??) price tag, more expensive maintenance, and more expensive to fix once warranty is up, im not surprised they shelved it.
To compete with Ram, the 4.5 would have to get 29+ mpg. No way in hell it was going to do that. The 2.8 Colorado gets "only" 31mpg I think.
The 4.5 was too close to the 6.6 in capability, weight, economy to be viable and sway buyers I think.
Plus CAFE requirements etc...
Its a shame, but from a numbers point it just doesnt make sense if you break it down and actually think about it...especially with the Colorado 2.8 out now, considering the Colorado really isnt THAT much smaller than a half ton Silverado.