Buried under. The Chevrolet Avalanche Black Diamond edition.
Chevrolet is about to bury its once-popular Avalanche – but not without a fitting farewell.
The Avalanche, for those who might have forgotten, was Chevy’s attempt to blend the best attributes of a pickup and it ever-popular Silverado pickup. Launched a decade ago, it was a significant seller. But with few changes over the years as the maker moved on to other things, Avalanche fell off the public’s radar and rather than invest in a questionable redesign Chevrolet will send the crossover into retirement.
But first, the automaker will offer one last special package, dubbed the 2013 Chevrolet Black Diamond Avalanche, subtle body tweaks including body-colored bed surrounds and special badging, as well as a range of additional features.
The LS, for example, will get power-adjustable pedals, park assist, a rearview camera and remote start, among other things. Pricing will start at $36,975, including delivery charges. That’s a $2,500 discount.
A decade ago, Avalanche seemed like the next big thing. Automakers were just getting going with the new crossover craze and seemed willing to pull together any manner of odd combination. General Motors got particularly inventive, experimenting with convertible SUVs and a folding hardtop/truck/sports car amalgam dubbed the Chevrolet SSR, but which company officials liked to call the “Corvette pickup.”
Most of those didn’t do very well or last very long. But the pickup/SUV combination appeared to have some legs, at least initially. And GM wasn’t alone. Ford did well with its own take blending a midsize SUV and compact Ranger pickup dubbed the Explorer Sport Trac.
The Avalanche, in 2003, generated a full 3.5% of the big Chevrolet division’s total U.S. sales, though within half a decade that had plunged to barely 1%.
The maker kept the truck in the line-up but updates were relatively modest, further diminishing consumer interest.
To move the metal, GM has been offering a whopping $5,329 in incentives on the 2012 Avalanche, almost 70% more than what GM is offering on the rest of its line-up, on average, according to Edmunds.com, and doesn’t even take into account the $2,500 cost cut on the Black Diamond model. The average industry incentive, meanwhile, is a relatively modest $2,500.
The Chevrolet Avalanche will go out of production at the end of the 2012 model-year.