Colorado

Make
Chevrolet
Segment
Sports Car

Thousands of examples of the new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and GM vans have suffered varying degrees of hail damage while parked in lots near the Wentzville, Missouri, production plant awaiting shipment to dealerships.

According to GM Authority, around 3,300 of those midsize trucks, along with the Chevy Express and GMC Savana vans, were caught in the path of a severe spring storm last weekend.

All of these vehicles are built at Wentzville, and some were waiting for retrofits and/or quality control inspections before shipping. The automaker has not made a formal announcement confirming the damaged vehicles as the report only cites anonymous sources familiar with the matter. This latest mishap, which was obviously beyond GM's control, will almost surely result in delayed shipments to already anxious customers.

How badly these trucks and vans were damaged remains unknown, and no photos are available. The next step, on GM's part, is to inspect and evaluate every single vehicle to determine what needs to be repaired. Chances are this whole process will require several weeks.

Just last month, CarBuzz drove the all-new Canyon Denali and AT4X and came away very impressed, crowning the truck the current leader in its category. This may not last long since Ford just unveiled its (somewhat) new 2024 Ranger, and in just a few weeks, an all-new Toyota Tacoma will officially be revealed.

As for GM, its task now is to get those vehicles repaired and shipped. There have already been reported delays in getting the new Colorado/Canyon into owners' driveways, and a hail storm definitely doesn't help resolve that.

It's not unusual for completed vehicles to be parked in holding lots awaiting shipment because there's not enough inside storage space. The downside to this, quite clearly, is unexpected bad weather.

A couple of years ago, thousands of examples of the Ford Bronco were left parked outside in the dead of winter, waiting to be retrofitted with semiconductor chips. Video footage of the situation made its way online, and expecting owners were unhappy seeing their new SUVs sitting outside exposed to that harsh Michigan winter.