GM Builds Their Last 1500 Series Van

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

GM built their last 1500 series van at the Wentzville, Missouri assembly plant this past week. GM claims that the vans will die to make room for the all new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks at the Wentzville plant, but that’s not the full story.

The real story is a combination of slow sales and an increasingly disadvantageous position in GM’s average fuel economy . The 1500 vans weren’t light enough to sneak under the CAFE cutoff point, but their thirst meant that they were bad for GM’s overall CAFE average.

In its place, we will get the smaller, Nissan-based, unibody City Express. GM may be cribbing a van from Nissan, but they’re far from alone in killing off their body-on-frame vans. The Ford Econoline also bit the dust earlier this year.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Koshchei Koshchei on Jul 16, 2014

    And lo, child abductors and serial killers wept openly.

  • GoFaster58 GoFaster58 on Jul 16, 2014

    At least the Ford Transit is a Ford!

  • DenverMike DenverMike on Jul 16, 2014

    The vans did much less harm to GM's CAFE profile than the 1/2 ton Silverado/Sierra. Same vehicles as far as CAFE is concerned. So are we about to lose GM 1500 pickups? Not likely. The again, the Colorado/Canyon pickups could fill that void better than the Nissan midsize vans can replace GM 1500 vans. And GM's move to revitalize marginally profitable midsize pickups would start to make sense if their 1/2 ton pickups were to be killed off.

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    • DenverMike DenverMike on Jul 16, 2014

      @Mandalorian GM and Ford were very committed to 1/2 ton vans, once upon a time. Ford is no doubt committed to 1/2 ton pickups for the long haul, but GM seems ambivalent. All-new GM trucks hit the market with a dull thud. Nothing concrete about aluminum GM pickups either. There's enough GM midsize SUVs and pickups if GM did kill off all 1/2 ton pickups and SUVs. It just seems like GM is banking on a huge increase in gas prices or Euro style taxation. Do they know something we don't? The Colorado/Canyon and 3/4 ton Silverado/Sierra pickups would pickup most displaced 1/2 ton pickup buyers anyway. Especially fleet/industry.

  • Point Given Point Given on Jul 16, 2014

    Vast majority of sales of cargo vans are 2500 and up, commercial users need the greater payload offered. Easy move to make for GM, CAFE relief and doubt that this hurts sales of that ancient lump in the slightest.

    • See 1 previous
    • Matador Matador on Jul 16, 2014

      @Lorenzo They weren't selling too many anyways. I see a LOT more of the 3500 series vans, and even more 3/4 Ton vans.

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