General Motors introduced the second generation of Colorado in 2009, after a joint project made with Isuzu, which brought a few other vehicles on the market.
GM worked together with Isuzu to develop the Chevrolet Colorado/Isuzu D-Max lineup and, in 2003, it represented a very good deal in the compact pickup segment. It even used the same chassis to built the smallest Hummer on the market, named the H3. With money going out of its pockets, and after it lost the Saab and Opel brands in Europe, GM had to strengthen its position in its home market, and a refreshed pickup was considered a solution. And it worked.

Chevrolet Colorado was available in three cabin sizes, with the Extended Cab as the middle road between the workhorse Regular Cab and the family-oriented Crew-Cab. There was a new front fascia for the Colorado, which was inspired by its bigger brother, the Silverado. Depending on the trim level, it featured a body-colored horizontal bar between the headlights that crossed over the grille and supported the bow-tie badge. On the upper trim level, the carmaker offered that bar along with the bumpers in chromed finish. The Extended-Cab version featured a pair of rear-hinged doors in the back.

Inside, the carmaker offered a base model with automatic transmission for the U.S. market but with cranked windows and a manual air-conditioning system. The rear jump-seats were good only for short or very short distances and mainly for short-legged people. On the plus side, that area was great for storage.

Under the hood, Chevrolet offered a choice of three engines ranged between 185 hp and 300 hp. Only the base model was available with a five-speed manual, while the carmaker paired the other two to a four-speed automatic.