General Motors, which has quietly been seeking a buyer for its medium-duty truck line, says it will cease production of the Chevrolet Kodiak and GMC Topkick at the end of July. The automaker had not found a buyer for its medium-duty truck lineup after over four years of shopping it around.
Kodiak and Topkick faced extinction after the automaker announced that the factory where the engines were built in Tonawanda, New York, would close. Those powertrains were also used in marine applications.
The automaker had been trying to sell the line to Isuzu, but apparently those efforts have failed.
Their legacy will live on, however, as United States President Barack Obama’s Cadillac DTS-styled limousine actually rides on a Kodiak/Topkick platform.
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06/08, 10:58 AM
posted by:
JakeK66
My dream of having a Transformers style TopKick is ruined! Oh Why?
06/08, 10:58 AM
posted by:
shane train
Oh no! Not Ironhide!
06/08, 11:07 AM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
Ironhide (the real Ironhide) was killed in the first movie (the real first movie). Plus, Ironhide was a van who would haul around other autobots to hide their numbers. Having Ironhide be a overblown pickup truck was just not cool. Not cool at all.
Of course, naming anything Devastator that wasn’t comprised of six construction vehicles was pure evil, and not in the cool Decepticon way. At least Bay has repented for that sin in the new movie. Hopefully we’ll get Dinobots in this movie or the next one. I miss Grimlock.
06/08, 11:30 AM
posted by:
shane train
Payton Byrd- All true. But even though the name was heresy, the actual pickup that WAS Ironhide in the live action adaptation most recently released was really cool.
I should have said Oh No! Not (the incorrectly named in Bay’s adaptation, yet still very sweet) “Ironhide”.
06/08, 11:55 AM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
Me miss Grimlock.
Me say Grimlock, King.
Me miss Swoop.
Me say others are poop.
Me miss Slag.
Me say other go in bag.
Me miss Snarl.
Me say no name him Carl.
Me miss Sludge.
Me say no give him hug.
Me miss Grimlock.
Me say Grimlock, King.
06/08, 1:59 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
You know, it would be pretty cool if GM named all of their cars after Transformers. The GMC Optimus. The Pontiac SideSwipe. The Chevy Jazz… wait…
06/08, 2:30 PM
posted by:
A4
What the hell? I thought Navistar International bought this a while ago?
06/08, 2:42 PM
posted by:
fan
did they actually reveal infos on obamas ride? not that it helps in any way, but, they just revealed info on a top secret car…
06/08, 3:22 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
That’s what he gets for releasing info on enhanced interrogation techniques.
06/08, 4:00 PM
posted by:
A4
That info is old news… they had it on the front page of USA today the week of his inauguration, and here is an old LLN article about it…
http://www.leftlanenews.com/cadillac-presidential-limousine-barack-obama.html
06/08, 8:58 PM
posted by:
Richard
A4 wrote … I thought Navistar International bought this a while ago?
Yes, it did. However, International backed out of the deal a few months later. GM long ago realized that it cannot make a profit in this market segment. It did everything it could to save the business, but no other company was willing to take it on. With the corporation in bankruptcy, GM was forced to put its medium-duty truck business to sleep. This is sad, but this is reality. RIP: Kodiak and Top Kick.
06/08, 10:58 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Damn it. They were fine vehicles alright, and they had one of the quietest Diesels ever in a truck. I’m very sad to see this good branch close.
06/08, 11:01 PM
posted by:
A4
I agree, their medium duty offerings are (well, were) among the best.
06/10, 8:14 PM
posted by:
olds307
Good trucks, but they have real lousy mirrors. When I used to drive, no matter how I adjusted them, I had serious blind spots.