A reversing camera, more active safety gear for some models and remote-opening windows will attach to the updated Colorado set to come on sale in September.

ENHANCEMENTS coming to Holden’s one-tonne ute are enough to lift its stature, the brand’s boss here believes.

However, local market comment from Holden New Zealand managing director Kristian Aquilina in respect to the updated model, on sale in September, does not give any inkling about what sales volume improvement – if any – is expected.

Holden New Zealand released comment from Aquilina yesterday, to time in with release of information about the truck out of Holden Australia. This, in turn, associated with an unveiling of the updated model at a big rugby league game.

Colorado has resolutely held third place in the ute sector since its introduction in 2012, but while keeping ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50 has also rarely troubled the two sales pace setters during that period – Toyota’s Hilux and the Ford Ranger.

That situation has not changed this year; as of the end of June Colorado had achieved 3586 registrations, for a nine percent share of the market. Hilux had 5623, for 14 percent, and Ranger continued to hold the biggest share, 6818 Rangers for 17 percent.

Can it do better as result of this significant refresh? Aquilina says Colorado is a “key vehicle in Holden’s future product portfolio” and says the MY17’s “progressive new styling, improved driveability and leading technology content are sure to be a hit with customers.”

“Colorado has resonated well with customers in a segment that has more than doubled in sales in the last 10 years, and we’re confident the new 2017 Colorado will build on this and redefine customer expectations of what a truck can be,” he said.

That comment was echoed in Australia by former Holden NZ boss Peter Keley, now executive director of sales in Melbourne.

Holden’s announcement of information about MY17 Colorado comes a day after Mazda announced its next BT-50 will be based on the underpinnings that GM and Isuzu are co-developing for their next-generation one-tonne truck, coming out in 2019.

The updated Colorado, which will apparently come here a month after it goes on sale in August, is very likely set to carry Holden through to the end of the current shape’s production run.

As expected, the facelift delivers the same styling revisions that came to its same-named Chevrolet-badged equivalent that went public in April and brings notable enhancements in respect to active safety gear.

However that occupant well-being equipment lift – which ticks off forward collision alert, lane departure warning and front park assist for low-speed manoeuvres – is only for selected variants and, while seemingly covering everything that Hilux offers, seems set to be outdone by an impending tech tweak for Ranger.

Also coming to the Holden is a reversing camera, standard across the entire range except of course on cab-chassis variants, the new version of Holden’s MyLink infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, running either a 7.0- or 8.0-inch colour touchscreen.

Embedded satellite navigation and voice recognition are also on offer, depending on the variant. It will also feature remote window activation which allows the user to wind the windows down from outside the vehicle via the key fob and let fresh air in – a category first, Aquilina contends.

High-end Rangers, however, are set to adopt Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert, Driver Impairment Monitor, automatic high beam control, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning. Implementation for level-pegging with the ute-derived top-line Everest Titanium wagon. Sync3 is also coming to Ranger and, as with Colorado, all versions save the cab chassis types take a reversing camera – and reversing sensors.

Holden is yet to release full specification or pricing, but the images it sent out indicate that there will at least be LS, LTZ and Z71 variants in dual-cab guise.

It has also promised to deliver more information about what has been termed a “plethora” of information about all-new accessories including a safari bar, fender flares, LED driving lights, 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres.

The SUV version of the Colorado ute – now taking the international Trailblazer moniker in favour of Colorado 7 – is expected to launch shortly after the workhorse.

The updated ute made its first public appearance at the NRL State of Origin match between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues in Sydney last night.