Last year, the 2023 US automotive sales chart was dominated by three pickup truck nameplates – Ford’s F-Series, Chevrolet’s Silverado, and Ram’s trucks. The GMC Sierra wasn’t too far behind in seventh place, and Chevrolet’s Colorado mid-size pickup truck option also placed second after Toyota’s eternal Tacoma best-seller in the segment.
However, there’s one particular niche where General Motors doesn’t operate anymore – compact pickup trucks. Revived by the unibody Hyundai Santa Cruz (which is diligently preparing for a rugged facelift that will further set it apart from the Tucson sibling) and made noteworthy by the best-selling Ford Maverick, this little sector was abandoned by the Big Detroit Three years ago because it was underperforming.
Things have changed nowadays, and it seems that everyone is mulling a potential entry into the field – Toyota with a revived Stout or a derivative of the Corolla Cross crossover SUV, Subaru with a reborn BRAT or Baja, Ram with the Brazil-made Rampage adapted for North America and more. Only GM didn’t budge and made it clear that its all-new Montana is destined to live a Latin American lifestyle.
Well, maybe if we give GM a little more time, then perhaps they will change their minds. Also, it might help if we overwhelm General Motors Design’s social media page with a flood of comments on their recent post about a hypothetical small truck designed by stylist Austin Frank. This designer envisioned a pickup truck focusing on functionality, as it sports a “flip-down mid-gate” setup for extended storage space where the objects in the bed have more space by intruding into the cabin.
Unfortunately, this is only a cut-out focusing on the “true capabilities of a truck interior,” and we can’t see the vehicle’s design in its entirety. As such, we don’t know if the author dreamed it for Chevrolet or GMC, for example, or if it has a traditional ICE-powered setup or a novel EV powertrain. Alas, that didn’t stop people from fantasizing about its potential place in the GMC or Chevrolet families.
Also, it seems that most people favor the latter to come alongside the Canyon and Silverado with a modular interior concept that could represent the best asset to beat not only Hyundai’s Santa Cruz but also the Ford Maverick King. As for names, there are plenty of options – including the revival of the El Camino or Avalanche monikers. So, what do you think? Should we chime in and ask GM to make this happen, or is a compact, unibody pickup truck forever wishful thinking?
