Bob Lutz on US Ute: "Odds are it will happen."
click above image to view more pics of the Holden VE Ute
A few weeks ago we wrote about an email exchange between "Maximum" Bob Lutz and a GM Inside News forum member by the name of MonaroSS. In the exchange, Lutz claimed he and his colleagues were behind a move to bring the Australian-built Holden Ute to the U.S., but that "it won't be a Cheverolet." Never one to leave a quote like that hanging, Mike Levine from PickupTruck.com cornered "Maximum" Bob in California and asked if he could expound upon the status of a Stateside Ute, to which Lutz replied, "Odds are it will happen," and "We'd love to do it." Sounds promising.
In reference to his line that a Ute sold in the U.S. would not be badged a Chevrolet, Mr. Lutz added, "The Chevy product portfolio is too full to add this to it. We'd do it as either a Pontiac or GMC." Most have assumed a U.S.-spec Ute would be badged a Pontiac since from the A-pillar forward it would be identical to the forthcoming Pontiac G8 sedan, but Bob thinks a revival of the GMC Caballero might be cool, too.
[Source: Pickuptruck.com]
Gallery: Holden VE Ute
The biggest obstacle to selling the Ute in the U.S., besides exchange rates, is production capacity. Holden will likely max out the capacity of its Australian production facilities producing Zeta-based vehicles for a number of markets, including the U.S. Lutz says the total capacity is around 300,000 units, so divide that between Commodores and Utes for Australia, Luminas for the Middle East, Camaros and G8s for the U.S., etc., and there'll likely be only a sliver left to make Utes for the U.S. Either way, Lutz indicated that we'll learn the fate of a Yankee Ute come January at the Detroit Auto Show.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
DJ 9:38AM (9/19/2007)
"Either way, Lutz indicated that we'll learn the fate of a Yankee Ute come January at the Detroit Auto Show."
Read that as "We'll have a concept on display at the Detroit show to determine the public's reaction and demand."
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raz 9:45AM (9/19/2007)
Finally a smart move.
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calebe 9:52AM (9/19/2007)
Chevy's full? ok what ever.
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geo.stewart 10:02AM (9/19/2007)
"chevy is full" reads "gotta spread the love". Its already has 2 unique vehicles in the vette and the camaro, while Pontiac is supposed to be the excitement division.
i would sport it up and sell as a pontiac. sell a base version as the gmc.
PacMan 9:57AM (9/19/2007)
Smart Move?
How about make a world class small car with decent materials and a Camcord beating midsize, and a green machine Prius killer....then we can worry about niche goofy 70's throwbacks. GM is making some progress with the new Opels and Buick but Chevy is horrible. Even the Chevy website feels low rent.
Besides, the G8 gets what 14-20mpg with the v8? Why not just buy a real truck with those numbers, what is the advantage to this car-truck? This is a neat "concept" to look at but in reality it will fail like the SS-R and Subaru thing before it. Come on GM stop with the crazy ideas and get back to blocking and tackeling.
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Doug 10:02AM (9/19/2007)
Amen.
Just another car that all the enthusiasts clamor for and then no one buys because the compromises made.
Mr. Oak 11:28AM (9/19/2007)
Ever heard of the Volt? What the point of sinking money into another "World Car" when you have one in the making. I would rather see them pour that money into the battery technology for the Volt. The Astra when it arrives willl be a worthy challenger to the likes of the Sentra\Corrola\Civic.
Word is, the battery development is coming along nicely. So much so, that Toyota deemed it necessary to take cheap shots at it.
The Malibu\Aura duo is GMs true big test. If these were to fail, they're in for a struggle.
Mr. Negative 9:59AM (9/19/2007)
Call me Mr. Negative but I just can't see too many people buying this thing. It's kinda cool and all and I'm glad GM is taking some risks but this just looks like another SSR/Prowler/GTO money loser to me. Is there no GM sub somewhere that makes a competent compact they could import to replace the junky Cobalt? The econo-car segment is really the only area in which GM is lagging the imports.
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Ivy League Educated! 10:06AM (9/19/2007)
Hear that?
Its the cheers of mullet/beer gut middle amerika fatty's cheering! =)
This thing is gonna get laughed off of US roads.
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Harrity 10:51AM (9/19/2007)
Geez your posts are painful to read.
By the way, fatty's != plural of fatty...
beaker 12:10PM (9/19/2007)
Well, Ivy, I personally would not buy very many of the new vehicle offerings out right now. But, being a person in the top 1% of US educational standings, I disagree with your snobbism. Just because you personally would never drive one does not mean that other "smart" people wouldn't. I'd take a Ute over any MB, Bimmer, Audi, Saab, or Volvo. Not that you could get one for the same price, anyways. It's a decent vehicle, doesn't look bad, and has diverse functionality. Yes, I don't have a large family to haul around, but I'd rather drive a Ute that can haul our bikes and snowboards than some over-priced coupe that'll need a roof rack.
Joe 4:34PM (9/19/2007)
Does it get laughed off Australian roads, cuz, you know, both Ford and GM sell 'ute' versions of their big sedans down there. This is obviously sourced from there. I'd rather the soccer moms around here, who can't drive their big-ass SUVs driving one of these. At least I can see over a 'ute'. Now, mind you, I'm not an SUV basher, and I think people should be able to drive whatever the hell they want without the enviro-weenies bitching, but this is actually a damn good idea from GM. People still buy the PT Cruiser, and that's not worth a damn. This thing will actually haul something!
Also, both Ford and GM have hopped up, steroid-enhanced versions of their 'utes' down under. I'd take an FPV Super Pursuit ANY day...DOHC 5.4L V8, 6-speed, 390+ HP and 380+ lb/ft of torque? Wooo-doggie!
Tim 10:11AM (9/19/2007)
What looks like a cool vehicle from afar sometimes doesn't seem so cool when it arrives. Likewise with concepts. I think these Aussie utes are fairly impressive, but the last thing GM needs is another embarrassment. PacMan's assessment on GM's true needs are accurate, wouldn't you say? However, if GM were to import the Ute, the worst advice would be to sell it in multiple showrooms. Make it a Pontiac, or a Chevrolet, or a GMC, but certainly not all three. http://www.goodcarbadcar.net has had plenty of small-car talk this September, something GM could afford to pay attention to.
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Non-Bizarro Adam 10:20AM (9/19/2007)
Although I have always found the El Camino a pretty cool idea, this does not seem like the right idea for GM. Instead of making a sport truck, a la the failed SSR, I would like to see them focus on developing a small truck replacement for the Colorado/Canyon. Not that the Colorado is a bad truck, but there is room out there for a smaller truck, now that everyone else has made their "compact" trucks midsized. You could even base it off a unibody chassis, if you wanted, but make it a definite truck with reasonable towing and payload capability, along with a real bed (no more carpet in the bed).
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Jeff the Baptist 10:42AM (9/19/2007)
"Not that the Colorado is a bad truck..."
Having driven a Colorado, yes it is a bad truck. It is too big to be a compact, too anemic to be a full size. It does nothing well.
But unfortunately the rest of what you said is right. The Ute would be a niche product. Interesting, but niche. GM would be better off developing a compact that can really compete in the small truck market. Gas prices have gone up and a viable small truck would probably sell pretty well.
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Non-Bizarro Adam 11:18AM (9/19/2007)
Well, I've driven the Colorado as well, and it is a pretty capable little truck. It is no larger than the rest of the trucks in its class, (in fact, smaller than the Tacoma and Frontier), and has comparable horsepower and payload capability. It also has better handling than any of the other vehicles in its class. The only two areas that it is noticeably behind on are interior refinement and tow rating. But even then, 4,000 lbs. is more than most people will ever ask of a small truck.
I think that the Colorado is seen in a bad light simply because it is different. The 5-cyl is not a bad engine, but its not what the truck market is used to, and that is the most traditional of all markets. That being said, I think that if they put that same engine in a slightly smaller, unibody truck that weighed ~300 lbs. less, it would be more than enough power and get significantly better fuel mileage, as well. That could hit a nice sweet spot in the market.
Jeff the Baptist 12:47PM (9/19/2007)
Yes, the interior is cheap and laid out poorly. Handling? Eh, I wasn't wowed but it's a pickup. I'm not one of those guys that expects four-wheel drive pickups to be nimble sports cars. I expect trucks to be trucks.
Which is why the 5 cylinder is a bad engine. I expect pickups to have power and the Colorado/Canyon doesn't. The 5 cylinder isn't worthy of the top engine spot. The truck grew significantly in size and weight from the S-10 (not a bad thing), but the engine shrank. It doesn't have the power I want and you really need if you are going to do actual work with the truck.
You're right, if they put that engine back into a true compact (instead of a midsize) it would probably be ok. But then you would have a different truck. The Canyon really needs something like the old 4.3 liter. A V8 missing two cylinders is better than an I6 missing only one.
HighMileDriver 10:45AM (9/19/2007)
I would like to see one of these with a little turbo capable of getting 40MPG highway. That would be worth doing.
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TBlueMax 10:57AM (9/19/2007)
I would strongly consider buying this unibody Ute over a body-on-frame small truck with a similar sized bed. Why? A V6 version of the Ute would likely achieve similar or better fuel economy to the large-displacement I4 found in the Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado, Canyon, et al., while still driving like a car. Payload and towing capacity are not an issue as I would use it primarily for making Home Depot runs. The greatest challenge to bringing the Ute to the US is not branding but pricing, especially considering that you can get a new entry-level Tacoma for under $14,000 and a new entry-level F-150 for $15,000 (after discounts/rebates). This would not be a viable alternative to someone in the construction industry or anyone who relies on towing and payload capacities, but for everyone else - why not?
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Avinash machado 11:01AM (9/19/2007)
It might be a car based ute and not a real truck, but it is far better than the Ridgeline.
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