Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Trucks/Pickups, GMC
GMC unibody pickup concept to debut in Chicago, not New York
by John Neff on Jan 25th 2008 at 11:55AM 
click above to view more speculative renderings of GMC's unibody pickup
Bob Lutz may have been confused when he told GoAuto that GM would be unveiling a GMC unibody pickup concept based on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform at this year's New York Auto Show in late April. Sources close to Jalopnik claim that the vehicle will actually debut nearly a month and a half earlier at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, press days for which begin on February 5th. The source also claims that the GMC unibody pickup will be entirely unibody, and not have a chassis grafted onto the back like the Holden Crewman, the vehicle to which this concept pickup has been most closely compared.
All that's fine and good, but ever since Lutz mentioned the car-based pickup, we've had a tough time imagining what it will look like. Lutz said it would have four doors, be low to the ground and feature very masculine GMC styling cues. The only other totally car-based pickup with which we're familiar is the Honda Ridgeline. Now we can't get the image of a lowered Ridgeline wearing GMC badges out of our head.
Fortunately, GM Inside News forum member MonaroSS has come to our rescue with these photochops of what the GMC's unibody pickup could look like. The images are based off of the Holden Sportwagon, but the roof has been raised, the rear end swapped out for a bed, bulging fenders added and the front profile has a definite GMC shape. We much prefer conjuring an image of this vehicle in our heads than the aforementioned mutant Ridgeline, at least until we meet the pickup in person at the Chicago Auto Show.
Check out more renderings of the GMC concept by MonaroSS in the gallery below.
[Source: GM Inside News, Jalopnik]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
geo.stewart 12:09PM (1/25/2008)
I for 1 am hoping for something a little more cohesive, and something that incorporates the Avalanche's midgate idea.
and nothing to say its not an Equinox truck as opposed to a G8 truck.... equinox is unibody as well as the car based offerings out there. Equinox with bed extender and midgate....
Reply
Guenther 12:35PM (1/25/2008)
That would be kind of like the A-BAT concept, of which I'm still convinced would be a RAV derivative. Problem with a Zeta-based trucklet is that you can't get it here for any less money than a Silverado.
The Other Bob 12:37PM (1/25/2008)
Or it could be an Acadia derivative.
psarhjinian 12:18PM (1/25/2008)
Fascinating that they can build this, but not the Impala. This is the problem I have with CAFE: call something a truck, and you're automatically allowed more lax standards, despite it's not being a truck at all.
Reply
The Other Bob 12:37PM (1/25/2008)
Yup-
This will increase the GM truck mileage average, but put a trunk on it and it hurts car mieage average.
I think it's a cool idea, as long as GM doesn't market it as if it's a "real" truck. This a sedan with an open cargo area, nothing more.
psarhjinian 1:43PM (1/25/2008)
Yes.
This is why you never see cars built on a truck chassis (well, except the Crown Vic...). They'd push mileage up, but without any CAFE benefit.
It's also one of the reasons why crossovers are so popular and wagons aren't: jack a car up to truck height and you, as a manufacturer, get to classify it as a light truck. Suddenly, you don't need to worry about more efficient powertrains, lighter materials or reduced performance, even though you're building essentially the same car.
Now, you can say personal choice comes into this somewhat, but CAFE specifically encourages manufacturers to do this. It would follow, then, that manufacturers would market light trucks because it means they don't need to spend as much money on the product.
Ethanol's CAFE exemption is a similar boondoggle: instead of having to, oh, actually make a more fuel efficient car, all you need to do is get it to run on E85 and, bam, instant improvement in CAFE ratings. Guess why trucks, domestics and supercars are more likely to be flexfuel than, say, subcompacts.
Tony 12:19PM (1/25/2008)
Hey John... Just FYI, the NY Auto Show is late MARCH this year not late April.
Reply
Guenther 12:32PM (1/25/2008)
Feb 5. to March 19th is....6 weeks, or "nearly a month and a half".
Rene Curry 12:33PM (1/25/2008)
This will cannibalize their own pick-up sales, but that is a good thing because it would also steal potential pick-up sales from other automakers.
It's a segment buster in my book! Sure, there are other 4 door pick-up configurations, but they do not compete with full size pick-ups.
Great job GM! Do it!
Reply
tankd0g 12:44PM (1/25/2008)
Hope it sells better than the Subaru Baja did.
Reply
f3rg 12:45PM (1/25/2008)
I want it! I hope those idiots make it. I'm still really pissed that they decided not to do the G8 SportWagon because I was planning on buying one.
Reply
Luis 4:37PM (1/25/2008)
I was the guy next in line for the G8 wagon...sigh...how's this supposed to make me feel better?!
Owain Ozymandias Buck 12:47PM (1/25/2008)
Interesting. It better get good fuel economy numbers though. Also, I think if it wants to succeed where the Baja failed, it should go ahead and put a long enough bed on it. I liked the Baja, but that stubby little bed just wasn't enough benefit to offset the negative of an open cargo bay.
Reply
integradude 12:49PM (1/25/2008)
And the kicker is no one will by this one but lots would've bought the impala. Actually why really are they not buidling the RWD impala? Never really understood why they can RWD platforms esp on biger cars when CAFE stds go up. I just looked at the specs and the old GTO and newer impala both with V8's one longitudinal RWD the other transverse front drive the both wiegh vertually the same. Why not just build the impala RWD off the Zeta platform with a 2.9 Diesel, 3.6 gas, 3.6DI gas V6 with displacement on demand and engine stop features. Heck even offer the dual mode hybrid from the GMT900 SUVs all would comply with cafe stds likely wile still offereing the perfomance of RWD
Reply
Carlos 12:50PM (1/25/2008)
Funny how the comments aren't as angry as they were when the Ridgeline was introduced. It does look useful.
Reply
Corey W. 4:19PM (1/25/2008)
Probably because it's not being compared to a full size truck, which seems like what Honda was doing.
the law 1:00PM (1/25/2008)
any pics of the front? does it like truck like or car?
not a bad alternative to a truck, as long as the MPG is far better.
If people buy this:GM could bring over other RWD vehicles b/c this would lower the Truck MPG Avg.
Reply
Joshua 1:10PM (1/25/2008)
I hope GM would know better than to produce something like this. While I love the idea of a unibody light duty pickup, this example is not the way to go. As shown the bed is almost entirely non-functional, it's far too small, and it's located almost entirely behind the rear axle. I suspect you're better off looking at the Ridgeline some more because it's probably closer to the future than this.
Yes, I know the Subaru Baha was designed with the exact flaws I'm criticizing. Let's hope GM can learn from Subie's mistake.
Reply
psarhjinian 1:11PM (1/25/2008)
It's fascinating how people laughed at Subaru when they did this, or how the El Camino was the butt of jokes for years.
But then, so were platforms and bell-bottoms. What goes around, comes around.
Reply
mooj 1:14PM (1/25/2008)
we don't get the sportwagon, but we get this mullet special?
are you kidding me? why does GM always manage to make a laughing stock of something?
I mean, i saw the sportwagon concept. That thing had some serious dignity and presence. I was very ready to own one.
Screw this.
Reply