Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Trucks/Pickups, Green, GMC, Australia
Chicago 2008: GMC Denali XT Concept is ute-iful
by Sam Abuelsamid on Feb 6th 2008 at 4:06PM 
Update: Video of the live GMC Denali XT reveal is available after the jump
click above for more live shots of the GMC Denali XT Concept
GM designer Brian Nesbitt publicly unveiled the GMC Denali XT concept today at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The Denali is the first U.S. example of the "Ute" car-based pickup that's built on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform. In this case, the Denali is a four-door pickup using the same rear-wheel-drive architecture as the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8. It was even designed down under at GM's Australian design studios. Unlike the RWD sedans with which it shares a platform, the Denali has the first example of a flex-fuel engine combined with GM's two-mode hybrid system. The flex-fuel V8 is 4.9L in displacement and has direct fuel injection to maximize both power and fuel economy. According to GM, it expects the powertrain to produce 325 hp and have a 50% boost in fuel efficiency compared to a conventional V8. So far there is no indication of whether on not GMC will offer a production version of the Denali XT, but the powertrain will almost certainly appear in future GM products.
click above for more live shots of the GMC Denali XT Concept
GM designer Brian Nesbitt publicly unveiled the GMC Denali XT concept today at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The Denali is the first U.S. example of the "Ute" car-based pickup that's built on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform. In this case, the Denali is a four-door pickup using the same rear-wheel-drive architecture as the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8. It was even designed down under at GM's Australian design studios. Unlike the RWD sedans with which it shares a platform, the Denali has the first example of a flex-fuel engine combined with GM's two-mode hybrid system. The flex-fuel V8 is 4.9L in displacement and has direct fuel injection to maximize both power and fuel economy. According to GM, it expects the powertrain to produce 325 hp and have a 50% boost in fuel efficiency compared to a conventional V8. So far there is no indication of whether on not GMC will offer a production version of the Denali XT, but the powertrain will almost certainly appear in future GM products.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
amastadon 4:11PM (2/06/2008)
Very nice. I like it a lot.
Tone it down a little for production and GM has itself a winner.
Hope to see it in the showroom soon!
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kris 4:12PM (2/06/2008)
Looks like the dream an American car designer were to have if they took 10 hits of acid and 10 unisom...and had a 'bad trip'. Seriously, that thing is fugly.
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Andrew L 4:15PM (2/06/2008)
are we going to get a Buick, Saturn, Chevy, and Cadillac version as well? or perhaps a Pontiacn or Saab variant
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Tim Scollick 4:19PM (2/06/2008)
Wow. It looks like the CAFE standards are going to turn trucks into cars.
It kind of reminds me of the Toyota A-BAT that was at the Detroit Auto Show this year.
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Rick 4:22PM (2/06/2008)
Will US automakers ever make a truck with rounded fenders?! Why would you square them off when tires are round? I never understood that.
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Jason 5:44PM (2/06/2008)
Ford Ranger: round wheel wells.
Ford F150: round wheel wells.
Ford SuperDuty: round wheel wells.
Dodge Ram: round wheel wells.
Gregg 4:25PM (2/06/2008)
I love it! Bold, provocative, polarizing. This thing will get noticed, even by those who hate the style.
But why all the fat people in the photos? Oh, I forgot. Chicago.
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MachinaDC5 4:28PM (2/06/2008)
My eyes! What have you done to my eyes?! Oh the humanity!
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Brennan 4:29PM (2/06/2008)
I find this "green" application funny since they have about 40 cow hides in the interior... I guess being green doesn't mean you are a vegetarian... :)
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Patrick 4:33PM (2/06/2008)
Not big on the design myself, and if they were smart they would leave it a prototype. Although I am excited about the powertrain. So that means we would get about 30+ mpg, assuming the fuel mileage of a current gm truck is about 15-20 mpg. A 50% saving on fuel costs would be awesome. Good news for us Americans who still want V-8 power.
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Jared 4:40PM (2/06/2008)
I prefer the styling of the Holden to this.
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Bill 4:40PM (2/06/2008)
Why the hell doesn't the Yukon Denali look at all like this? This looks amazing... the headlights dominate, it's agressive, and it's unabashedly American! I'm no fan of most American cars, but this is sweet. They should use styling cues from this on the Yukon refresh which is inevitably coming... do anything to get rid of those bug-eyed headlights GMC!!!
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Polly Prissy Pants 4:46PM (2/06/2008)
Awesome, I was just thinking that GM really needs to add more trucks to it's line-up. They only market 41 truck/CUV/SUV's now so bumping that up to 42 should really give them a boost. As gas hits $4/gal and CAFE rises to 35mpg people will be looking to dump their small, efficient cars and buy 15mpg trucks like this instead. Bravo GM.
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amastadon 4:53PM (2/06/2008)
READ: "50% increase in fuel economy over a average mid-size truck"
That means if the average mid-size truck gets 16mpg city and 20 highway, this will get 24 and 30.
Maybe you should read the article before posting.
Chevy Nick 5:21PM (2/06/2008)
Polly Pants: I don't think you understand the finer details of the CAFE system.
John 5:27PM (2/06/2008)
Only in America, Only in America.
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the law 5:27PM (2/06/2008)
Great Design!
Just bring over the Pontiac- Holden Ute with it.
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TriShield 5:34PM (2/06/2008)
Absolutely horrendous. Why would they want to taint GMC's brand image with this thing?
As someone who is a fan of El Camino-style coupe utilities and Holdens I had much higher expectations for this concept.
It lacks the classic aggressive style of the El Camino SS muscle cars and the smooth sophistication of Holden's recent Utes.
With a V8 under the hood it isn't going to save anyone any fuel over a V8 truck either and it has less capability and probably drives and handles much worse than a car.
The appeal of El Caminos and Utes is that they ARE cars that retain thier car looks as wlel as their car fuel consumption and driving dynamics.
I don't see that in the XT concept. I just see a truck beaten with an ugly stick.
GM would be better off making a real Impala SS out of the Zeta structure for Chevrolet than building this truck, that crossover, this SUV-thing and endless amounts of the same gas-guzzling truckish crap.
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Rick 7:40AM (2/08/2008)
You've only named 4 vehicles for a list in the teens at least.
J. D. Billiford 5:45PM (2/06/2008)
>>> Not bad. It also reminds me a lot of the Dodge Rampage concept truck that was shown at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show.
Check out Autoblog's link: http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/08/chicago-auto-show-dodge-debuts-rampage-truck-concept/
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