GMC Granite is dead

It might have been a worthy successor to the Pontiac Vibe – a stylish, youth-marketed crossover – but alas, the GMC Granite may never come to be. Jim Federico, GM's small car exec, told Automotive News that the Granite concept from the 2010 Detroit auto show isn't headed into production.

Granite was rumored to be green-lighted for production, and would have been based on the Chevrolet Cruze platform, to compete with vehicles like the Scion xB and Kia Soul. We liked the concept when we saw it in 2010, but felt that the Granite was perhaps a bad match for GMC, given its small size.

While AN says Federico offered no further details, we imagine GM figures the forthcoming Buick Encore crossover probably doesn't need the competition in Buick/GMC showrooms.