well... one of my friends at work, said he saw a smaller chevrolet pickup on the road... he said it was much smaller then the colorodo or s10...

so i quized him some more about it... he said it was much more car like...

and then i quized him some more and i he said it looked like a modern day el camino...

do we have some holdens running around in Cali?

Not SSR?

Not SSR?

nope... we work at a chevy dealership... he was just confused that there was a brand new chevy on the road he'd never seen before...

A Ute?

A Ute?

thats what i was thinking, but he said it was a chevy...

and also why would something like that be driving around in Los Angeles area

Well....rest assured that is wasn't any kind of prototype or NA-bound version of the Ute. Anything like that would have *heavy* camouflage on it at this point.

Well....rest assured that is wasn't any kind of prototype or NA-bound version of the Ute. Anything like that would have *heavy* camouflage on it at this point.

yea i was asking him if it was covered up... but then he wouldnt have seen the chevy badge now would he have?

Near the Mexican Border?

http://www.gm.com.mx/content_data/LAAM/MX/...ado/diseno.html

Oh you know what....about a year ago I saw this tiny little Aveo with a pickup bed at a GM facility. I'd seen several foreign market vehicle at this place before so I just assumed that's what it was.

Besides, I think Utes look just as big if not larger than S-10's. Though it could've been a tornado.

The rumor mill is churning about Toyota bringing out a basic, small, fun pickup truck smaller than the crappy, frogeye Tacoma. GM would be wise to study the possibility as well... like now.

If it was smaller than the Colorado it was almost certainly a Tornado (Montana in Brazil where they're made). Ford, VW and Fiat also make vehicles in this class, as do Malaysian manufacturer Proton and some Chinese companies.

Think of it... 2800 4 cylinder engine only, with dimensions like a first-gen S-10. RWD /4WD chassis, of course, no pansy FWD chassis. No crew cab, no extended cab, just a regular cab with some space behind the seat to hide your stuff. Prices would start dirt cheap, so that everyone who has an occasional need for a truck could afford one as a second vehicle. Trucks have good profit potential. This would be great.

I agree with you. If GM can make and sell a decent small car for profit (Aveo, Cobalt), then why can't it make a true small, compact (not mid-sized) pickup truck? I think there would be a market for it as well. What exists in that market now? The ancient Ford Ranger? You could *easily* displace those sales. The Ranger, seemingly, hasn't been competitive in a decade.

I didn't realize the Montana pickup was renamed to Tornado for the Mexican market, but I guess it makes sense because they sell the Pontiac minivan there. I occasionally see oddball cars in California with Mexican plates.

"I know what they got in Mexico for boys like you, bobo!" :AH-HA_wink:

Think of it... 2800 4 cylinder engine only, with dimensions like a first-gen S-10.  RWD /4WD chassis, of course, no pansy FWD chassis.  No crew cab, no extended cab, just a regular cab with some space behind the seat to hide your stuff.  Prices would start dirt cheap, so that everyone who has an occasional need for a truck could afford one as a second vehicle.  Trucks have good profit potential.  This would be great.

So you think they should sell a pickup the size of the poor-selling Ranger (or smaller) with a four-cylinder (in a market that demands V6s or larger) and only available in the worst selling body style? "Great" is not the word I'd use to describe such a plan.

What I am proposing is a pickup smaller than a Colorado, something that is functional, yet fun and appealing. Something economical and inexpensive to buy and maintain. To be relevant, it has to be different from its larger brother, otherwise there's no point. Perhaps the Colorado needs to be upgraded a bit to allow room for the smaller truck.

I retract my statement about "no extended cab", there should be an extended cab available, but without the pretense of back seats. Just open it up for lockable storage and more front seat travel.

What I have in my mind as a model is the basic, shortbed, Iron Duke powered S-10 that proliferated in the 80's and early 90's. They were everywhere, and served a noble purpose. And with that engine they ran forever... the head gasket blowing 2.2L that came later just didn't have the same guts. The 2.2L and 2.4L Ecotecs would do fine for what I'm looking for. They already have a RWD version in the Kappa cars.

Of course, a bit of design flair to go along with your economy would help. I think there is a market for a more basic, yet fun, and small truck here in the states, for young people and those desiring a functional second vehicle.

Edited January 15, 200620 yr by ocnblu

Dodge could have owned this segment, but the Daimler side said no.

Exactly, avant1963! I love that Dodge concept. And surprise, it's a regular cab. I think it'd be a cool new segment.

If we weren't so scared of our heritage, it could be called Chevrolet Apache. How is that name even remotely offensive?

Dodge could have owned this segment, but the Daimler side said no.

I for one was excited about this concept, only to be let down by Daimler/Chrysler for giving up on it. I think it would be a great idea for GM to introduce something similar to the Dodge M80.

The Ute is sold in South Africa under the Chevy badge (as is the Commodore, badged a Lumina)