Common Motors is engaged on an reasonably priced, two-door electrical ute.
Seen by Automotive Information at GM’s design studio in Warren, Michigan, the ute seems to be smaller than the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, dual-cab unibody utes measuring between 4.9m and 5.1m lengthy.
The thriller ute has a bathtub measuring 4- to 4.5 ft (1219mm to 1371mm) lengthy and a low roofline. For reference, a Maverick has a 1381mm tub, whereas a Santa Cruz’s measures 1323mm.
It will reportedly be a part of a variety of reasonably priced EVs priced beneath US$30,000 (A$43,316).
Chevrolet will introduce the mid-sized Equinox EV crossover on its Ultium structure this 12 months with a base worth round US$30,000. It’ll be a part of the Bolt and Bolt EUV, which open at US$26,500 and $27,800, respectively (A$38,256 and $40,132).
GM hasn’t launched any photographs of the mannequin or indicated when it can enter manufacturing.
It additionally hasn’t indicated what model it is going to be bought beneath, although both Chevrolet or GMC appear the apparent selection.
Advertising and marketing photographs seen by Automotive Information present the ute getting used for leisure actions reminiscent of browsing.
“We’re creating these to get a response after which to attempt to modify it or transfer on. What does work? What doesn’t work? What’s anticipated?” mentioned Michael Pevovar, director of Chevrolet reasonably priced EV and crossover design.
“Affordability is the important thing portion of this, and there’s numerous alternative ways to strategy it.
“The enter might come again that it’s simply too small, and that’s OK. Possibly [it won’t be] proper for what this structure can present, however does it have legs for various structure the place it would have to be a little bit larger?”
GM has already launched an electrical pickup, the GMC Hummer EV. It’ll launch two extra full-sized fashions, the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV, with deliveries starting this 12 months and subsequent, respectively.
Automotive Information reported final 12 months GM will launch a Chevrolet Colorado EV and GMC Canyon EV in 2026, to be bought alongside the lately redesigned petrol-powered Colorado and Canyon.
It’s unclear whether or not the ute proven to media was front-, rear- or all-wheel drive, although the point out of a “low roofline” suggests it has a extra car-like look than the Colorado and Canyon.
Of their newest era, the Colorado/Canyon cousins are now not out there in two-door guise, with consumers usually gravitating in direction of dual-cab utes.
The physique fashion is extra well-liked in Latin America, with markets like Mexico providing single-cab variations of the Chevrolet S10 Max – a rebadged LDV T60.
The final car-based utes bought by GM within the US had been the Chevrolet El Camino and GMC Caballero twins that left manufacturing in 1987, however this format additionally lived on in Latin America.
The Chevrolet Montana/Twister was based mostly on the Opel Corsa/Holden Barina and later the Chevrolet Agile hatch, and got here completely with two doorways.
A brand new era was revealed in December 2022, transferring to GM’s World Rising Markets (GEM) underpinnings and including two further doorways within the course of.
