GMC Crewman at Chicago

[MonaroSS]

GM to move away from full frame pick-ups.

PickupTruck.Com are reporting that the Crewman will be at Chicago, not New York.

I believe there have been many misconceptions in threads so far about the upcoming showing of a Holden Crewman style 4 door Ute at New York (now Chicago). It is a cross between the Holden Crewcab Ute and a traditional GMC Truck in styling but it will be low and tough looking. The most important part of the article was overlooked which is this quote from Bob Lutz

Originally Posted by Bob Lutz to Goauto.com.au

We said to Holden designers that if we really have to get much better fuel economy in full sized pick-up trucks, and we have to go away from framed vehicles in order to get the lower mass of unitised vehicles, wouldn’t you like to do a really tough-looking Crewman, but that is much lighter than a conventional GMC full sized pick-up.

What people have failed to recognise in the above quote is that GM is likely quitting all it’s RWD Zeta programs like Impala but about to replace them with Zeta based frameless unitary bodied full-sized pickups. To meet 35mph CAFÉ everyone knows that the big trucks and SUV’s have to be dealt with and this may the harbinger of what GM has in store. I think that Goauto were in error when they said Lutz inferred that a new Crewman may be a new export opportunity for Holden, as I believe this new light full-sized truck will be built in NA and then possibly exported to Australia if Holden want it.

Originally Posted by www.goauto.com.au

General Motors product czar Bob Lutz has revealed that GM is set to display a VE-based SUV in the form of a four-door utility.

Speaking to Australian media at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, Mr Lutz hinted that it might herald the unexpected return of the Crewman dual-cab ute in Australia, not to mention a new export opportunity to the United States for Holden.

“We will have a ute concept at the NY show, but that is going to be badged GMC,” he said. “That is a global design study – and a very interesting study in that it is a GMC toughlooking four-door ute that could then obviously be badged as a Holden for Australia.”

In the style of the old VY/VZ Crewman – but beefed up to look more like a US-style pick-up truck – the as-yet unnamed concept vehicle, which is understood to have been designed in Melbourne, will debut at the upcoming New York International Auto Show in March.

“It is very tough looking, with a sport-utility look that is very low, very aggressive looking, a blend between a sport utility and the classic Australian four-door ute,” Mr Lutz enthused.

GoAuto understands that Holden has played a significant role in the development of this vehicle, which uses the global Zeta architecture. Furthermore, if the New York motor show public reacts positively enough, a production version of the concept is likely in the near future.

Many die-hard truck guys may dislike these types of vehicles, but GM is going to have to castrate the GMT-900's to lower their fuel consumption and add extra cost to them if these lighter vehicles don't come on-line. However, if GM can get 30-40% of current GMT-900 owners, who don't need a full-on full-size truck, to move into a light unitary truck then they will then mess less with the GMT-900's.

The chop I did below leaves only the lower door skins on the donor Holden Sportwagon (the windows are raised higher by 5%) and so this will be roomier inside than the G8/Commodore sedan, a real requirement for a full-sized pick-up replacement. The fenders are styled after full-size GM trucks. The rear short bed version would be augmented in length by a mid-gate. The front and rear will be typical GMC truck styling. The short 50-inch bed version can be seen below with a long 69.3-inch bed version as well at bottom. There could also be a medium 61.5-inch bed falling between the two, which is the length of the old Crewman bed.


Artists Impressions below:

Here is the short 50-inch bed on a 115-inch wheelbase. The Sportwagon is for size comparison.



Here is the long 69.3-inch bed and the mid size 60 inch bed.

The long bed version compares well to the Silverado Crew-Cab-Short-Bed sharing the same 69.3-inch pick-up box length. It also has a wheelbase of 142 inches an overall length of 223 inches compared to the Silverado's 143.5 inch wheelbase and 229.9 inch overall length. This would give the GMC Crewman the same hauling volume and interior space for 6 adults as the Silverado, on virtually the same wheelbase while being handily shorter than the Silverado by 6 inches.

[rhvfd10]

That is certainly interesting. Do you have a front shot in the works?

Good job BTW. I like your thinking.

[FoMoCo Fan]

I predicted over a year ago that GM would offer a unit body pickup, though I thought it would be a FWD based Lambda.

[MCGARRETT]

I imagine that there still is a Lambda pick up in the works, either a version of the Traverse or the Acadia.

If GM is thinking about making the Crewman, please make it here, we dont need another vehicle with a 7,000 mile assembly line(i.e. the Pacific Ocean). Could this be another vehicle for Oshwa?

[chevyboy88]

People will either love something like this or they will hate it.

[jkennedy293]

I think this would be a perfect replacement for the Colorado/Canyon. Those trucks haven't been selling well anyways, what could it hurt?

[M_RABID]

Maybe a replacement for the Canyon/Colorado, but not for the platform. GM sells alot of Hummer H3s, and I don't think this could handle a Hummer variant.

[FenwickHockey65]

No. This will most likely slot below the Canyon/Colorado. They aren't selling well, but they still ARE selling, and GM needs a midsize truck to compete with the Ranger, Dakota, tacoma, frontier, or else they lose those sales and that market.

[drew630]

Why is this on the news ticker?

[FenwickHockey65]

Can we not call this the Crewman??

[hotrod747]

This is a vehicle that really does belong to Pontiac especially if they must sell the so called G8 ST. They really should have the 4 door version as well.

[GTOken]

Originally Posted by drew630

Why is this on the news ticker?

Just what I was thinking. This is bogus.

[M_RABID]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

No. This will most likely slot below the Canyon/Colorado. They aren't selling well, but they still ARE selling, and GM needs a midsize truck to compete with the Ranger, Dakota, tacoma, frontier, or else they lose those sales and that market.

Agreed.

Does anyone know when the Envoy is done? With Torrent => GMC Terrain happening for 2009 MY, it must be close. An SUV on this platform would slide in nicely. Losing most of the 'professional grade' truckieness with all of the crossovers though. GMC is becomming a family of Bigass trucks, and soccer-mom people movers.

[FStephenMasek]

You are right on the money. The people in Austrailia certainly have proven beyond any doubt that the Ute and Crewman can serve very well for most of the uses for which people buy pickups. Since they ride better, handle better, are easier to park, and get better mileage, they are actually far better for most uses.

[Lichtronamo]

Even if its Zeta based, I think it needs to be jacked up like a Ridgeline vs. the past Holden Crewman to be successful. There's no reason they can't do it. It makes sense to use Zeta instead of Lambda, because Zeta 1) is RWD based and better for towing w/wout AWD, 2) the VE has a higher tow rating than the Lambdas, and 3) the platform is already engineered to accommodate a V-8.

This could also explain the production shifts reported for Oshawa re: the Buick and Cadillac Zeta.

BTW - it just occured to me that Cadillac should use the Latin platform names for their products. Imaging a line up consisting of Alpha, Sigma, Zeta, Theta and GMT900. It even makes some sense alphabetically.