GM Inside News Forum banner

Should Chevy import the Ute? No, not that one, this one........

21K views 154 replies 65 participants last post by  F14CRAZY 
#1 · (Edited)
The South American market Chevy Montana. Roughly based on the Gamma architecture and with a base price of $12K. Nicely loaded for $17K. GM would probably need to up the ante from the 1.4L and 1.8L I4s it currently offers. A 1.6T or normally aspirated 2.5 with 6 speed manual and nicely tuned suspension might make this a fun, affordable piece.






 
See less See more
2
#40 ·
I say bring it on, especially at that price range.

Small trucks used to be popular because they were much less expensive than full sized trucks. They were affordable and also served a purpose. Small trucks today are priced right there with full sized truck so there is no longer a price advantage to them.

Bringing this over (or might I say up) for $12-$17k reintroduces a cost advantage to a small truck. Also, I could see myself spending that kind of money on a truck just to have one whenever I needed one.

As cool as this would be I do think that the Chicken Tax could be a barrier to this. I also think that it would be difficult to make a profit on one of these @ $12k, even if the Chicken Tax didn't apply. If GM could pull this off though, it would be very good for new car buyers with tight budgets or those looking to purchase a truck for occasional light hauling.
 
#41 ·
By the way, I actually do like the design of this.

It is nice to see a truck that doesn't look like it was designed on a job site like most trucks today do.
 
#43 ·
I would buy one sight unseen as long as it was under $20k. As of recently I've been seriously considering buying a classic BRAT or Rampage as I want something with a pickup bed with fuel economy at least in the high 20s and a tailgate that isn't so damn high.

What's the bed length on these? I would have traded my Forester for a Baja but their beds are like 39'' with the tailgate up (measured one at a car lot) which isn't worth it to me.

Cost of half ton pickups is outrageous and there are no compact offerings (and the midsizers suck)
 
#45 ·
No no no no no and no. That's all.
 
#47 ·
Something like this, if it passes crash regulations (convincingly) and can be sold in small volumes at a profit, would be a great low-risk gamble. If it fails, you quietly pull it off the market; if it succeeds, you've carved a new-car-buying niche where there wasn't one before.
 
#54 ·
As long as this mini-Ute remained on a FWD/F-AWD platform, I would have no problem w/it being in Chevy's US/NA line up. They can even call/name it "El Camino". :)

But the Holden Ute should Only be sold in the US/NA as a GMC Sprint/Caballero/other!!! :yup:


!!!!
 
#63 ·
This thing would have made an awesome Saturn. If you don't think about it to seriously compared to an expensive Holden ute it's cheap, fun, and somewhat useful.

I don't think this works as a Chevy and GMC never moved toward product like the granite so where would this fit??? Still, personally I like it quite a bit.
 
#80 · (Edited)
Questionable Decision Making Yet Again At GM,I bet the Holden UTE/Pontiac G8 truck would have been a HIT in the U.S.or even as a Chevy El Camino but those GREAT ideas were scrapped just like almost 98% of all other great ideas they have scrapped over the years,but they are contenplating on bringing this thing over here? Have you guys looked at the interior? I say Leave that thing where its at,GM is not displaying that LEADERSHIP role like they were doing in the beginning,insted they are playing follow the leader,they are trying too hard to fit in with cars like the sonic and aveo none of these cars look stylish or appealing and truthfully they look like something that honda or toyota would design,GM has really been playing a dangerous game with its loyal fans and new buyers when they need to stick to their roots,the designers lately have not been too CREATIVE with a lot of their cars,trucks & suvs for instance look at cars like the 2013 malibu the car looks great from the front but,the interior wasnt designed well,the rear could have been designed better,the 2014 impala is a great looking car,but again they dropped the ball on the interior,i think the success of the camaro messed up a few cars at chevy,i say this because i heard one of designers say they designed the back lights of the 2013 malibu based off the camaro,so was the instrument cluster,IMHO the designers are being lazy and like i said before they arent being too CREATIVE they need to give every car its own personality and style instead of trying to mix designs,GM doesnt listen to their customers well because a lot of people hate how the camaro interior is designed and many say the camaro is a great looking car from the outside,BUT they hate how the interior looks,i feel the same way about the camaro here you have a bittersweet type relationship i like the exterior,but the interior i dont like if people are complaining about an ugly dashboard in one car why would you design a newer car with a dash similiar to the one being complained about? i dont see the logic in that,i wish GM would really start going back to the drawing board and see why people fell in love with them instead of taking all these crazy risks
 
#83 ·
Questionable Decision Making Yet Again At GM,I bet the Holden UTE/Pontiac G8 truck would have been a HIT in the U.S.or even as a Chevy El Camino ...
Everything is a business case. Toss in the costs of federalization, meeting crash standards, maintaining parts distribution and warehousing, and the simple costs of importing it, and I'm not sure if there's a business case. No doubt GM has done the math.
 
#81 ·
I personally would love to buy a Zeta based Ute but struggle to see the sales potential of a large 2 DR coupe V8 for $40+K and almost all of the sales would be conquest from the Chevy SS sedan
and think a lot of the market share loss experienced by DET 3 makers to the Japanese is the case of VARY BAD compact / entry cars but now the sonic/Cruze/Fiesta/FOCUS/DART they DET 3 have the BEST entry level cars and ones you actually WANT to drive and a properly done tornado UTE could cover both light commercial and youth/ entry markets + offer a second commuter car that offers something over a CUV / SEDAN in a Family environment
 
#82 ·
The Chevy Montana probably suits my needs here in Northern Michigan more than a regular pickup. I assume the Montana is FWD? Perfect. That's what I need to get through the snow, and it would be perfect for hauling the personal watercraft around, which are light. The FWD would keep the drive wheels on dryer pavement on boat ramps compared with RWD pickups.

If I had a small FWD pickup, I could avoid the cost and weight of AWD. It's a nice looking little truck, too. I doubt that GM will bring it to North America, however.

 
#84 ·
I love these things. Every time I go to Mexico I want to bring back a Tornado.
The Subie failed because it had 4 doors, no bed and was expensive.
 
#85 ·
The more pictures of it I see, the more I like it. I think the problem with the NA market right now is everything is too expensive. Why can't someone build a smaller cheaper basic vehicle? Why does everything HAVE to have all the bells and whistles? Make a cheap basic vehicle that even when fully loaded is under $20K and you won't be able to sell enough of them. I would buy one of these right now if they were sold in the US.
 
#88 · (Edited)
They could actually market this to the younger crowd and it would do well if it doesn't top out past 16k. The take rate should be high among the surf, skate, and snow boarding, or the weekend beach folks.

I do admit though. The front fascia should be tweaked for the US. It's not good looking.

#Sidenote: This would be a neat little beachside or downtown vendor truck too.
 
#92 ·
(Sarcasm) There's tens of thousands of Plymouth Scamp/ Dodge Rampage owners left with a void in their lives. This could fill that void. (/sarcasm)
 
#103 ·
From Wikipedia:

17,636 sold in 1982, 8,033 in 1983, 11,732 in 1984, its final season
Plus some Plymouth Scamps:

Sales totals for the Scamp were 2184 "base" models and 1,380 in GT trim
that's a good number of people that signed on the line for a compact FWD pickup truck (almost 41k units)
 
#107 ·
I think these would sell pretty well if priced right. Perfect for those that only have a truck to bring home the flowers from Home Depot.

Wonder how many truck owners have never actually used the bed to anywhere near it's capacity....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top