Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
Criticized by the UAW for investing $1 billion in the Ramos Arizpe assembly plant in Mexico, GM keeps pouring dollars outside of the United States. On this occasion, the biggest automaker in North America has picked São Caetano do Sul in Brazil for an even larger investment.
No fewer than 10 billion reais, which translates to $1.9 billion at current exchange rates, will be spent on redevelopment. This money will also bring forth a brand-new pickup truck from the Chevy brand in the guise of a ute.
“The model will complement the Chevrolet pickup family,” said GM of South America president Carlos Zarlenga. “It will also debut a completely innovative concept for the brand in the light commercial vehicle segment.”
What kind of innovative concept he’s talking about is anybody’s guess because unibody trucks are relatively common in Central and South America. What’s more, U.S. customers already have two of them in the guise of the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Not long now, Ford will enter the compact ute segment with the Escape-based Maverick that will be manufactured alongside the Bronco Sport in Hermosillo, Mexico.
General Motors didn’t mention the name of the all-new model, but we do know the pickup is under development as we speak. GM do Brasil further mentions that the ute will join the rejuvenated family of global vehicles that currently comprises the Onix, Onix Plus, and Trax-replacing Tracker.
We also know the yet-to-be-named ute serves as a replacement for the Montana, which is alternatively known as the Tornado or Utility, depending on the market. Based on the old underpinnings of the Opel Corsa and Chevrolet Agile, the Montana comes exclusively as a two-door regular cab.
Rendered by Brazilian pixel artist Kleber Silva with styling cues from the Trailblazer and Blazer with the RS equipment group, the newcomer isn’t likely to be exported to the United States because of the Global Emerging Markets platform on which it’s most likely based.
As a brief refresher, the GEM was developed exclusively for markets of the developing world. Over in the United States, the automaker’s low-cost platform is called VSS-F, and it succeeds four platforms in total: the Gamma, D2, E2, and the Epsilon II.
“The model will complement the Chevrolet pickup family,” said GM of South America president Carlos Zarlenga. “It will also debut a completely innovative concept for the brand in the light commercial vehicle segment.”
What kind of innovative concept he’s talking about is anybody’s guess because unibody trucks are relatively common in Central and South America. What’s more, U.S. customers already have two of them in the guise of the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Not long now, Ford will enter the compact ute segment with the Escape-based Maverick that will be manufactured alongside the Bronco Sport in Hermosillo, Mexico.
General Motors didn’t mention the name of the all-new model, but we do know the pickup is under development as we speak. GM do Brasil further mentions that the ute will join the rejuvenated family of global vehicles that currently comprises the Onix, Onix Plus, and Trax-replacing Tracker.
We also know the yet-to-be-named ute serves as a replacement for the Montana, which is alternatively known as the Tornado or Utility, depending on the market. Based on the old underpinnings of the Opel Corsa and Chevrolet Agile, the Montana comes exclusively as a two-door regular cab.
Rendered by Brazilian pixel artist Kleber Silva with styling cues from the Trailblazer and Blazer with the RS equipment group, the newcomer isn’t likely to be exported to the United States because of the Global Emerging Markets platform on which it’s most likely based.
As a brief refresher, the GEM was developed exclusively for markets of the developing world. Over in the United States, the automaker’s low-cost platform is called VSS-F, and it succeeds four platforms in total: the Gamma, D2, E2, and the Epsilon II.
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