Ford, Hyundai, Kia. What these three automakers have in common is that all of them are working on unibody pickup trucks, most likely compact in size. But General Motors wants a piece of the action as well.
Enter the Chevrolet Montana, or more to the point, the successor of the Montana. The second generation is in production in São José dos Campos, Brazil since 2011, and considering the underpinnings, it’s high time for General Motors to replace the coupe utility with something more modern.
Citing sources familiar with the project, GM Authority learned that GM “is working on a new, compact Chevrolet unibody pickup.” Volkswagen confirmed that it’s developing something similar in the guise of the Tanoak, which will be underpinned by the MQB platform used in the Golf and Atlas.
The question is, what platform would General Motors use for the Montana Gen 3? The D2XX in the Cruze seems to be the perfect candidate, developed in Rüsselsheim, Germany by Opel through an investement of $220 million. Even the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain use it, enabling a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms) when equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine.
On the flip side, GM Authority talks about the Global Emerging Markets platform for entry-level passenger cars and utility vehicles. Scalable for subcompact and compact vehicles, the GEM has been announced back in July 2015 as part of a $5 billion investment.
Previously known as Project Amber, the Global Emerging Markets “will feature advanced customer-facing technologies focused on connectivity, safety and fuel efficiency, delivered at a compelling value” according to Mark Reuss, vice-president for global product development. On the other hand, applications for the U.S. market haven’t been discussed.
GM Authority highlights the unibody pickup “is being developed exclusively by GM Brazil,” which means the U.S. won’t get it. On an ending note, 2020 is understood to be the calendar year when Chevrolet will start production of the Montana Gen 3.
Citing sources familiar with the project, GM Authority learned that GM “is working on a new, compact Chevrolet unibody pickup.” Volkswagen confirmed that it’s developing something similar in the guise of the Tanoak, which will be underpinned by the MQB platform used in the Golf and Atlas.
The question is, what platform would General Motors use for the Montana Gen 3? The D2XX in the Cruze seems to be the perfect candidate, developed in Rüsselsheim, Germany by Opel through an investement of $220 million. Even the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain use it, enabling a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,588 kilograms) when equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine.
On the flip side, GM Authority talks about the Global Emerging Markets platform for entry-level passenger cars and utility vehicles. Scalable for subcompact and compact vehicles, the GEM has been announced back in July 2015 as part of a $5 billion investment.
Previously known as Project Amber, the Global Emerging Markets “will feature advanced customer-facing technologies focused on connectivity, safety and fuel efficiency, delivered at a compelling value” according to Mark Reuss, vice-president for global product development. On the other hand, applications for the U.S. market haven’t been discussed.
GM Authority highlights the unibody pickup “is being developed exclusively by GM Brazil,” which means the U.S. won’t get it. On an ending note, 2020 is understood to be the calendar year when Chevrolet will start production of the Montana Gen 3.