We are well past the first half of the year, and for the automotive industry, all sorts of sales registers have been displayed. Today, though, we are only interested in two of them because there's a little something that combines their DNA – and quite successfully, indeed.
With the US sales at halftime, General Motors has proven resilient enough to win over the charts at Toyota's expense – for the second time. Of course, Tesla has blasted its competition off the tables, and – surprise, surprise (or not) – compact crossover SUVs are the largest segment, followed by trucks.
Meanwhile, midsize cars are in fifth position, and sports cars are even further down the list – with the outgoing Ford Mustang still above the competition – even though both the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro are turning into ICE-powered collectibles now that they are facing an early retirement procedure. Interestingly, Toyota's Tacoma also kept its lead in the midsize pickup truck sector, even though an all-new 2024MY is coming this fall to dealerships.
But why are we talking about sports cars and pickup trucks in the same discussion? Well, simply because some people feel that it's perhaps the best time for certain automakers to start thinking about mixing the feeling of sportiness and control with the inherent practicality of a truck all over again. Remember, some of them did just that – like General Motors' GMC arm with the limited-production Syclone back in the early 1990s.
That truck is the stuff of legends now, and of course, some folks would surely love to see it resurrected. Among them is also Brian Mello and the YouTuber loves to talk extensively about what made the GMC Syclone so great in the first place – the black paint, the bold looks, the cool AWD plus turbo V6 powertrain, as well as the sports car-like attitude, just to name a few. But the main gist behind talking about the GMC Syclone was to ask a simple question – "Would you buy one?"
Not the old one, which is hard to come by given that less than 3,000 units were produced in 1991 and 1992, but an all-new (virtual) one. The daring project is a collaborative effort with Vishnu Suresh, the self-taught concept artist behind the zephyr_designz moniker on social media, who has been hard at work envisioning an extremely modern take on the original format. The two decided to keep the all-black paint with subtle red accents but expanded upon the all-new 2023 Canyon with something that cannot be unseen.
It's a stunning attempt at resurrecting the beloved GMC Syclone moniker, and it's also akin to our times – with a thoroughly slammed attitude, a massively wide and comprehensive body kit, Vossen aftermarket wheels that don't hide the humongous braking kit, lots of exposed carbon fiber elements, and an oversized hood scoop at the front plus centered dual exhaust tips at the rear. So, if ever real, would you buy one?
By the way, before you make a decision, keep in mind that Brian imagined this revived GMC Syclone with a mighty powertrain, indeed – the 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine powering the high-performance Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing sedan with no less than 472 and 445 lb-ft (603 Nm) on tap! Cool, right? Of course, some folks quickly thought that it might be even cooler to have the Escalade-V's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 mill with an output of 682 horsepower. But that's overkill, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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