The next generation of GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado could create an off-road SUV to take on the Jeep Wrangler and upcoming Ford Bronco. But it won’t be for a while.
Everyone is aiming at Jeep these days. For a long time, Fiat Chrysler has made it abundantly known that Jeep is their most profitable brand thanks to the popularity of the Wrangler and their ability to sell them well over the actual cost to make one. Rivals Ford and GM have been eyeing that prize for years, but only recently has Ford taken steps into that market with their upcoming Bronco and Bronco Scout SUVs.
Now we’re being told that GM might also step into the ring with their own version of a body-on-frame SUV to try to take on their Jeep nemesis.
The report comes from Automotive News, which says that GM is still trying to figure out how they’re going to go about tackling the Wrangler menace. The publication suggests a next-generation Canyon and Colorado would serve as an ideal platform for a body-on-frame ute, but that wouldn’t arrive until 2022 with the next redesign.
GM could also go further up-scale and base an SUV on the T1 platform that is shared between the Sierra and Silverado.
However, it’s also possible that GM will not bother with the off-road SUV space if Ford is going to get there first. In that case, GM could instead divert resources into making a subcompact crossover based on the Granite concept from 2010. Crossovers are far and away the most popular bodystyle for volume production, and if there’s anything that GM does well, it’s volume.
Such a subcompact wouldn’t arrive until 2022 or 2023, and would likely ride on GM’s next-gen VSS-F platform.
Still, the Jeep Wrangler is the true prize for any North American carmaker--an incredibly profitable SUV that’s easy to make and with an image that almost advertises itself. It’d be hard to believe that GM would give up that dream just because Ford is trying the same thing.
(via Carscoops)