General Motors studies baby electric ute
Reborn Chevrolet El Camino on the table as GM aims to tap into growing lifestyle EV pick-up linesGeneral Motors has reportedly produced prototypes of a compact battery-electric pick-up as it studies the prospect of a new-age Chevrolet El Camino and GMC Caballero.
Some 15 years after Holden’s export bid to the US with the Commodore ute was aborted – part of the Pontiac program at the time – and more than 35 years since the El Camino and Caballero twins were discontinued, a small ute is back in favour at The General.
The intel comes courtesy of US industry journal Automotive News, which claims to have seen the concept this week at one of GM’s EV design studios – where it was shown a two-door, short-tray (4.0-4.5ft) prototype with a sporty low roofline.
The images you see here from Carscoops.com and jlord8 on Instagram are independent renders and not official images of GM’s proposed model, which remains under wraps.
According to Automotive News, GM has created prototypes and design studies of the EV ute “to get a reaction and then to try to modify it or move on”.
Marketing images are also said to show the vehicle, which could be priced around $US30,000 ($A43,382), being used for recreational activities like surfing.
“What does work? What doesn’t work? What’s expected?” Chevrolet affordable EV and crossover design boss Michael Pevovar told AN.
“Affordability is the key portion of this, and there’s lots of different ways to approach it.”
There’s a possibility the ute will be developed in collaboration with Honda, which has a wide-ranging EV partnership in place with GM.
Consumer feedback will play a key role in the feasibility and design of the vehicle, which is described as being smaller than the passenger car-based Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, but representative of the recreational ute genre.
As we’ve reported, there’s also a Toyota Stout compact ute that’s tipped to surface before too long.
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