GMC Granite Compact Pickup Concept

At the 10th anniversary of GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Center, GM unexpectedly unveiled a surprising little compact concept car based on the GMC Granite Concept unveiled last year. The vehicle is the Granite Compact Pickup – it’s identical to the Granite urban utility vehicle from the grille to the b-pillar, but adds a small truck bed behind the 2-seat cab.

“We designed the Granite to be modular,” said Robb McCann, design manager for GM’s California design studio. “Our first choice [after the compact crossover version] was to do a compact truck for Southern California because small trucks have been so popular here. The big idea is that it’s for someone who wants a pickup with a small footprint with great fuel economy and an occasional load in back.”

The wheelbase is only around 110 inches, but its 4-foot-long cargo box can be extended to 6 feet. Two side-hinged Dutch-style doors replace a conventional one-piece fold-down tailgate. When the doors are opened, a pallet that forms part of the floor of the cargo box can be pulled out to provide extra bed space. The cargo box also features small access doors down the side of the box to provide easier access to the space directly behind the cab.

Power would be provided by a 1.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine mated with a FWD propulsion system, creating the incredible fuel economy of a small car, with some extra utility (albeit small) from the bed in the back.

The truck is not likely to be produced, at least not anytime soon, but its styling and size harkens back to the Chevrolet LUV of the 70s which found a niche market, and was popular in California.

We’ve already shown how much we like the wild styling of the original Granite urban utility vehicle, and even though this small market truck is unlikely to see the road, it’s nice to see some new and interesting ideas coming from the General!