GM Introduces GMC Granite Concept at NAIAS; “Urban Utility Vehicle”
11 January 2010
The GMC Granite concept, unveiled at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, If brought to market, the Granite would be the smallest GMC ever—it is a full 2 feet (0.6 m) shorter than the new Terrain compact crossover, but features an open interior designed to be spacious and flexible.
| The GMC Granite concept. Click to enlarge. |
The Granite’s comparatively short body length is complemented by a wide, 70.3-inch (1,786 mm) overall width and a tall, 60.5-inch (1,536 mm) height. Those dimensions create unique proportions that depart from conventional minivan, SUV or crossover designs, GM says.
Power for the Granite concept comes from a 1.4L turbocharged engine that is part of GM’s new family of small-displacement four-cylinder engines. It is matched with a six-speed transmission.
Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC—one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be. We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.
—Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC.
No fuel economy figures seem to be released yet. The grill is a bit overblown, but if that 'bold' image-shaping pulls people away from bigger SUVs, then that will be a major positive.
Posted by: Will S | 11 January 2010 at 06:10 AM
Granite - a hard, coarse grained igneous rock.
Who does one have to 'meet' to get my tax dollars out of this auto marketing genius and investment?
Posted by: kelly | 11 January 2010 at 06:31 AM
High + wide + brick-like front design may lead to high fuel consumption at highway speeds?
May have been designed before 2006.
Posted by: HarveyD | 11 January 2010 at 06:37 AM
This may be aimed at the Scion Xb crowd more than the Matrix/Vibe buyer. Large rim size and turbo engine are some indications. If it gets good mileage and has good performance, I hope that they succeed.
Posted by: SJC | 11 January 2010 at 08:21 AM
I agree Scion xB and the Nissan that was recently brought over from the Japanese market are probably the targets in this case.
Posted by: Patrick | 11 January 2010 at 11:40 AM
Is this a copy cat exercise?
Posted by: HarveyD | 11 January 2010 at 04:47 PM
Looks like one scary parade mask for a small car.
Posted by: arnold | 12 January 2010 at 05:06 PM