Mark Reuss: G8 Ute May Be Revived As El Camino

GM North America President Mark Reuss, who ran the show at Holden in Australia before taking the job here, is raising ears (and eyebrows) by considering the Holden Commodore VE-Ute for the U.S. market once again. North American production became stillborn this time last year when plans to of becoming a variant of the Pontiac G8 fell through. This time, Reuss is considering Chevrolet or GMC to carry the flickering torch to hold the model.

The Zeta platformed Ute is a hot seller in Australia, and according to a report and interview from PickUpTrucks.com, Ruess believes it would be “pretty attractive,” basing the assumption on the combination of utility and fuel economy. If the Ute reaches US shores, the pickup-car becomes that much closer to becoming a global model. Ruess can reinforce his proposition with the arrival of a (civilian) Chevy Caprice. The only variation of the Holden Commodore that is confirmed, which we knew far too briefly as the Pontiac G8, is the Police-issued Chevy Caprice.

The GM Authority Take:

Now, I’m not going to go on and say that this is Chevy SSR – take two, but it’s pretty darn close. The biggest question is, will the American consumer buy it? Sure the car (truck?) is cool, but it is entering a market where full-size pickup trucks take the number-one sales spot in the country. It’s very evident that ‘Merica likes its trucks big, that’s all there is to it. Sure this could easily be the most fuel efficient pickup this side of the Pacific by a wide margin, but can it tow 15,000 pounds? Or go off road? I mean, where’s the grit? How useful can it really be here? Plus, GM could easily put the money it will spend federalizing the Ute to a more practical use, like marketing. Still, it fits in with a brand like GMC better than the inadmissible Granite. Who knows, it might just work. Long live the Pontiac G8 Ute Chevy El Camino!

2010 Holden Commodore Ute