All-New Chevy S10 Max Shaping Up To Be A Competitive Work Truck
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In December 2021, GM Authority reported that the all-new Chevy S10 Max made its world debut in Mexico as Chevrolet’s new entry-level midsize pickup, created to expand the Chevrolet brand’s truck offering in emerging markets. Despite being focused on emerging markets and a strong emphasis on work, the new 2023 Chevy S10 Max has a long list of features that makes it a competitive pickup for those purposes.
The 2023 Chevy S10 Max represents a new nameplate in the Bow Tie brand’s portfolio, as it is in no way related to the Brazil-made Chevy S10 – itself a close relative of the GMT31XX-based Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon sold in North America. The S10 Max is the result of GM’s joint venture in China with SAIC Motors and is nothing more than a rebadged Maxus T70 sold in China. The sole purpose of the S10 Max is to give Chevrolet a more competitive product in the established segment of inexpensive midsize pickups in Mexico, and potentially in other Latin American countries.
2021 Maxus T70
In fact, the new Chevy S10 Max stands out for offering the most complete and most well-rounded package in its class in terms of dimensions, interior space, technology, safety and mechanics. The Crew Cab body variant promises to be the most comfortable and spacious option in the midsize truck segment thanks to a healthy wheelbase that increases room in the second row.
From an equipment standpoint, the most well-equipped model of the 2023 Chevy S10 Max features a generous 10-inch multimedia screen compatible with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, automatic air conditioning with rear vents, keyless access and ignition, cruise control and semi-leather seats. The standard safety package includes six airbags, stability control, ABS brakes, plus parking sensors and a backup camera.
Mechanically, the 2023 Chevy S10 Max in Mexico will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.4L engine good for 158 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. The atmospheric four will be mated to a five-speed manual transmission. More equipped versions will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0L engine rated at a segment-leading 210 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic.
The all-new 2023 Chevy S10 Max will launch in Mexico during the second quarter of 2022 with Chassis Cab (no box), Regular Cab and Crew Cab configurations, which customers will be able to use for work thanks to their robustness and healthy levels of capacity. The truck will be available with 4×4 traction, spray-in bedliner, as well as steps to access the bed. GM Mexico guarantees a competitive price with an “excellent value proposition”.
It’s also worth noting that, aside from the badge, this S10 Max is in no way related to any GM vehicle, including the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, along with their upcoming overhauled versions – the 2023 Chevy Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon.
Subscribe to GM Authority as we bring you the latest Chevy S10 Max news, Chevrolet news and ongoing GM news coverage.
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Not in Canada/USA of course.
Until they include a 8 foot or 6 foot bed, this thing aint NOTHING but a city driving TOY and is otherwise POINTLESS
First, you need to understand the customer.
Customers in the target market do not demand the features you’re referring to. This is a simple, affordable, low-cost pickup for emerging markets like Mexico.
Have you been to Los Angeles or better yet California lately? There is a market.
People don’t want this in LA you can’t get many people to ride in the back to hop out and rob people.
USA1 – not sure what you mean. The point is that a vehicle like the one in question here would not be desired by those in developed markets such as the US and Canada. It’s as simple as that.
There are a lot of below middle class people of all ethnicities living in LA and California. Cost of living is crazy here and a truck in the low 20’s would be awesome. Not everyone has 35k+ to buy a truck. Personally, I own a 73 K20 with a LQ4 swap, because it was cheaper than a new 3/4 ton. I don’t have 65k to buy a truck and I make decent money. I would totally buy a compact truck. I owned 2 LUV’s, a Sierra and a first Gen Colorado and they were awesome daily’s. Especially a single cab. Easy to drive in traffic, easy to park and very useful.
How can I get one??
Looks like a Tacoma-
No thanks!!!! Make it in North America, not a totalitarian country!!!
I’m deeply disappointed GM would enter a partnership with a Chinese company, I think there’ll be pushback from people upset/angry about the Wuhan Virus pandemic now plaguing the entire world. I’m a Chevy owner going way back (1956, 1957, and presently a 2015 Colorado). I would not even consider a new vehicle produced with our enemy. Who’s calling the shots at GM to do a JV with the enemy?
You’re a little behind the times. They’ve had a partnership in China for 20 years now.
You can buy a Buick here that’s made in China. A lot of people do.
If there’s pushback, it doesn’t seem to matter.
Amen brother; I try at least to send my money to aN American company.
I’m ridiculed; don’t like weakening the US dollar ; putting Americans out of work and sending profit to another country.
I went to Toyota to co sight my daughters loan on Dodge Charger .
Credit guy came out on his knees and said ; “ oh with that score you could buy anything in here !!!” I looked up at all the American flags hanging everywhere and about puked . What a hoax !!!!-
Oh What a great feeling !!!
Walked out –
well you can blame Nixon for opening up trade talks with china in the first place. ford and dodge both do business with china. you are living in a fantasy world wherein the people you disagree with politically are your targets of criticism , meanwhile 99% of large corporations think sustaining rising profit margins year in year out are somehow sustainable. NOT. as long as people are good with getting paid less and companies continually cutting production costs while raising product prices this is all you will ever get.
Yup; all goes back to Nixon opening up China for cheap labor so corporate CEO’s can get filthy Rich off cheap labor .
Never outsource anything; it makes your country weak and vulnerable.
Like my grandfather said ; greed will ruin this country –
Amen brother; we shouldn’t outsource anything; makes us weak and vulnerable. Greed # 1 priority !!!-
You need to understand that requirements are different in other countries than in US. They don’t need big V8 gas guzzlers trucks that doesn’t fit in every road, they need mid size trucks with inline 4 engines, better if they are diesel, to fit in every corner and every kind of road. And for the bed lenght, they don’t use crew cabs for carrying big loads, they use single cabs, and put boxed and plataforms bed on them.
I don’t need a V8 engine either, but I would like to see more mid and small utility trucks with larger cargo box dimensions, especially longer bed length. Long material isn’t necessarily heavy material.
The 1994 Ranger I owned had a small V6 with a 5 speed manual transmission. The Ranger could be outfitted a 4-cylinder engine or larger V6 if desired. It pretty much didn’t have power anything, but did have A/C and best the feature was the over seven feet of cargo box length. No second row, but I wasn’t hauling a crew of roofers around town either so I didn’t mind.
If I recall, the 1994 Ranger was about $12,000 new. That would be about $22,500 in 2022 Dollars adjusted for inflation. I would really like to see the return of basic and affordable.
I really don’t like those extender racks that clip in to allow hauling longer items at the expense of having to drive with the tailgate down. When the rack isn’t in use, it intrudes into the bed length, or the rack has to be taken out and stored somewhere.
I understand what you’re saying, but the trend is in the opposite direction.
You might want to look into getting a utility trailer.
well, as it turns out there are millions of people that live in cities , so they can buy them and you can sit at home in the sticks and judge them till you are blue in the face.
to bad wasnt offered here
GM finally thinking smartly – their turbo small 4 cyl engines underperform and the turbos fail before 60k miles, bring back the naturally aspirated 2.4L HERE
The same 2.4L that consumer reports listed as likely to need a rebuild before 100k miles?
So logic would say that they bring it here to compete with the Maverick and Santa Cruz. A truly affordable small pick up. But it is GM.
No. This product would fail miserably compared to the maverick, which is a very good vehicle. Chevy does need a rival to the maverick, but this vehicle is certainly not it, as it doesn’t have any of the crash, refinement, or even the slightest NVH refinements expected of a vehicle in a developed market.
The low cost, compact truck segment would be better served by GM with a new offering on a solid unibody architecture, not a rebadged vehicle developed by a Chinese entity with close to zero truck experience.
For running around, doing errands/deliveries, and a variety of light duties within the vehicles actual limitations, this would be a big hit in North America too I believe. The popularity and practical design of this segment was through the roof just a decade or two ago. Too bad it’ll likely never be given a chance north of the border…
I agree. The new S-10 Max isn’t quite ideal, but would be a nice choice to have. By the way, I saw a Ford Maverick being driven around town a few days ago, so there are actual people out there who are OK with smaller trucks.
Guys, as I mentioned above, this rebadged Chinese product lacks most of the refinement characteristics expected of a modern day truck sold in America. Having spent a good amount of time with the maverick recently and having found it very very good, I can tell you that the S10 Max would fail miserably.
Someone explain why GM won’t sell those in North America, as there’s a HUGE market for those trucks.
Chevrolet sells the S10 Max in North America, as Mexico is part of the continent. It just doesn’t sell in the US and Canada.
This truck ha no market in the USA, nor is it adaptable to American/Canadian safety nor emission standards.
Mechanically it is similar in chassis design to the older Colorado discontinued in the early 2K’s, with a similarly old base engine and a modern-ish turbo as the upgrade engine that is closer to that on the Ford maverick.
It is mechanically inferior in ever way to the S10/Silverado, but for right now, with China manipulating currency, it’s cheaper to import
One word: IIHS.
US/Canada vehicles require significant structural differences from even European vehicles in order to meet the small-offset overlap crash test. These differences add weight and constrain aerodynamics (e.g. a taller nose for better engagement), so now you’re dumping money in powertrain technologies to be able to meet CAFE.
(The EU crash test program, EuroNCAP, explicitly said they were not going to adopt small offset overlap due to fuel economy reasons. However, another unstated reason is so they can continue exporting their designs to poorer countries.)
The differences are made even worse with the new side-impact crash test, which very few vehicles are currently doing well on.
If this thing is available in the U.S. with the 6 spd manual transmission and 4wd I’d be all over it. Sadly it won’t be. Just can’t seem to be able to pull the trigger on a Colorado/Canyon WT 4wd with an auto trans, no fog lights, etc. for $37,000.
Unless you need the smaller footprint to park in, just go up to a base trim half ton. Before the chip shortage, a custom Silverado with the 2.7 I saw some examples going for under 30K after discounts.
In general, a quarter ton is a hard sell these days, as all OEM’s are chasing Tacoma sales, and Toyota doesn’t offer discounts, nor a competitive product for that matter. I’d do better financially just moving up a class
If this vehicle were available in the U.S. with 6 spd manual and 4wd I’d be all over it. Sadly it won’t be. I’m having trouble pulling the trigger on a new Canyon/Colorado WT auto trans and no fog lights for $37,000 plus!
I have had a S10 ,five speed four banger.
Beet the hell out of it. Owning a contracting co. We
Put 2 hundred thousand miles on it and sold it to a fellow who put another 50 thousand on it.
Would buy a S10 8′ bed in a heart beat.
To bad marketing is not in touch with the small companies in the us.
Meanwhile, GM management twiddles its thumbs and allows Ford to capture the entire compact P/U truck market with Maverick.
BRILLIANT!!!
Having seen a Maverick in physical metal driving next to me, I was a bit surprised at how small it actually is. In the rear view mirror at first I thought there was some Nissan sedan I had never seen, and then I noticed the oval on the front and really wondered what the heck it was. When the driver pulled up in the the lane next to me, then the bed was visible – “oh that’s got to be the Maverick.” Yep, said so on the tailgate.
Just bought a used traverse. My Pontiac sunfire finally blew up on me after 285,000. I was looking a maverick. Good reviews, logical high mileage runabout. Called a dealer, showed up for the test drive, and left before even driving it. It’s puny and tiny. In some dimensions, it’s smaller than my Pontiac. I though Ford had a winner till I realized it’s a Prius with a bed.
Chevy doesn’t need a Maverick competitor. They need some thing better.
The Maverick is a winner. They have a waiting list for them.
Meanwhile, GM management sits around twiddling its thumbs while Ford captures the compact pick up market with Maverick.
BRILLIANT!!!
Knowing GM management they would probably resurrect the old Chevy Luv, thinking that is what a small truck should be. Fortunately modern safety requirements probably nix that option.
a standard cab with at least a 6 foot box would be for me + a manual tranny with 4 WD, in USA!!
skip all the junk gadgets that a basic truck dont need to keep the price down!! again standard cab 6 foot box 4 WD + a manual tranny!!
Sure would like to see a physical size comparison between this S10 Max and the Chevy Canyon (especially the upcoming new version of the Canyon for the 2023 model year).
Some consumers like the higher sitting position of a truck (of any size).
Some consumers like the idea of driving a truck but greatly prefer something smaller than the normal pickup.
If there is a substantial size difference the S10 Max and the Canyon there might be a good market here in the states that doesn’t take away from Colorado sales (check the comment above that says that there’s a market in California for the S10 Max).
2 simple reasons it never gets offered in USA.
1) Biden just unilaterally raised fuel economy requirements to 55 mpg average from 40mpg today. That alone will kill any current powertrain choices. He also directed epa to regulate a variety of other vehicle emissions such that the standard is now essentially zero at the tailpipe. This kills even the prospect of 600cc 3 cylinder 50 hp gutless wonders..
Pollution will be moved to the coal fired powerplant and you WILL assimilate into the electric fascism.
2) offering a lower cost pickup simply steals sales from higher profit Colorado. Gm knows you eventually bite the bullet and buy more truck than you need because they limit your choices.