Here’s Why Canceled GMC Jimmy Was Called ‘Bold And Capable’ During Development
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As GM Authority has covered in the past, General Motors was, at one time, planning to launch an all-new, midsize, body-on-frame off-roader model to rival the new Ford Bronco. The new off-roader was poised to reintroduce the GMC Jimmy nameplate, and even offer a V8 engine, as per exclusive GM Authority reporting. Unfortunately, the new GMC Jimmy project was eventually axed, but nevertheless, the story behind its development lends some interesting insights, including GM’s overall mantra for the project – “bold and capable.”
“Bold and capable” has been tossed around internally by GMC’s marketing team to describe Big Red’s products in the past, but there was a time when it was more than just a phrase. In fact, inside sources tell GM Authority that “bold and capable” was used as an internal name and mantra – a rallying cry of sorts – for the entire next-gen GMC Jimmy vehicle program prior to its cancellation.
2023 GMC Jimmy rendering by GM Authority
Sources involved with the project tell us that the “bold and capable” mantra was part of what drove development of the next-gen GMC Jimmy. At the the time, it was to ride on a new platform – GMT-32XX – that would also be shared with the next-generation Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks. However, unlike the pickups, the new GMC Jimmy was going to be much more aggressive in appearance, with a wide track, flared fenders, high hood, and a sinister-looking fascia that would make the GMC Sierra HD look tame.
The program was progressing at full steam through 2017 and into 2018, and for a moment, GMC had a shot at finally having a unique new model in its portfolio that wouldn’t be shared with Chevrolet. The design studio in particular was amped up, with early clinics showing a great deal of promise while driving the brand’s styling evolution, showing off a body that evolved from a four-window style with a wide C-pillar and short rear overhang, to a longer, more conventional six-window SUV (three windows on each side). And of course, there was that V8 engine we mentioned earlier, an option the team fought hard to keep in play.
2023 GMC Jimmy rendering by GM Authority
A full-scale clay model brought the vehicle to life, showing off a design that toed the line between concept and production. The drama intensified when plans began to be laid for the GMC Jimmy to share this Bold and Capable design with the upcoming GMC Canyon.
Unfortunately, that’s where the project began to get some pushback due to corporate cost pressure, as GM accelerated efforts, particularly financial outlays. The all-new 32XX platform was dialed back to updating the existing 31XX architecture, now called 31XX-2 under the 2023 GMC Canyon (and newer) as well as the 2023 Chevy Colorado. The Jimmy also became tamer, and not just in appearance, either, as a rough-and-ready, body-on-frame, off-road SUV stood in direct opposition to GM’s overarching EV goals, while development of next-generation architectures for electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous projects (AVs) took priority. The GMC Jimmy project ended up being cancelled entirely later on in 2018.
Although it’s no surprise that GM would choose to focus on the EV path, there is a silver lining to this story: GM did end up developing a vehicle that combines off-road chops with a battery powertrain. That model is none other than the GMC Hummer EV SUV, which channels that Bold and Capable energy into a zero-emissions product. Clearly, the Hummer – even at its most affordable – is noticeably more expensive than the Jimmy would have been, even though it also delivers supercar-like levels of performance (watch our first drive impressions below). But oh what could have been…
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Too bad, that’s exactly the vehicle I would have purchased.
A hard pass on any Ford products (poor prior experiences) so I’m interested to see what the upcoming 4 Runner looks like and how it’s positioned vs the new gen Land Cruiser.
I love it when gmauthority does non-stories. The project never happened so it is a non-story. Let’s talk about the 4 door corvette they never built why don’t we?
@reality check – were your parents siblings?
Companies take on more projects that never see the light of day as a product than ones that end up making it to production. To me, stories about a project that didn’t result in a product are more interesting than ones that did.
I think yours is a textbook example of small brain thinking right there.
GMC over reached.
If they had cut it back and shared with Chevy it might have stood a chance.
Chevy wants no competition from other divisions. That is what killed Pontiac,
I do need to add one thing here. We really lack many details. It is important to consider GM had a lot more critical info on this.
If this was built just what would the price be. I expect more than the Canyon. So it would not have been cheap.
With money going into the new nearly similar size Tahoe would it make make more money per unit. That money may have also paid for the Tahoe upgrades.
There is a lot to consider. The Colorado made little money till they jumped up the price on the new gen. They just don’t make the money like full size in volume. R
At least Stellantis and Ford benefited while gm gives us pseudo SUVs like the Blazer and POS mobiles like the Origin.
A V8 Jimmy would easily outsell the Hummer EV and would probably be more profitable.
WHY WOULD THEY BUILD SOMETHING WE WANT.
How many what if articles we going to get about the jimmy?
Did you even read the article? This is info from the insiders who worked on the project and to me it’s very interesting even though the vehicle never came to be.
Also, I don’t get your logic. If an article doesn’t interest me, I just skip it. You went out of your way to comment on something where you could have just skipped it. You win 🙂
Here’s the thing about the silver lining Hummer SUV EV. Yes, it’s very capable and looks the part, however gold bars will fall out of the sky before you can actually buy one. The few the dealers that have them are 30-70k over sticker and they act as if they are doing you a favor to even consider selling one.
I don’t know who is responsible for making these decisions. I think the Jimmy would have sold quite well.
Mary and Mark made the final decision. I absolutely guarantee program approvals and cancellations such as this are made at their level because of the investment…or potential savings involved. They’re the ultimate decision makers.
As a former product planner at GM, it took a Herculean effort to get anything approved and then a minor miracle when it actually went into production. At anywhere along the development cycle a program could be cancelled at the whim of the CEO and/or President.
Those renders look like a Canyon with a canopy. I certainly hope gm could’ve done better
Bean counters have always been the ones really running GM. This is more of the same and why they rarely have any exciting products
How unfortunate. This is the vehicle I have wanted to buy for many years from GM. I loved my 2 door 1995 Tahoe and this would have been a great alternative. I have owned GM products since I was 16 years old 57 years ago. I sold my 2018 Chevy Colorado and replaced it with a BMW X4. Still waiting GM….still waiting 🙁
Yeah. We are supposed to see a $120,000 EV that will sell in extremely low volumes as the silver lining here to something that could potentially rival wildly popular, high margin vehicles like the 4Runner TRD, Bronco, or Wrangler.
Canceling this to focus on an EV that few people will ever buy was a very dumb move.
You said it best. Let’s see a low volume vehicle at a high price rather than selling 100,00 plus vehicle at a reasonable price and make ten times as many customer happy. Good thinking GM.