GM axes the GMC Granite?!

Should have been a Chevy all along. I’m still not sure how GMC would have incorporated the Granite into its Professional Grade image.

The Granite didn’t fit the GMC brand at all. Is there a reason why it was not a Chevy?

Wasn’t the Granite supposed to share the same underpinnings as the Cruze? If it were to be a Chevy, where would it fit in and would it steal away customers from other Chevy offerings? What kind of price point would need to be offered to make it successful? Maybe they were planning to keep production numbers lower with a higher price point putting it in GMC or Buick area financially. It doesn’t fit Buick’s line-up. Just speculating…

@Brian_E Yes, the Granite was going to ride on a modified Delta II platform. It was meant for a young buyer who may have also been looking at something like a Scion xB/xD or Honda Element. The Granite, however, would bring more class and a less cartoonish design.

I don’t see a reason why it can’t be a Chevy — and be offerred with the same attributes/advantages as the Granite under the Chevy brand. If Chevy is really a full-line automaker, then the Granite belongs under the bow tie.

That said, I don’t think it would have cost any more being a GMC than it would a Chevy. I’d say give it a starting price in the $18,000-$20,000.

@PontiacRulz We keep coming back to this, man: there is a considerable amount of research that goes into introducing a vehicle… and that, in and of itself, is an understatement.

So when you say things like, “Chevy has enough small cars” — it’s really not warranted by research, consumer trends/behavior, or any other kind of factual information. It’s an opinion that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of product decisions.

Would you say that VW has “enough small cars” as well? Heck, they have nine derivatives off the Jetta/Golf platform alone!
– Jetta sedan
– Jetta wagon
– Golf 3 door hatch
– Golf 5 door hatch
– Golf Plus (MPV)
– EOS coupe/cabriolet
– Scirocco
– Beetle
– Tiguan

And that’s not counting the performance derivates like the Jetta GLI or Golf GTI.

Having “enough small cars” doesn’t matter one bit. Here’s what does:

For a mainstream automaker (like Chevy, VW, Ford, Toyota, etc.), the goal is to have a significantly large sales volume. The way to accomplish that is to create a vehicle for as many likes, tastes, needs, demographics, and use-case scenarios as possible. If this can be done cost-effectively by sharing platforms, then all the better for the bottom line.

A Chevy-badged Granite (with Chevy styling cues, of course) would allow the bow tie to appeal to a totally different audience than served by the Cruze, Sonic, or Spark. And this, my friend, accomplishes the objective of a successful mainstream automaker: increase volume profitably.

And here’s something else to consider: anything with a Chevy badge will always sell more than a comparable GMC-badged product. Always has, always will.

“GMC needs something smaller than the Terrain so they can appeal to younger people GM wants the brand to do.”

Frankly, this is plain conjecture without backing or facts.

As I’ve said before, there’s tons of research and forethought that goes into vehicle introductions and brand positioning. Not sure where and how you dug up the “needs to go younger” bit.

Who said GMC was looking to or even needs to appeal to younger demos? One could say that GMC doesn’t need a younger audience to pollute its professional grade image. In all my time covering GM, I have NEVER seen or heard of a desire to bring a younger audience to the GMC brand.

If anything, GMC is in the process of moving upmarket, not downmarket. Have a look on the front page — there’s a piece about the next-gen Sierra and how it will no longer be a badged up Silverado. GMC is being taken in an entirely new direction, but downmarket isn’t one of them.

alex it can’t be a chevy at least not without a major body modification the only way i see it working is awd available if there were it would rock in canada

another thing if it were a chevy they could name it the tracker just sayin. however this wouldnt work in canada because we already have the orlando wich i think is just a streached granite

@chevtothemax I agree about the design. The body changes would be very easy to make, though. Given GM’s newfound design prowess, I estimate 1-2 months in the design studio from start to finish.

The design would incorporate some traditional Chevy styling techniques and I would place some emphasis on some Sonic cues as well.

This would make for a great competitor to the Kia Soul and the Scion range of tall boxes. The Orlando is more of a family vehicle — especially with its 3 rows. This would be a more youthful tall hatch.

The Strobe nameplate would fit well on this car and its target demographic. GM already owns the trademark:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/01/general-motors-trademarks-chevrolet-strobe-name/

haha the chevy strobe hmm i like it but id still love an awd granite that could be a formidible little off roader anyone thinking contryman rival

The Granite was butt ugly and I’m glad they killed it.

GMC don’t need anything that ugly!! Just bought my 20 year old grand daughter a Terrain!! That’s what she picked out, the kids around here love it….kinda shoots down the Granite theory don’t it?