A tougher economy, emissions laws, and an increased demand for more fuel efficient vehicles may be pushing the Detroit Three to come up with a whole new category of pickup truck -- smaller, lighter and more car-like.
The new pickup trucks could be based on passenger car designs already found on some "SUVs" and most crossovers. These new pickups will not be able to do what conventional pickups can do -- pull a large trailer, haul heavy loads, etc. But they could do less more demanding assignments like haul dirt bikes or personal watercrafts and camping gear, etc.
General Motors already sells an example of a pickup in this new category. It’s called the Chevrolet Tornado and it is sold in Mexico and in other South American countries. It is a very small truck whose chassis forms the basis for Opels, Vauxhalls, and Chevrolet compact cars sold worldwide.
Our take? It is expected that something like it could be introduced in the U.S. in a few years. But if the current “perfect storm” calls for it earlier, GM has the luxury of having something they can introduce right now.