Chevrolet Explains Lack Of Small Truck

It’s no secret that pickup trucks have gotten bigger, more powerful, and more capable with each passing generation. They’ve also gotten more premium, as well, and as a result, prices have crept higher and higher. But this isn’t just true for trucks. It’s true for all the other new vehicles for sale here in the United States. Per Cox Automotive data, the national average transaction price for a new vehicle is $48,528 as of May 2023. And, as of April 2023, the average vehicle payment was $766 USD. These are averages.

All of that is to say, not everybody wants or needs a mid-size or full-size truck. And not everybody can afford one, either. Correlating this data with the lack of financial savings nationwide, and it’s clear that people could use some relief. That’s why demand for small trucks like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz remain white hot, and why other automakers (Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Stellantis via Ram Trucks) are expected to enter this space shortly. At General Motors, America’s biggest and best selling pickup truck and SUV maker, there’s opportunity to join the fray, but it would appear that the focus right now is on mid-size and above.

“We think customers are best served with a body-on-frame pickup truck. We think that gives the the capability, the ability to modify it simply, the off-road capability, and durability that’s inherent of a body-on-frame chassis,”said Mike McPhee, director of Chevrolet truck marketing in a conversation with MC&T during the 2023 Colorado first drive program.

In 2023 alone, the GM truck brands have been busy launching new mid-sized trucks in the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, upgraded Class 2b and class 3 trucks in the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, and new full-size variants such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison and GMC Sierra 1500 AEV Edition. GM’s current focus has largely been on high-earning, lifestyle-oriented pickup trucks, as evident from the growing portfolio of ZR2 and AT4X sub-brands. Indeed, things are busy, and exciting. And profitable.

Whether there’s financial incentive to do so or not, the United States and Canadian regulatory environments don’t make it simple for automakers to sell small trucks built for global markets in this landscape. Markets such as South America see several small trucks for sale, and this is where General Motors sells the Chevrolet Montana (pictured: top), which is a FWD-based unibody pickup truck like the Ford Maverick. And in Mexico, GM sells what’s called the Chevrolet S10 Max (pictured: below), which is a body-on-frame truck imported from China that sells for roughly the same price as the Ford Maverick.

To comply with USA and Canada laws, these more entry-market vehicles would have to feature various mandated safety equipment, pass crash tests with favorable marks, and pass emissions tests. Moreover, to avoid the 25-percent tariff subject to any pickup truck imported from outside of the United States, Canada or Mexico, these trucks have to be built in any of those three countries. None of these hurdles are impassable, but they do amount to added costs, time, and human capital, which all could be allocated elsewhere.

Looking ahead, GM has hinted that it could soon build and sell a small Chevrolet truck that’s electric. But considering that it’s likely to lose money at any price point below $40,000, it would make the new Chevrolet Colorado, which starts at around $30,000 USD, the truck of choice for customers looking for something more utilitarian. Unless, that is, if GM figures out a way to homologate the Chevrolet Montana for the USA and Canada markets. Which is something that Stellantis has reportedly figured out with the upcoming Ram Rampage small truck.