Friday Fantasy: The GMC Granite Lives In New Trademark Application
It would’ve rocked.
The GMC Granite concept that debuted at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show was ahead of its time, but its time never came.
The Granite was similar in size to the Kia Soul and Scion xB, which were among the first of the subcompact SUVs that many automakers have in their lineups today.
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The brand never pulled the trigger on a production model and let the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore raise he small utility vehicle flag for General Motors in the coming years.
The boxy Granite still looks sharp, even without its show car “carriage” doors open.
Its turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and dual-clutch six speed probably would’ve made it a little riot to drive.
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GMC even followed it up with a pico-sized pickup version called the CPU that had a nifty drop-down door in its bedside.
Alas, the smallest GMC model is the compact Terrain, but is there room in the lineup underneath it?
After abandoning its Granite trademark applications several times, GM refiled it last September for “motor land vehicles, namely, on-road passenger automobiles.”
That application is still listed as live and was published for opposition this October 3 and updated on November 28 to give GM six months to file Statement of Use or Extension Request. GMC hasn’t officially announced plans for a model in this size class, but it has very good tools with which to make one.
The new 2024 Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envista are built on the same subcompact platform and have been met with high acclaim and strong sales.
The two have very distinct styles and are the lowest-priced vehicles currently available from any American brands, with starting prices of $21,495 and $23,495.
They’re larger than the Granite concept, but right where the market for small SUVs seems to be today. Both are powered by a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine rated at 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque.
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The one thing missing for a truck brand like GMC is all-wheel-drive, but the platform is also related to the one that underpins the current Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX, which do offer that feature.
In any event, if GMC could launch a Granite between the Trax and Envista at $22,495 soon, the price would be just as right as the timing.