Pictured here in Z71 off-road guise, the Chevrolet S10 was a small truck that General Motors refused to sell in the United States. It is available in Brazil, Argentina and the rest of Latin America and will compete with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz in the US. Instead of bringing it to the States, GM toyed with the idea of a pure electric pickup that would have two doors, a low roofline, and a bed from 4 to 4.5 feet long.
Automotive News saw a zero emissions workhorse marketing picture while visiting GM’s design studio in Warren, Michigan. It looks “futuristic and sporty” even though it is slightly smaller than the compact fuel trucks from Ford and Hyundai. It is not clear which badge will be worn if approved for production, nor is it known what it will be called. If given the green light, a production model would cost less than $30,000.
Chevrolet’s director of affordable EV and crossover design, Michael Pevovar, said GM was “creating this [designs] to get react and then try to modify it or continue. What works? What didn’t work? What to expect? Affordability is a major part of this, and there are lots of different ways to approach it.” He went on to say it would probably end up being too small for the architecture the engineers had in mind, so it could use different platforms at the world’s end.
Whatever the case, Pevovar emphasizes that it has to be affordable. It’s too early to say whether to use a dedicated electric platform or an adaptation of an existing truck. Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, believes it will be the last scenario by giving the S10 an electric drivetrain. However, this is just speculation at this point.
Keep in mind that besides the S10, Chevrolet also has a third-generation Montana launching in late 2022. This is a front-wheel drive small truck with a 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine producing 133 horsepower. An AutoForecast Solutions representative also suggested GM’s low-cost electric pickup might be linked to the Montana image below.
