Chevy Montana Pickup Could Be Coming to the U.S.
Recent trademark filing appears to indicate that Chevy intends to bring back what was once an incredibly popular segment.
There was a time, in the not too distant past, when compact trucks were all the rage. Little pickups like the Chevy S-10 clogged up city streets all across America, and people simply loved them. But sales eventually diminished, and automakers killed off all but the biggest trucks. Now we’re in the midst of a renaissance of sorts, with new mid-size pickups like the Colorado, Ranger, and Wrangler (re)entering the marketplace.
But these trucks are not by any means compact like the S-10 or Ranger used to be. So just like GM was ahead of the curve in bringing back the mid-size truck, it appears to be considering an early return to the compact pickup market. How do we know this? Because GM Authority discovered that they recently filed a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the term Montana.
Now, the Chevy Montana already exists. And it’s a unibody, compact pickup on sale in global markets including Brazil, South Africa, and Mexico. The Chevy Montana comes equipped with four different four cylinder engines – 1.4 and 1.8 liter gas powerplants and 1.3 and 1.7 liter diesel engines. And despite its diminutive size, the Montana sports a 1,620 pound payload capacity.
In Brazil, the base Montana LS starts at around $15,026, which is obviously cheap. A Sport model is also available starting at $18,239 with bigger 16″ wheels and ABS brakes.
If Chevy does indeed plan on a return to the compact pickup market, it seems like a shrewd move that’ll catch the competition off guard. And we feel like America will embrace it. After all, tiny crossovers have already grown to dominate the sales charts. Adding in a a similar option with more utility figures to be the next logical move.
