GM explores mini electric pickup

DETROIT — General Motors could enter the baby pickup market with an electric entry smaller than the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

The automaker is considering a two-door pickup with a 4- to 4.5-foot-long bed and low roofline. The vehicle would be part of GM's lineup of affordable EVs priced under $30,000.

The pickup, seen by Automotive News Wednesday at GM's affordable EV design studio in Warren, Mich., is futuristic and sporty. Marketing images behind the pickup showed consumers using it for recreational activities, such as surfing.

GM did not provide a name, brand, image or production timeline for the mini truck.

"We're creating these to get a reaction and then to try to modify it or move on. What does work? What doesn't work? What's expected?" Michael Pevovar, director of Chevrolet affordable EV and crossover design, told reporters. "Affordability is the key portion of this, and there's lots of different ways to approach it."

GM plans to rely heavily on customer feedback as it designs and engineers affordable EVs, Pevovar said. The baby pickup is an example of one type of vehicle GM is considering for an affordable EV lineup.

"The input may come back that it's just too small, and that's OK," he said. "Maybe [it won't be] right for what this architecture can provide, but does it have legs for different architecture where it might need to be a little bigger?"

If the pickup comes to market, it could rival the four-door, gasoline-powered Maverick and Santa Cruz, but it would have no direct two-door pickup competitor.

Other brands have found success with four-door mini pickups. Ford sold 74,370 Mavericks in the U.S. last year, and Hyundai sold 36,480 Santa Cruz models, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

The North America market tends to favor four doors and a backseat for cargo and passengers. A two-seat pickup without a full bed would likely fare better in South America or Mexico, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. The two-door baby pickup GM showed could be a variation of the Chevrolet Montana or the Colorado S10, both sold in Brazil, he said.

GM is targeting high-volume EVs as it expands its lineup, Pevovar said, but CEO Mary Barra has said the automaker aims to build an EV for every car buyer.

"What they don't have in volume, they make up for in a lower price," Pevovar said. "That draws people in."