GMC rolled out an unlikely concept at the 2010 Detroit auto show: a boxy vehicle similar to the Scion xB. This urban utility vehicle may point the way for GMC to expand beyond big trucks and SUVs.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
GMC, long a purveyor of trucks and SUVs, surprised the crowd at the 2010 Detroit auto show by rolling out this small concept. The Granite is about the size of a Scion xB, and is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine. That engine is mated to a six-speed dual clutch transmission, maximizing ease-of-use and efficiency.
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GMC refers to the Granite as an urban utility vehicle, a car young professionals can hit clubs in on weekday evenings, then load up with mountain bikes and surfboards on the weekends.
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GMC kept its rugged design style for the Granite, eschewing any exterior chrome for brushed metal. The exhaust pipe's rectangular tip is integrated with the rear fascia.
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As a concept, it's not surprising the Granite uses what GMC calls cabinet-style doors. Seating is designed for four, and the rear seats fold down, allowing space for the aforementioned mountain bikes.
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The dashboard is inset with a long OLED, showing navigation, climate, audio, and phone, all in a row, keeping each function visible at all times. Instead of a conventional shifter, the Granite uses a knob that the driver clicks into each drive mode.
