Drive.com.au comes through with with this story on this very subject.

 

I'd put it a smidgon above a "fair likelihood".

 

from here. No El Camino due to the naming problems of the monaro as GTO?

 

Yep, and don't think this is ignored by auto manufacturers. There isn't exactly any incentive to keep the weight down on their large trucks for this reason. IIRC, this loophole was being exposed by realtors in particular several years ago, buying high image SUVs year after year with the big tax benefits. And like you noted in another response, the tax amount has since been changed to discourage abuse.

Is this some official market research or your humble opinion?

No doubt a market. There's a market for a lot of things. IMO, your 10K guesstimate is probably the peak of what these cars would sell. And if this wasn't a heavy part-sharing endeavor that was already being produced on another continent, I don't see how it would see the light of day. How many magazine covers and fansites and racing enthusiasts are there for the Mistubishi Evo--another, albeit different, niche vehicle people were begging to be brought over? It's the brand's halo car, we're in an era of import-tuners, and they still sell about 7000/year. Is the niche any bigger for 'Camino loyalists?

Btw, you think it's silly to ignore rwd cars for the 35 days of snow per year, but you find it totally appropriate to buy a car that is half truck for the one or two times a year you need to move furniture for a friend. It's called UHaul and it costs $19.99 + 60 cents per mile.

People thumbed their noses at big rwd sedans? Since this is "before the LX came out," I guess you mean the Grand Marquis, Crown Vic and Caprice. Those aren't exactly styling hits like the 300 was or benefactors of a well-developed chassis from a big brother in Germany. It's not too hard for buyers to steer clear of boats with lackluster styling and reputations as grandpa or fleet cars. So any basis for this turnaround forecasting Ford, Dodge, etc. will rush to answer GM's El Camino seems a bit optimistic.

The El Camino would have a limited market, but if it can be profitable I don't see the problem in bringing it over. I think it's carried away to say the car will have a large audience because of its two-pronged appeal. Also consider this is a nameplate with some negative stereotypes and heavy baggage as a "redneck car." IMHO, it would be a niche market consisting of nostalgics, customizers (I'm sure GM would love to gain some rap community cred), and those that do see the value in an odd-looking car that can do double-duty.

 

What was the name of the GMC version of the El Camino?? That article mentioned that by making it a GMC, GM could sidestep the 'old name on a new car' mess. But if I remember right, there was a GMC version, so we'd still have a potential rename party.

 

Canyonaro!


Actually the GMC Spirnt.

http://www.chevelles.com/sprint/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_Caballero

 

Not a huge fan of the Sprint name, and I never was a fan of Caballero, but I could definitely see the Ute being marketed as a sort of "halo" car/truck for GMC

After all, you can't exactly have a Corvette or a Solstice to get people interested in a truck brand...

 

Not marketing the Ute as El Camino would be a much larger mistake than calling the Monaro a GTO ever was. An El Camino, by definition, will always look like an El Camino - no GTO syndrome there.

Best answer: The Crewman becomes a GMC and the Ute an El Camino.

 

That is *if* they build a Crewman ute on the VE platform.

 

they'd be stupid not to.

 

Been talk that due to the development cost of VE there will be no Wagon, Flat bed (Fixed rear axle) UTE, Crewman and AWD variants.

Don't know how that has changed since the US exports have been announced.

 

you would think that with the high cost they would want to make all those to recoup all that money.........

 

The on again off again N/A Zeta program forced Holden to cough up all the development costs. So they are ran out of money to roll out all the variants, well atleast in the short term.

 

All the more reason to send more variants here.