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GMC May Wind Up Adding a New Subcompact CUV After All

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2010 GMC Granite Concept

2010 GMC Granite Concept
Photo: © General Motors

There has been some degree of waffling as to whether GMC will inevitably add a subcompact crossover to its lineup over the last few years. On the one hand, there seems to be the understanding that the Acadia and Terrain are covering that need and that going much smaller would eat into sales of the Buick Encore. On the other hand, crossovers are the hottest segment in automotive, and it simply makes sense for an auto brand to have at least one offering in that segment.

The growth of the crossover segment has been so significant that Duncan Aldred, the man in charge of both Buick and GMC brands, now feels that GMC should have one all its own.

“That segment has grown so fast,” Aldred told Automotive News. “I keep telling everyone, ‘How can General Motors’ truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment?'”

Aldred said in February of this year that GMC was contemplating adding a new vehicle to its lineup, telling WardsAuto that GMC is “a premium truck brand” and that the brand was “not going to move away from that.” Then, GM filed an application in June to secure the trademark for the GMC Granite, a subcompact crossover-like concept that debuted at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

Now, with the crossover segment a bigger pot than ever before, Aldred seems to be changing his tune.

“We’ve got to build world-class brands,” Aldred said. “If the first thing we do is ask, ‘Well, hasn’t Buick got one?’ Then we’re constantly suppressing one brand for another.”

Whether GMC drops a subcompact CUV in the coming years remains to be seen, but it certainly sounds like that’s not far off the radar.

News Source: Automotive News (subscription required)