Report: Chevrolet Still Considering El Camino Return

Report: Chevrolet Still Considering El Camino Return

General Motors execs continue to ponder bringing the Holden VE Ute to the U.S. as a new El Camino, according to our friends at Jalopnik.

In January, we reported that Mark Reuss, GM's president of GM North America, still wanted the car-based truck to come stateside after the hotly anticipated Pontiac G8 ST was killed along with the rest of Pontiac.

A Jalopnik source familiar with GM's future product plans said the El Camino could arrive as a 2015 model year vehicle, released in the 2014 calendar year.

[Source: Jalopnik]


GM is master at the dollar on a string gag .

complete garbage. there will never be enough demand to keep orders coming in. yet another waste of my tax $$$

Another Australian import.Oh goodie.....
With EPA CAFE requirements coming up,why not a FWD 4 cylinder car/truck and not a V8 RWD boat?

good for doing donuts, that's about it.

Was there a truck in the picture? LOL
I liked the seat covers on the bikes;)

Don't knock the El Camino, my '70 served 20 years and 300k miles in the construction business.

How much can it tow?

designed for the ladies

I think that this would be cool, to give buyers another option?

We can not overlook at what happened to the Chevrolet SSR. That thing really took off...not!

It will be a niche product in the US. It is a Sportscar with a bed. Same problem as here in Australia with US Pickups, that are considered just too small to be "trucks" .It is a cultural thing.

do a SERIOUS face lift on that thing and then propose the idea again. that thing looks like a serious hack job.

Another waste of taxpayer money if this is done.

hoffie: We are not talking about the same GM from 1969/1970. That was a good GM way back when. Their products of today are no where near what they once were.

It is not a waste of "taxpayers money" it is already being produced and already meets US regulations. The real hurdle is perception.
In Australia, car based Utes are two different types, the "lifestyle" vehicle above, that can run 12 second quarters and handle like a sportscar and the "work ute" that has a almost F150 HD capacity , but drives and rides like a fairly nimble car , and has a very low loading and unloading height. The latter is very popular with city based tradesmen, landscapers, gardeners . Upfitters use the bodies a lot.

Chevy should concentrate on a small pickup like the S-10. The colorado was flat out ugly. People will buy a 18,000 to 22,000 small pickup just to beat around in.

@donny, even the sports utes can carry a load.

@Robert, The sport Ute will be much more than a simple small pickup.

GM Recalls 111,000 Vehicles

@donny very small car unibody utes produced in Mexico and Brazil, maybe the answer, but maybethey would be considered too small in te US. I know the Subaru based ones were considered way too small here.

I'm sure if GM did bring back the El Camino, they'd severely limit it's payload and towing capacities so they wouldn't take away from half ton sales.

@Greg, it is more a sportscar that can carry bikes a 1600-1800lb payload. They do not have 4WD capability. People here did not want it, even when it was added as AWD to the short lived Holden Cab Chassis ute. The AWd ute had a 2,600lb payload capacity.$file/front.jpg?openelement

The Falcon says XLS, thats not a sports model, thats like an XLT, just a basic one, XR6/XR8 are the sport Fords, S and SS are the sport Holdens. The Fords can carry more than the Holden because they use leaf springs over coils and aren't unibody like the Holden, but the Holdens are better sports versions.

GM are considering it coming to USA though...

@Aussie I know te Falcon is a work ute and can vastly more than the Holden SS roughly 1600-1800lb as against 2,700lb for the Falcon.It can tow roughly 5000lbs, as well, so a useful tradesmens, landscapers "tool"

Whoops ..."can vastly carry more"

El Camino's would be a higher profit margin vehicle much like pickups are. And pickup sales aren't like they use to be. GM bean counters are about the only one's excited about bringing the little 2 seater Camino's out of mothballs. Yawn...

so much people tack against gm,but wy they sold more vehicle.....

To work, it needs:

- 1300+ lb payload capacity
- an option for 30 mpg highway (upcoming 2.5L 4 cylinder 210 hp, or 2.0L turbo 220 hp)
- cheap base model
- 6-speed manual

There is a vast segment of people with an affinity to the small old Mazdas, Datsun, Toyotas, etc. who have money, but don't want to waste it on a dated Ranger, and everything else is too big...

I wonder if a more truck-like fascia would helps it cause

@joookes, may in the US not in Australia , New Zealand and South Africa. It has to be car based,
The Holden Ute is based the car being tested as the new Chevrolet Caprice for US Police forces. It is not that small.
Car based Utes here are not that small. A 1970's Holden Ute and a ElCamino

@joookes, the old Mazda, Datsuns Toyotas, really do not exist anymore. All have grown in size dramatically, they are all Tacoma sized or near enough.

A car-based unit can have the same attractors as those trucks

1) low aero profile and downsized motor allow for models far more frugal than a 1/2 ton, unlike current 1/4 ton trucks
2) payload capacity could match or exceed the current generation of Frontier, Tacoma etc. that have become overgrown in size
3) it would drive much smaller than a 1/2 ton truck being car-based, so relatively nimble handling characteristics

That said, marketing it as a light truck, with a different front clip than the car, is a smart idea I think...people like the illusion of truckness for safety reasons (eg. little crossovers like the Ford Escape & Nissan X-Trail)

@joookes in the US and Canada, not here and in NZ. They do not like "truckiness" with a car ute, they like it to be very car like although it has all the capabilities you mentioned.

Chevy should get out of the truck business and let GMC handle them.Call the El-Camino a GMC Caballero Diablo ! I had a late 70's Diablo would buy another if new ! I am a GMC and Cadillac guy not a bread and butter poor Chevy man !

I think it looks good, but will never pass the "big american truck" prowess so much "needed" iin the USA, you know, being able to tow 11000 lbs day in and out like and F150 does, according to so many people.

I mean, lets be honest..... how many driveway conversations would be able to start up from "my truck can tow more than your truck" and such strawman arguments the story goes, Americans cannot brag about its capabilities, well, then it isn't good enough! If Gm and Holden have not learned, the USA is a big fashion statement. Look at the luxury trucks on the market today, trucks were once a tool, now they are a fashion statement.

All in all, I think there would be a market for this, as soon as the USA could get past the "bigger is better" mentality.

@ Red_4x4,

Your comment doesnt make sense..with your thinking the same could be made for were once a bare bones go to and from work tool !! Go ride a bicycle if you feel people shouldnt have the choice and freedom to drive what they want,I dont see anyone forcing them to buy a big truck !!! If you are against trucks,as it sounds you should never visit this site again !!!

Fact is people like trucks for daily use.As myself I use it to go to the office and back home,wear a suit and tie never once did I use the bed for work purposes.If they use it for work its nice to know you can tow just about anything without straining the truck thus making it last longer.And bigger for those who need to haul their family around as well as using it for work,and going out on the town with your girl,wife and family without having to own and buy an extra car.with the economy the way it is,it is nice to know you can buy a truck and use it for work,take the family out and it looks upscale enough to go out on the weekend without feeling like a poor man in a plain singlecab long box truck ,that wont fit your family,nor have enough power to haul them around on vacation while towing your boat !!!

But you forget what the new El Camino would be about...Speed and Power,they will say my truck is faster than your Vette or Porsche and beater small red 4x4 !!

No matter what , people talk about their vehicles,either small and fuel efficient,bigger and powerful or how much it can tow or how fast your 4 door 4x4 truck can go,nothing new people love vehicles and enjoy driving them thats why there is a demand for them !! And remember most people buy a vehicle because they like it,feel safe,comfortable driving it ,as this was the reason I bought my full size truck,being 6"4 no car is comfortable enough for me !! No so-called full size car of today I can drive for a 45 min commute and not be sore,so I bought a full size truck,and not because it can tow 7500 lbs but because it is safe,comfortable then I bought it because it looks great,souds great and its the most powerful truck around !!!

Time for you to stop believing the crazy left wing ideas that everything is bad or is bought to make someone else jealous,its not !!! Go out earn a propper living buy a small red 4x4 and enjoy life the way you want it,not for what other people think..Stop it with the left wing b.s.Go to Wal-Mart buy a Mcdonalds burger once in a while ,enjoy freedom while you have it,put a load of salt on your fries as well !! And dont believe you will be obese after eating a burger and fries ! You wont !!

GM already brought the ute over.. it is called the Subaru Baja.. and it took off with a thud..

Truck Guru aka DEITY, lol. :) I aint broke, and I am not fat. I drive my F150 4x4 Supercrew, guess that is a "small red 4x4" in your world. I DO NOT eat fast food, that is for people that like no taste. I eat hamburgers from a local shop here in southeast Texas. And again, DEITY, I do not vote democrat. Just because I have a different opinion (opinion being the operative word here sir), does not make me a Lefty as you continue to label me as. I call it as I see it, and I see it like I called it.

Have a good day sir, and a nice Christmas.

Truck Guru, what constitutes a proper living in your world BTW?

I work in a chemical plant as an operator of a multi-million dollar process that supplies coatings to the auto and construction businesses (the hardener in paint to be frank), and make 31.45/hr to be exact to the dollar. I hope this constitutes the "proper living" you are proposing me to seek :) It adds up to, after my OT figured in, to ~ 85-90K/yr. The company is based out of Sweden. Home office is in Perstorp, Sweden, near Malmo

@Ex GM has nothing to with Subaru and that comment is like saying a Ranger is the same as a Superduty Ford, well they are both Pickups.
@ Truck Guru it is about Speed , Power and Handling plus having a useful load.

man i would buy it if it did happen i own a 78 camino and wouldnt give it up for a 4x4 no matter the capacity but then again im a el camino enthusiest i love the camino

oh please bring it on! I'm sure GM will make some "American" changes.

Im driving a 02 tacoma right now and i love the hell out of it because its compact unlike the new gen which is trying to fit the big truck mold. the tacoma is great as a daily driver, handles well offroad if needed and can haul things around just fine. i would gladly buy a new el camino if it could do the same and had better gas mileage than my tacoma (this things killing me, truck is compact, its gas consumption isnt) America has enough big trucks like the f150s, rams and silverados. Toyota is no longer making compact trucks so GM should step in with a new s10 or an el camino and boom they got me

If it looked more like a truck, then i can see buyer potential aside from someone who just loves the fact that it is an El Camino. But to turn my head, it cant have a windshield that makes me scream "Minvan". Plain and simple. It needs a Economical 4-cyl w/Turbo, a simple V6, and a V8 for an SS model. There should be a 6 speed manual transmission available, with a 6 speed automatic as an option on V6 and V8 models. Base line should come with the 4-cyl Turbo and standard 5 speed transmissions.

@ TexasRebel87 If it looked like a US or Asian Pickup, it would be a total failure as a Ute. It is a "Corvette/truck" not an economical pickup. Forget 4 Clylinder turbo's, you would have more success putting one into HD Superduty Dually, than a Sports Ute.

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