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Chevrolet developing unibody compact pickup?

Chevrolet developing unibody compact pickup?

The model will be primarily aimed at global markets.

Chevrolet's Brazilian division has started the development of a small, car-based pickup. The yet-unnamed model will allegedly serve as a replacement for the Montana (pictured) sold in numerous global markets including Latin America and Africa.

Website GM Authority reports the Montana's replacement will ride on General Motors' Global Emerging Markets (GEM) architecture. It's a platform found under a growing number of global market-bound cars including the Buick Excelle Sedan sold in China and an array of Chevrolet models like the Onix, the Prisma, and the Cavalier. Power will come from an evolution of the current Montana's turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. It will send about 150 horsepower to the front wheels through an automatic transmission.

The current Montana is essentially a small hatchback with a cargo bed. It's only offered with a two-door cab. Its replacement will morph into a bigger model better aligned with the Fiat Toro and the Renault Oroch. It's expected to grow an extra set of doors, though we're not ruling out the possibility that Chevrolet will offer at least two cab options.

Sales will begin in 2020. As of writing, Chevrolet is not planning on offering the truck in the United States, but it might change its mind if American consumers continue gravitating towards smaller trucks in the foreseeable future. Rival Ford has all but confirmed it's developing a sub-Ranger, Focus-based pickup for the United States.