GM no longer planning GMC-badged Jeep Wrangler rival?

The company allegedly decided to halt development of a new midsize truck platform that would have underpinned the rugged SUV.

Rumors surrounding a rugged GMC-badged SUV to rival the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco may not come to fruition, as General Motors has reportedly decided to drop the development project.

The automaker's controversial restructuring plan is said to be the catalyst for several vacancies on the product roadmap. The halted development programs included a new midsize truck platform, known as 32XX, that would have underpinned GMC's body-on-frame midsize SUV, sources have told Muscle Cars & Trucks.

GM had been mulling a Wrangler fighter for at least a decade or more, revealing the similarly-sized Hummer HX concept (pictured) in 2008 before the Hummer brand was dropped in the wake of the company's bankruptcy and bailout.

If the latest rumor proves accurate, the change of heart appears consistent with a broader industry reevaluation of internal-combustion projects that still require significant capital to bring across the finish line to production. Many were presumably put in motion years ago when major automakers were more skeptical of electric vehicle growth potential and underestimated how much money they would soon be spending on autonomous technology.

Automakers will presumably continue to axe legacy development projects and stretch out product cycles for existing internal-combustion platforms as funds shift toward electrification, autonomy and other upcoming technologies that are expected to disrupt the industry.