Will GMC's Brand Makeover Include a Jeep Fighter?

We’ve all seen the ads. Glistening GMCs plying the streets of Manhattan as Eminence Front swells in the background, broadcasting loud and clear to urban car buyers that we’re here, we’re trucks or truck-like vehicles, get used to it.

Boosted exposure is a big part of GMC’s plan to grow sales and brand recognition, but the next phase of the automaker’s revamp could see it take on Jeep.

GMC’s plans for the future are starting to become clear, and while it looks like a small crossover is out, a small SUV could be in. Speaking about the company’s two-phase plan, GMC brand chief Duncan Aldred told Automotive News that Jeep’s runaway success might need to be countered.

“I do think GMC has got the brand equity and brand character in many respects to give customers a really good alternative to Jeep products,” Aldred said.

Industry sources told Automotive News that GMC is in the early stages of crafting an SUV that will borrow the frame of the GMC Colorado midsize pickup. Analysts agree that Jeep is the most likely target for the automaker, though sources say the rumored SUV wouldn’t arrive until 2020 or later.

GMC sales hit an 11-year high in the U.S. last year, so the newfound exposure seems to be working. The high-end Denali line, which Aldred pushed in order to boost the brand’s profitability, now makes up 20 percent of sales.

Still, it’s new products that grow excitement. The GMC Terrain and its Chevrolet twin, the Equinox, are expected to shrink in size when the next generation bows in 2017. Those models will ride atop the Chevrolet Cruze platform and could source the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Malibu.

Plans for a smaller crossover inspired by the Granite concept vehicle fell though, possible because sales could overlap with the Chevy Trax and Buick Encore. Aldred wants it, but it seems that General Motors executives aren’t keen on the idea.

[Image: © 2015 Mark Stevenson/The Truth About Cars]