Rare Rides: The 2003 Studebaker XUV Story, Part III
Today marks Part III and a conclusion to our series on the 2003 Studebaker XUV. We’ve covered the truck’s announcement and immediate lawsuit action from General Motors, who were not keen to let something so similar to the Hummer H2 enter production without a fight. We join the action post courtroom.
Avanti conceded to making changes to the XUV with two goals in mind: First, to differentiate it enough from the H2 so GM would allow it to proceed to production and conclude the lawsuit. And second, so women would flock to it instead of the Hummer which was too much a “man’s man-type vehicle” for women, per Avanti’s CEO.
Kelly ran the visual edits by General Motors, adding in they were “minimal, and it still looks a lot like it did.” Apparently not too much like it looked previously, because GM okayed the alterations displayed to them via design sketch. Kelly assured the press at the time that the alterations like windshield rake and window size (minor?) would only set back production from fall 2003 to winter 2003. The truck’s other features like sliding doors and roof would stay in place.
When it entered production, the XUV was set to use a Ford Super Duty pickup chassis from 2003 or 2004. Two engines were purported to be available, in three different specifications. The only diesel option was the 325-horse 6.0-liter Power Stroke V8. Two gasoline-powered engines would also appear: Ford’s 6.8-liter V10 in naturally aspirated format for 310 horsepower, or with an optional supercharger attached for 425 raging horses.
The dimensions of the XUV were not inconsiderable. As previously mentioned it was two feet longer than an H2, at 216 inches overall. The body sat atop a 134-inch wheelbase, and the sliding doors and heavy retractable roof panel added to the already hefty design. Overall weight was around 6,000 pounds. Kelly expected to move 1,000 XUVs per year, at a base price of around $75,000. The company did actually debut the revised XUV at the Chicago Auto Show in 2004, this time painted in silver. Per some archived pictures from the show, it’s clear the rear sliding doors of the first XUV had gone, replaced by traditional doors.
It’s fun to consider that Ford might’ve been informed what their truck platforms would be used for – a direct competitor to the H2 for which Ford had no offering. But would it have mattered to GM had the XUV reached production, a Studebaker-branded SUV that cost $75,000 and was filled with parts-bin pieces? Puts one in mind of the Laforza.
The 2004 show was the last time anyone saw or heard much about the XUV, as shortly thereafter Michael Kelly was arrested by the FBI, and the operation folded. Though Avanti Motors sold once more to its current owner, the company’s website ( active again) bears no indication the XUV ever existed. It’s one of those concept cars nearly lost to time, only news links and Nokia candy bar phone pictures remain.
[Image: Avanti Motors]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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I don't understand overreaction by Big 3 to domestic independent automakers. What they are afraid of? Don't they know that it will be Japanese and Germans who will bury them?
Brilliant articles Mr lewis. Very fun reads.