We spotted a manufacturer-plated Chevrolet LUV pickup cruising around town a month ago on our way to our brother's graduation from Oakland University, but didn't think much of it because frankly, a re-badged Isuzu D-MAX (or Chevy Colorado depending on how you look at it) doesn't really get us going. That is until we took a closer look at the shots last night and noticed that it was a diesel-powered Chevy LUV truck. My, my, my — is GM perhaps looking to create a competitor for the Mahindra Scorpio / Appalachian / Whatever pickup? Maybe some oil-slicked Thai truck action?
Probably not. The problem with the engine is it doesn't meet any emissions requirements for the US market. But what's funny is that this is exactly what the market is looking for. How great would a light-duty 30 MPG+ diesel pickup be in this market? Though GM engineers are probably just using it for local transport, it'd be pretty cool for the truck-lovers out there if it were a real live bow-Thai'ed pickup.
Our only response from someone familiar with GM's lineup was a wise-assed "We're actually only looking at V10 engines as the standard" across the light-duty truck lineup, so we expect this to be heading our way any time soon. Or not. Or maybe.