For South Africans, Chevrolet’s replacement for its Brazilan-built Montana is going to be something of a “could have been” bakkie. The current-generation Montana was built and sold here as the Chevrolet Utility until General Motors abandoned our market in 2017.
General Motors of Brazil has released the first teaser image of its new-generation Montana pick-up and although we only get to see the basic outline for now, the blacked-out picture does at least reveal that the new Montana has evolved into a double cab – remember, its predecessor was only available in single cab guise.
General Motors says the new Montana is an “unprecedented pick-up concept for the brand”, which will take the product to “another level”, and that also roughly translates to “Ford Maverick, we’re coming for you!”. The carmaker describes it as being “much more evolved” from an architectural point of view, bringing improved dynamics, efficiency and tech.
It’s not clear whether Chevrolet will also offer a single cab version of the new Montana to complement the new double cab version, and the rest of its spec sheet remains a mystery for now, although GM Authority reports that the vehicle will be built around the company’s GEM architecture, which was designed for entry-level vehicles for developing markets.
The new Chevrolet Montana will be built in a heavily upgraded factory in São Caetano do Sul, Brazil.
The outgoing Montana model was built in Brazil and South Africa, and SA buyers could choose between a 1,4-litre normally aspirated engine with 68 kW and a 1,8-litre unit that produced 77 kW. The claimed payload was between 733 and 763 kg depending on the model. It’s likely that the new model for Brazil will be powered by a newer-generation turbopetrol engine.
