New mini pickup trucks are flooding the market like the 2022 Ford Maverick and 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. It may make you wonder why Chevrolet isn’t getting into the game. But it might be, with the Chevy Montana. 

The Chevy Montana won’t live up to the Ford Maverick 

It’s no secret that auto manufacturers make different vehicles to sell in markets all over the world. For example, the Mazda BT-50 is a compact truck that we can’t have in the United States. The Chevy Montana serves as another example too. 

But now, more significant changes are on the horizon for the Montana. It excelled as a popular two-door front-drive truck in Brazil, offering tons of utility. But it was a little too small and lacked too much versatility for the American market. 

But teaser images reveal a larger truck that would be much more appealing in the United States. It looks like the new Chevrolet Montana is becoming a four-door truck with a similar shape to the Honda Ridgeline. 

Why won’t the Montana rival the Maverick? 

The Chevy Montana won’t have the opportunity to compete against the Ford Maverick because it won’t be offered in America. The new unibody pickup truck will be built on the GM GEM platform. This platform is designed for emerging markets and not North America. 

The GEM platform underpins various models developed at the SAIC-GM joint venture in China and Latin America. GM says the Montana will be built in Brazil for domestic consumption. It will be available in neighboring countries too. 

Lower-cost platforms are produced at lower costs for localized markets. Using a North American platform and exporting it would make it more expensive to produce. This may indicate that the truck may have cheaper equipment that won’t be able to match the Maverick’s performance. 

The current Montana costs about $12,300. It has a 1.4-liter engine with 99-hp and 94 lb-ft of torque. The 2022 Ford Maverick is the cheapest truck in America, and it starts at about $19,995. It has a standard 2.5-liter inline-four engine with an electric motor that provides 191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. 

With the Maverick, you can upgrade to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. The Maverick can tow up to 4,000 lbs, and the Montana can carry up to 1,687 lbs. But we don’t know how much stronger the new Montana will be yet. 

Where is Chevy’s answer to the Maverick? 

If the Chevy Montana isn’t the option that will rival the Ford Maverick, then what is? We had a glimmer of hope when we heard that the GMC Syclone is returning, but it takes things to an entirely different level. 

The 2021 GMC Syclone is a new super truck that could outrace the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. It has a 5.3-liter V8 L83 engine that cranks out 750 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. But unlike the TRX, this truck is built for racing. 

Both Chevy and Ram are currently playing catch-up to the Ford F-150 Lightning, so it’s unclear if either brand will come up with something to rival the Ford Maverick. But we will keep watching for new information.