The 2022 Ford Bronco is on track to meet or exceed its 2021 sales figures of more than 100,000 units built. With those numbers holding up, the question arises as to whether GMC will take advantage of its own Bronco. The GMC Jimmy was a full-size SUV similar to a Bronco. Being slightly larger than the Bronco, it still found plenty of enthusiastic buyers. Could we see a modern version of the Jimmy?
Would the GMC Canyon be the best platform for a Jimmy?
If so, would GMC build on its successful full-size pickup truck, or would it choose the more Bronco-like Canyon midsize pickup as a starting point? The Canyon is new for 2023 and would make a great looking SUV variant. It would also give GMC something not available in its virtually identical Chevy Colorado.
It already has the full-size Yukon, as well as the smaller Acadia and Terrain. But a smaller body-on-frame Yukon-like SUV would fit nicely into the Bronco SUV segment. It’s a segment where the Acadia and Terrain simply can’t compete.
Would a full size Sierra work better for a GMC Jimmy?
And then there’s a large two-door SUV that would also fit right into the GMC family. There’s already enough interest and demand for a full-size GMC Jimmy for one company to build them already. Flat Out Autos in Arkansas is already taking GMC trucks and turning them into two-door SUVs.
Flat Out takes a new GMC truck and leaves everything from the front bumpers to the B-pillars alone. From there, it creates new side panels, adds a rear seat, and includes a removable hardtop. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, but those are the main parts of the transformation.
If it works for Bronco, shouldn’t it work for GMC?
The downside to this is that being a conversion, there is a lot of work involved. That means it’s out of reach for most fans of a new Jimmy. And it also means that the traditional hype that goes along with launching a new vehicle, as well as factory warranties and such, are almost non-existent.
still what At full speed it’s doing mimics what GMC did with the original 1970 Jimmy. That was the same course Ford followed in reviving the Bronco. And with Ford selling more than 100,000 Broncos a year, that’s nothing GMC is sneezing at. Especially since the new tooling would be so much less with the GMC pickup as a starting point.
Which would also apply to do the same with the Canyon. So GMC is already well ahead of the game in developing its own Bronco if it decides to take that step. But it will?
We doubt it. With GM putting so much into its electrification makeover, it probably doesn’t have enough to set aside to develop a Jimmy model. So for now, Ford has the market cornered on body-on-frame two- and four-door midsize SUVs. But if Ford can do it, we know GMC could too, which makes its absence a bit frustrating.