Did GM MISS OUT On HUGE Opportunity With All-new Tahoe And Suburban? Should It Have Gone RETRO W/ K10 Look?

Did GM MISS OUT On HUGE Opportunity With All-new Tahoe And Suburban? Should It Have Gone RETRO W/ K10 Look?
Tonight I was leafing through my Instagram as usual. Checking up on friends and also seeing what interesting posts were thrown up related to autos, architecture, technology and art.

And that's when I stumbled across something from the team over at Bring a Trailer.

2021 Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe

One thing I love about BaT is how the site always curates interesting vehicles. The mix is great with a little something for everyone. Today though it showed off something I hadn't seen before on BaT.

That would be a 1971 Chevrolet Suburban K10. After looking at it, I had to admit that it's one seriously good looking truck. Inevitably, this got my wheels turning.

Why didn't GM's Chevrolet decide to use this vehicle as inspiration for an all-new, retro-inspired truck? It has a strong face, the interesting asymmetrical doors and the two-tone color scheme that's all the rage at the moment.

Instead for 2021 we pretty much got an evolved design that's OK but not going to move the needle for buyers as the market for full-size trucks continues to get more competitive. It feels like the Silverado playbook all over again — and we know how well that's going.

With the all-new Defender hitting showrooms and the all-new Bronco to-be-revealed soon, I've got to ask: Did Chevrolet MISS big on this opportunity?


2021 Chevrolet Suburban & Tahoe










































































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valhallakeyvalhallakey - 1/14/2020 12:14:52 AM
+6 Boost
I think something different on the front would have been better than what they ended up with. So yes I agree retro would probably have done them way more favors than this look.


PUGPROUDPUGPROUD - 1/14/2020 5:27:12 AM
+4 Boost
GM culture is so insular it has trouble seeing beyond its own views and often misses the mark. GM believes its the dominant player in the industry and those days are long over...its the GM way or the highway doesn't work anymore. I've known a few very creative car people who went to work for GM and left on their own soon afterwards because of the closed and rigid mindset of long standing entrenched management.


TruthyTruthy - 1/14/2020 10:31:55 AM
+3 Boost
You nailed it. I have two friends who were engineers at GM, one became a plant manager.
And they were absolutely convinced GM made the best cars in the world, but did not get positive press. And this was before 2009. Thet told me Americans don't buy cars for nice interiors. "Insular" Motors should be their name.


dumpstydumpsty - 1/14/2020 1:43:09 PM
+3 Boost
unfortunately, you kinda see the same type of arrogant corporate culture across different industries that are older. they belittle creative types that seek to embrace today's consumer trends & try to stay ahead of the newby/startups.


snowboard7snowboard7 - 1/14/2020 6:24:17 AM
+2 Boost
Its hard when you see all those soccer moms driving around not caring how ugly or boxy their SUVs are as long as it takes them A to B with a comfort of their kitchen or living room.


jeffgalljeffgall - 1/14/2020 7:09:40 AM
0 Boost
Retro is not the answer, but something more handsome is. The Suburban does not need to fold to gimmicky styling to be successful. Just clean and masculine will win.


TruthyTruthy - 1/14/2020 10:26:21 AM
+2 Boost
My thoughts exactly. Retro is limited. It is hard not to imagine they could have created something better looking. And more could have been done to differentiate the Caddy from the Chevy besides changing the grill and taillights.


TruthyTruthy - 1/14/2020 4:15:54 PM
+1 Boost
That screen on top of the dash with the chrome surround is exactly the one in the new CT5, or Cimmaron.


qwertyfla1qwertyfla1 - 1/14/2020 7:25:25 AM
+1 Boost
Its the King of Big but that face only a mother could love. Dodge/Ram should do a full size truck based SUV and they would kill it with the best looking interior in the class. This is another half ass attempt by GM to push "good enough" product out the door and a total recipe for disaster.


MDarringerMDarringer - 1/14/2020 8:23:06 AM
+1 Boost
Sergio disagreed because it was so vital to focus on the Alfa-Romeo goldmine. Oh wait. #Edsel #Failure
Manley thinks that a Ram "Tahoe" is a good thing but it will be a Jeep Wagoneer except there is no development being done. #Idiocy


TruthyTruthy - 1/14/2020 4:12:56 PM
0 Boost
Yea, we have been hearing about a new Wagoneer for about 10 years now.


Carmaker1Carmaker1 - 1/15/2020 2:30:25 PM
+1 Boost
Ignoring Matt's uninformed comment (which I mistakenly upvoted thanks to this archaic 2004 era format), Wagoneer development is definitely underway, but it is indeed too late.

It was needed years ago. Like the JL (supposed to be '17, in late 2016), it will get further delayed and pushed later into next year.

FCA product development process is too slow.


deaHelkcunKdeaHelkcunK - 1/14/2020 7:28:58 AM
+2 Boost
Am I the only one who likes it?


deaHelkcunKdeaHelkcunK - 1/14/2020 7:31:22 AM
+2 Boost
That being said, I have a '65 Suburan K1000 (2 door GMC) and nothing comes close to the look and aerodynamic efficiency of that. Couldn't be reproduced in todays world.


Tiberius1701ATiberius1701A - 1/14/2020 7:40:07 AM
+2 Boost
@PUGPROUD "GM believes its the dominant player in the industry" Boy you said it..I was working at a Cadillac dealer 10 years ago and the way the GM reps carried themselves you would have thought they still had 60+% of the market. I truly believe many in The Silos still carry that attitude.


MDarringerMDarringer - 1/14/2020 8:20:46 AM
0 Boost
Why is the guy that styled the Aztek still employed there?


TruthyTruthy - 1/14/2020 10:27:28 AM
0 Boost
Ha-ha.


skytopskytop - 1/14/2020 1:00:36 PM
0 Boost
Retro is history. Smart modern styling is the key. Unfornately, GM has missed the boar and employed deficient designers.


MDarringerMDarringer - 1/14/2020 9:09:17 PM
+1 Boost
Retro is big money.


malba2367malba2367 - 1/14/2020 2:58:51 PM
+2 Boost
Tahoe looks ok..overall a lot better than the current version which still dominates the sales charts so it will maintain its position. The spy shots of the Yukon look a lot better, I think it is supposed to be revealed soon,.


MDarringerMDarringer - 1/14/2020 9:10:25 PM
+1 Boost
The amount of money on the hood to prop up sales of the Silverado is staggering. This will be a money-on-the-hood vehicle.


Carmaker1Carmaker1 - 1/15/2020 2:41:33 PM
+1 Boost
That photo? Nah, it wouldn't pull it off well.

The U725 Bronco pulls off retro really well (acquainted with it), as does the successfully evolutionary JL Wrangler.

Such a design on a T1XX would look too tacky and on the wrong side of redneck funmobile (I love BOFs 4x4s), unlike the Bronco and Wrangler.

A good start would be the 1971-72MY model, as the base. 1967-70MY front is too tacky by comparison. 1971 is so much cleaner.

That being said I feel that the underlying GMT 400 styling basis will probably never die.
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