GMC has been handed a second chance — and this time the brand looks dead serious about not blowing it. General Motors is back at work on the Jimmy, the body-on-frame SUV whose name still rings a bell for anyone raised on 1980s pickups. The project — which we wrote about before — sat on the shelf for years while GM funneled everything into electric vehicles, and tightening emissions rules made the idea of a heavy combustion off-roader look like a non-starter.
Things have shifted. The new Jimmy was originally developed in parallel with the current third-generation Canyon, which debuted for the 2023 model year. The plan was bold from the start — a proper midsize body-on-frame SUV built to throw punches at the Toyota 4Runner, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser. No crossover compromises.
According to sources, GM’s designers didn’t reinvent the wheel — they went straight to the archive. The inspiration: the 1973–1991 GMC and Chevrolet C/K pickups known as the Square Body. Expect straight lines, vertical proportions, slab-sided panels and the kind of retro cues that move metal right now.
And honestly, it tracks. Ford bet on nostalgia with the Bronco, Jeep has been milking the Wrangler’s heritage for decades, and Toyota brought back the Land Cruiser and reimagined the 4Runner. GM is watching the feast and clearly doesn’t want to miss its seat at the table. There’s also the sting it can’t forget — the backlash that hit when the Chevrolet Blazer came back as a soft unibody crossover. Iconic name, wrong machine.
There’s still no official confirmation. Sources say the Jimmy would be built in the U.S. alongside the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. If everything falls into place, GMC finally gets what the brand has been missing for years — a real body-on-frame SUV with a legendary name on the tailgate. And this time, no half-measures.
