GGeneral Motors continues to reveal some features of its future compact pick up, providing small previews through its webseries. On this occasion, the American firm assured that the new Chevrolet Montana will surprise with its acceleration and low consumption. Although until a few years ago they were secondary aspects for the usual users of trucks, today, in addition to load capacity, the public demands great habitability, a lot of technology and good performance, factors that were taken into account by the engineers of the company.
The pick up is already in its last phase of development and, according to this new video, it will premiere a “unprecedented vehicle concept, unprecedented in the segment, with innovations that make it more spacious, comfortable and efficient on a day-to-day basis”, so one of the key jobs of the engineering team is to ensure proper integration between the mechanical and electronic systems. In that sense, Silvio Mariano, GM Vehicle Development Engineer, explained: “Many are curious to know what has the most impact on the performance and dynamics of a pick-up: torque, weight or aerodynamics? The secret is in the harmonization of technologies, and the final result is what matters to the consumer».
According to GM, the new Montana will have an advanced electronic control unit that allows up to 3 times more calibration variables than previous generation pickups. Thanks to this technology, it promises a relationship between acceleration and consumption above the segment average, empty or loaded, coming from its engine, which would be the Ecotec 1.2 turbo used in the Tracker, but precisely with a specific calibration. Among its attributes, the American firm assures that the automatic option will be “the champion in fuel economy”, while the version with a manual gearbox will have “the best results in the category in the measurement from 0 to 100 km/h and always with a lot of silence on board”.
Developed on the GEM (Global Emerging Markets) modular platform, the Montana will also have particular adaptations to offer greater load capacity. Currently, the final phase of testing is advancing at a good pace at the CPCA (Cruz Alta Test Center), as GM’s Cruz Alta test territory is known, which has 17 different types of tracks, including “torture ” and the “infinite line”; in addition to seven laboratories, such as vehicle dynamics, electronics and emissions analysis.
As they point out from GM, the Montana will have the greatest habitability and the best use of internal space in its category. To achieve this, the pick-up will be built with lighter and more resistant materials, which eliminate the need for a larger engine, prioritizing space for the passenger compartment and cargo volume, together with a complete comfort and technology equipment.
Another point to note is that the pickup will be the first regional production vehicle to be able to receive remote software updates, as revealed in the penultimate chapter of the web series, which also indicated that the new multimedia system “will be born as an extension of the instrument panel”which could anticipate that the Montana will have two screens, linked together as is the trend in the Premium segment, which will provide all kinds of vehicle information and access to numerous functions.