Chevrolet SSR Breadwagon

Chevrolet says it sells more $30,000-plus vehicles in the United States than any other brand. That's true because it moves boatloads of TrailBlazers, Tahoes, and Suburbans. It also sells about 35,000 Corvettes per year, and that car serves as a halo for its car line. The new SSR, meanwhile, could be considered a kind of halo for its pickup-truck line.

So how about a poster child for those profitable sport/utilities? Chevy has an easy solution: Pull a Silverado-to-Tahoe, sedan delivery-style conversion on the SSR. This truck would have several advantages, including that it won't be built with the SSR's expensive, complicated convertible/hardtop roof. And it'll serve as a big brother for Chevy's 2005 {{{PT Cruiser}}}-fighter, the Delta-platform HHR.

We expect the SSR "breadwagon" (our term, not Chevy's) within a couple of years, powered by the same 5.3-liter V-8 as in the SSR. The platform will be the same GMT355 that underpins the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon. It may be built with windows all around and a back seat, or two seats and window-less panels, or both. The surfwagon lives.