This 1968 Chevrolet El Camino SS is available on ClassicCars.com.
This 1968 Chevrolet El Camino SS is available on ClassicCars.com.
Despite the popularity of trucks in America, there are still spaces to fill in the market. Ram doesn’t offer a midsize option. Toyota doesn’t make heavy-duty pickups. Nissan killed off the Titan full-size model. Once Hyundai discontinues the Santa Cruz, Ford’s Maverick will be the only compact truck on the market — until the recently announced 2029 Chevrolet El Camino comes out.
In an email, a Chevrolet spokesperson said, “We are always looking for ways to better serve our customers. For more than a century, Chevrolet trucks have helped build not just the highways and buildings of America, but they have also helped build the dreams of Americans by working just as hard as they do. The 2029 El Camino will compete in the compact segment as a versatile option for those who need city-friendly dimensions and the features and bed space to get projects done at home.”
Even with the Santa Cruz still in production, Ford largely has the compact truck market to itself, so it makes perfect sense that Chevrolet would make a competitor to it. Plus, the El Camino would provide customers an entry point to Chevy trucks from which they could progress to larger, more capable, and more expensive models as their lifestyles and professional needs change.
There’s no word yet on the details of the new El Camino, but the Ford Maverick can serve as a template of which key things to deliver or exceed: unibody construction, four doors, turbocharged gas and hybrid engine options, the ability to haul up to 1,500 pounds, a 4,000-pound towing capacity, and a starting price below $30,000. A Z71 model could take on the Maverick Tremor.
When I asked if Chevrolet is going to overhaul the Blazer so the next-generation model will be more like the classic K5 off-roader, the same representative said, “Yes. More to come soon.”
It didn’t take long to get a follow-up email. It said the same thing I need to tell you about this El Camino news: “Happy April Fools’ Day!”
