Peek Inside the Minds of General Motors’ Truck Designers… If You Dare

Next-level, or nauseating? You be the judge.
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Concept cars are automakers’ way of showing us what great designs their creative minds can cook up. Sometimes, radical concepts arrive at dealers almost untouched, like Lexus LC 500, while others simply don’t survive the gauntlet standing between concepts and production vehicles. In this case, however, many General Motors truck buyers might be grateful that what they’re seeing here won’t turn up at a dealership anytime soon.

GM Design’s Instagram account recently shared a trio of wild concepts for Cadillac and GMC trucks, the most handsome of which is an unnamed Caddy penned by Andrew McMillan. Its broad stance and protruding wheels give it the imposing stance that made the original Escalade a hit, and its narrow, slit-like headlights give off a reptilian vibe that only accentuates that trait.

Possibly more polarizing is a concept for a GMC Sierra Denali HD. It isn’t afforded much ground clearance by its caricature-like proportions, though that may be a trick of perspective. Lift that low front bumper off the ground, and fit some monster truck-sized tires (or tank treads), and bam, it becomes a real-life Tonka truck to please one’s inner four-year-old.

Most divisive of all, however, is another, more radical GMC concept, one that looks like the result of a lot of weird things coming together to produce one very weird lovechild. It appears not to be a huge hit with commenters, who will likely be grateful none of these concepts necessarily portend GM trucks of tomorrow.

“The sketches shown on the GM Design Instagram are not intended to telegraph any future products,” GMC Communications Manager Chad Lyons told The Drive via email. “We started the Instagram account to showcase the creativity of the GM Design team, who are constantly sketching, drawing and sculpting.”

“Often, these works are not intended for production. Instead, designers create them to hone their creative skills, to try new shapes or themes, and sometimes simply for the fun of sketching something innovative. The GMDesign Instagram account was launched to share some of the most compelling, most appealing work GM designers produce.”

While these concepts may not rub everyone the right way, it’s worth remembering that automotive design is a form of art, and we should never take the fruits of others’ labor for granted. After all, industrial design is an exercise of throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, and as the infinite monkey theorem dictates, that’s bound to happen eventually.

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