Honda’s unibody Ridgeline pickup truck made a strong earthquake. The quake has shaken the majority of truck manufacturers, so most of them are reconsidering to add this kind of vehicle in the future. Even though we were pretty sure that the second truck of the kind is coming from Korea as the Hyundai Santa Cruz, there is the producer which might be a little bit faster. According to Gmauthority.com, General Motors already filed a trademark application to register the Montana name.
Now, since the carmaker already offers the unibody truck across South America and Africa, it could easily bring it home in a few months. Still, we are pretty sure that the model won’t come this year but sometime in 2018 as the 2019 Chevrolet Montana, because the manufacturer will have to make some additional adjustments before the truck hits the U.S. dealerships.
They could keep the exterior styling unchanged, but both interior and engine must be better. The current vehicle is paired with a 97 hp 1.4-liter four-cylinder flex-fuel engine, which is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The power is ridiculous, especially when you compare it with Ridgeline’s 280 horsepower 3.5-liter engine. However, the U.S.-specs 2019 Chevy Montana will likely get a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will reportedly produce 272 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque. In place of the outdated five-speed gearbox, the producer will probably add an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The changes will have a price of course. Today’s South American version of the truck costs a little bit over $18,000. The North American model will add at least $10,000 on the price.