GMC Granite at the Detroit motor show 2010

This is the GMC Granite, a new concept car unveiled by GM at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Designed to move away from GMC's current range - which is dominated by pick-up trucks and full-size 4x4s - the Granite is much smaller than any GMC currently on sale.

Yes, the Granite is just 4097mm long, making it shorter than a Ford Focus or BMW 1-series. And while GMC’s current line-up consists solely of trucks, SUVs and crossovers, the Granite is designed to be city-friendly. 'Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,' says GMC's product marketing director Lisa Hutchinson. 'We call it an 'urban utility vehicle' and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean.'

GMC says the exterior is 'industrial-inspired' and 'the automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment', which means upright, blocky styling and slab sides, but with enough curves, creases and vents to stop the Granite looking too much like a box on wheels. And because it's a concept car there are huge wheels (20-inch) and suicide doors...

Behind those doors is a four-seat interior, with an ultra-wide LED screen that displays the climate control, sat-nav and infotainment systems. Power for the Granite concept comes from a turbocharged 1.4-litre four-pot - part of GM's latest downsized engine family - mated to a six-speed automatic which is controlled by a dial on the transmission tunnel.

By Ben Pulman