The GMC Terracross Was A Bizarre Concept SUV With A Reconfigurable Roof

When it comes to innovation in automotive design, GMC isn't exactly the first brand dedicated gearheads consider. Best known for its SUVs, trucks, and other working vehicles, GMC is a consistent top performer among General Motors brands, but also one that relies on a reputation for working power, relentless reliability, and toughness under duress for its success. Even now, as the brand transitions to electric propulsion, GMC continues to deliver on its core business: big, powerful, gas-guzzling utility vehicles with rock-solid engineering and no surprises. In many ways, GMC has endured where other GM marques like Pontiac and Saturn perished, specifically because GMC knew its market and didn't mess with a good thing. The brand's customers know what they're getting and aren't interested in surprises.

That being the case, when GMC does drop an unexpected design, it's very surprising indeed. Thus the GMC Terracross became the single strangest vehicle on offer at the 2001 North American International Auto Show. The Terracross arrived with modest ambitions: it intended to revolutionize the truck, van, and SUV market, all at once, and here's how.

In short, the GMC Terracross figured the future was modular. The folding, swapping, and rearranging of the Terracross didn't stop at usual SUV suspects like seats and flooring. The Terracross opened doors and even the actual roof to the mad ministrations of any driver who felt like reconfiguring the thing (via TestDriveJunkie).

Bizarre as it looked, the Terracross was fundamentally an attempt at an idea that has been tried many times in the history of car design: the pickup truck that is also an SUV. It makes so much sense in theory. After all, the only difference between an SUV and a pickup on a design level is some seats, a few square feet of bodywork, and some strategic carpeting. One truly compelling SUV/pickup could synergize the profitable but frustratingly separate markets for pickups and SUVs (via Hedges & Company), making a mint for its manufacturer.

It's never happened. As Motor Trend reports, despite many attempts over the past few decades, no one has ever quite stuck the landing on a modular SUV/pickup combination. Even at the apex of popularity in the 70s and 80s, when "converting" the vehicle consisted of putting on or taking off a plastic topper, the SUV/pickup was a niche item. It certainly wasn't enough to motivate buyers to purchase a vehicle based on modularity alone. Pickup truck drivers kept buying pickups, SUV fans bought SUVs, GMC got back to its core business of big square vehicles for big square jobs, and the Terracross vanished without a trace.