General Motors is reportedly planning to take on the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler with a rugged, body-on-frame off-road SUV of its own – and unlike the Ford, it could offer a V8 engine.
GM Authority reports development has recommenced on a GMC Jimmy revival, after the project was cancelled back in November 2018.
The cancelled Jimmy was reportedly being developed alongside the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon utes, with which it was set to share its platform, and was earmarked for V8 power.
However, GM reportedly halted development to focus on investments in electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs), and in light of increasingly strict emissions regulations.
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The US automotive market has changed rapidly since president Donald Trump assumed office again in 2025, however, with weakened emissions regulations and the end of federal EV incentives leading to the discontinuation of a raft of battery-powered models.
In the past 12 months alone, the list includes vehicles like the Acura ZDX, BMW iX and Nissan Ariya, while the Ford F-150 Lightning is being replaced with an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) and various models such as the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and Jeep Wagoneer S are on hiatus for a model year.
Now, with less stringent emissions regulations, EVs have been de-emphasised by many automakers and other vehicles have been prioritised.
At GM alone – which has endured tumult in its AV development and which has some slow sellers among its EVs – the Chevrolet Camaro is now set to be replaced, and will reportedly share its platform with a new Buick sedan and the next-generation Cadillac CT5.
Sources have told GM Authority that not only is the Jimmy project back on track, but it’s set to offer a petrol V8 from the new Gen 6 Small Block V8 engine family. A version of the turbocharged 2.7-litre four-cylinder TurboMax petrol engine used in the Colorado, Canyon and GM’s full-size pickups is also likely.
The Jimmy will take on the Bronco, Wrangler and the top-selling Toyota 4Runner, with Nissan reintroducing its rugged Xterra and the Pathfinder set to move to its body-on-frame platform. Among these, only the Wrangler is available with V8 power.
It’ll give the GMC brand something it hasn’t had since 2009: a ‘mid-size’ (large) ladder-frame SUV to slot in under the full-size (upper-large) Yukon.
The latest Acadia large crossover SUV has also grown in size, giving the Jimmy more breathing room. Its introduction would give GMC a pair of crossover SUVs (Terrain, Acadia) and a trio of body-on-frame SUVs (Jimmy, Yukon, Yukon XL).
The Jimmy nameplate debuted for 1969 as a rebadged version of the Chevrolet K5 Blazer, a rugged two-door off-roader which battled the Bronco and which was available with a soft-top or a removable hard top.
The nameplate’s use continued with the second-generation K5 Blazer, while the smaller Chevrolet S-10 Blazer launched for 1983 was also rebadged as the GMC S-15 Jimmy. The S-15 prefix was dropped in the 1990s with the second generation of this model, and the full-size Jimmy was renamed the Yukon for 1992.
The full-size three-door Yukon and its Chevrolet Tahoe twin were discontinued before the end of the decade, not long after the demise of the Bronco, and the smaller, Ford Explorer-rivalling Jimmy was replaced in 2001 by the larger Envoy.
After 2010, both Ford and GM went without a ladder-frame SUV in this segment in the US, though Ford would eventually revive the Bronco nameplate in 2021 with a Ranger-based off-roader.
While the Blazer nameplate was revived in 2019, GM earned the ire of off-road enthusiasts by applying it to a crossover SUV. The electric Blazer crossover SUV followed in 2023. These models are expected to continue, and it’s unclear if Chevrolet will offer a version of the revived Jimmy.
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