Range Rover

At the 2010 Detroit Motor Show GMC unveiled the GMC Granite. Less than a year later, at the LA Auto Show, GMC unveiled the Granite CPU.

While the initial design of the Granite was surprising, the new concept redefines the phrase Urban Utility Vehicle, which is what the small crossover was called at the time. It was conceived as a new type of vehicle, that could stretch people's ideas of what a GMC can be. In fact, if any of the two models of the Granite concept entered production, it would become the smallest GMC ever to be built, which is exactly the opposite of the image GMC had until recently.

Rather than a traditional flip-down liftgate, the CPU features two hinged doors that open on the sides and thanks to a slide-out bedliner, there’s plenty more cargo room than one might expect. Flipping out of the bed is a steel rack that can be used for everything from a makeshift surfboard or ladder holder, to a rack to hold up a bicycle. One of the designers on hand at the truck’s unveiling at GM’s North Hollywood Advanced Design Center even commented that it could be used to create a space to hold 8×4-foot sheets of plywood diagonally, with room for tools underneath.

If you need even more room to haul lumber or a surfboard, a "pack rack" roll bar pops up and out. Both useful and attractive, it's no surprise GM's kept it hidden for so long.