GMC Centaur

No, this is not a Geo Prizm that has been rammed by a Chevrolet S-10. (Or, if I'm allowed to go off-brand, it's a spitting image of what I'd imagine a Toyota Sera truck to look like.)

It is, however, one of the closest one of the most accurate looks at the trucks people would actually be buying today…except all of its details are the opposite to what you'd expect.

It was conceived by truck specialists GMC in order to court car buyers; at the time, GMC’s slogan became: “It’s not just a truck anymore.” 

Here's the rub: GMC wanted to court car buyers at precisely the time that car buyers were discovering SUVs and, later, extended and crew-cab pickups.

Amazingly, a lot of what GMC designed here has actually happened…only, the trucks now look and act more like trucks. 

And the cars have been mostly flattened, by trucks.

GMC was right to assume that drivers would want a more comfortable, car-like interior, a larger cab for additional passengers and cargo, great payload capacity, air suspension, four-wheel steering, and advanced technology. 

In this case "advanced technology" is really just a floating dashboard, similar to what Volvo did in its S40/V50 models, only GMC furnished theirs complete with a Digital Audio Tape player.

Again, I say: all of the Centaur is backwards.

Its transmission is an automated (clutch-less) manual that retains its traditional shifter. 

Its engine is a mid-rear-mounted horizontally-opposed 3.0-litre six-cylinder — just like Corvairs of old. It's unlikely the concept had an engine, however, the only similar motor that I can think of from that era is Subaru's 2.7-litre ER27 flat-six from the XT6 coupé.