GMC Mulls Small SUV

General Motors Co.’s GMC unit is evaluating whether to add a subcompact crossover/SUV to compete against the Jeep Renegade and other models in the fast-growing segment.

Duncan Aldred, who heads GMC as well as GM’s Buick brand, is championing the plan. Buick already offers the Korean-built Encore, and Aldred tells Automotive News that GMC needs its own subcompact model if it wants to be a world-class brand.

Sales of the Encore jumped 33% year-over-year through November in the U.S., following a 53% increase for all of 2014, according to the newspaper. Most Buick dealerships also sell GMC models.

Media reports earlier this summer said GM filed for a new trademark for the GMC Granite name. The company showed the GMC Granite subcompact concept model in 2010.