The Chevrolet LUV was a compact pickup truck designed and built by Isuzu and sold by Chevrolet in the Americas from 1972. The name stands for light utility vehicle, and the model began a partnership that lasted for decades and led eventually to the Colorado.
Chevrolet LUV at a glance
| Introduced | 1972, in North America |
|---|---|
| Maker | Isuzu, sold by Chevrolet |
| Name means | light utility vehicle |
| Base model | Isuzu Faster |
| First generation | 1972–1980 |
| Second generation | 1980, as a 1981 model |
| Diesel | 2.2-litre, offered in the United States in 1981 and 1982 |
| North American sales ended | after 1982, when the S-10 arrived |
| Later version | LUV D-Max |
History of the Chevrolet LUV
The first LUV went on sale in North America in 1972 as a badge-engineered version of the Japanese-market Isuzu Faster. Production of that generation ended in 1980. The second generation was launched in 1980 as a 1981 model and was built by Isuzu in Japan for North America, with General Motors producing it in Chile for the South American market.
In the United States the second-generation LUV was available with a 2.2-litre diesel engine in 1981 and 1982, the only years that engine was offered there. North American sales stopped after the 1982 model year, because the new Chevrolet S-10 arrived in 1981 and took over the compact pickup role. In South America, where the S-10 was not the same proposition, the LUV continued and the name was later used again on the LUV D-Max.
The LUV established the arrangement that GM returned to again and again: Isuzu designs and builds a light truck, and Chevrolet sells it under its own name. The same pattern reappeared with the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in 2004, which were developed with Isuzu on a shared platform, and with the Chevrolet D-Max.
Design and features
- Isuzu engineering: the LUV was an Isuzu Faster with Chevrolet badges.
- Diesel option: a 2.2-litre diesel was sold in the United States only in 1981 and 1982.
- Two markets: built in Japan for North America and in Chile for South America.
- Start of a partnership: the arrangement continued with the Colorado and the D-Max.
Chevrolet LUV versions
- First generation (1972–1980): the original Isuzu Faster-based pickup.
- Second generation (1981–1982 in North America): with the optional 2.2 diesel.
- South American LUV: built in Chile and sold for longer than in the north.
- LUV D-Max: the later use of the name on a D-Max-based truck.
The LUV led to the Chevrolet S-10 and later to the Chevrolet Colorado and Chevrolet D-Max. More trucks are in the Chevrolet collection.
Video: Chevrolet LUV D-Max
Video by David Arias on YouTube.
Sources
- Chevrolet LUV, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, markets
_(24042110004).jpg){kind=link}