Chevrolet S-10

The Chevrolet S-10 is a compact pickup truck that is produced by Chevrolet. It was the first compact pickup of the big three American automakers. When it was first introduced in 1982, the GMC version was known as the S-15 and later renamed the GMC Sonoma. A high-performance version was released in 1991 and given the name of GMC Syclone. The pickup was also sold by Isuzu as the Hombre from 1996 through 2000, but only in North America. There was also an SUV version, the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer/GMC S-15 Jimmy. An electric version was leased as a fleet vehicle in 1997 and 1998. Together, these pickups are often referred to as the S-series.

In North America, the S-series was replaced by the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Isuzu i-Series in 2004.

The S-Series ended production in Brazil in 2012, being replaced by the Chevrolet Colorado, but still with the name S-10.

First generation (1982–1993)

The first compact truck from the big three automakers was the rebadged Isuzu KB sold since 1972 as the Chevrolet LUV. The 1973 Arab oil embargo forced GM to consider designing a domestically produced compact pickup truck. As usual, parts from other GM chassis lines (primarily from the GM G-body intermediates) were incorporated. The first S-series pickups were introduced in 1982. The base engine (manufactured in Japan and imported) was a 1.9L Isuzu 4 cylinder (RPO LR1) shared with the LUV and Isuzu P'UP) with the GM 2.8L on the option list. The Chevrolet and GMC models were identical apart from the grille, tailgate and assorted insignia. An extended cab and "Insta-Trac" four-wheel drive were added the next year along with two new engines - a 2.0L (RPO LQ2) sourced from the J-platform automobiles along with an Isuzu 2.2L (RPO LQ7) diesel).