LUV

Introduced for the 1972 model year, this compact pickup was Chevrolet’s early captive-import answer to the growing small-truck market in the United States. It was based on an Isuzu design and offered American buyers a light-duty truck that was smaller and more economical than Chevrolet’s full-size pickups. The nameplate ran through a single U.S. production era, appearing in Chevrolet’s heritage archive from 1972 through 1982. For 1981, the truck received a redesigned second-generation body, but the basic formula remained the same: a simple, small pickup aimed at buyers who wanted maneuverability and utility in a package sized far below a conventional full-size truck. The nameplate was retired after the 1982 model year as Chevrolet moved toward its domestically built compact truck line, ending the model’s U.S. run without a later revival in this market.