GMC and Isuzu worked together to develop a light pickup truck.
While Isuzu got the D-max, the American carmaker built the Canyon.

The development program brought the Chevrolet Colorado, the Isuzu D-Max, and the GMC Canyon. Also, the GM built the Hummer H3 on the same chassis, but with different engines. GMC offered the Canyon in a few body choices, including a double-cab version, mostly fit for leisure than for work.

GMC imagined an aggressive design for the Canyon, featuring two rows of lamps at the front. The design team carried over the same idea on the larger pickup-trucks from the GMC. Depending on the trim level, the vehicle featured body-colored or chromed bumpers. Its flared arches on the sides made the car look more aggressive, even though it was just a pickup truck in the same market segment as the Dodge Dakota or the Ford Ranger. Its four-door cabin allowed a better ingress and egress from the rear seats.

Inside, the carmaker installed a pair of bucket-seats at the front and a bench in the back fit for up to three passengers. The transmission tunnel was not too much intrusive inside, so even the middle passenger could sit well. GMC spoiled the driver with a car-like dashboard design and an instrument cluster separated by the center stack.

Apart from the base model, which featured a 2.8-liter inline-four, the rest of the engine range was paired to a standard four-speed automatic transmission. The Canyon was available with a rear-wheel-drive only system for selected markets, but most of them were part-time 4x4s.