Our story on the Toyota A-Bat concept got you talking -- so while you're thinking about small trucks with hybrid powertrains, help us figure out how serious GMC is about building that Denali XT concept that it unveiled at the Chicago auto show?

True to its pre-show buzz, the Denali XT's a pretty nifty idea that poses more questions than it answers. And boy, do we have a few. Start with the easy one: Are we really ready for more El Caminos and Caballeros? So dissed by the enthusiast mags in their day, the El Camino and its brother, el Caballero, have come full circle and have an honest, but small network of fans, just like the cliques that worship the ground old AMCs still run on. For the anti-establishment crowd wanting to make a statement--but still needing a utility bed to throw stuff in--a Denali XT might be a suitable ticket.

Another question: Will full-size truck buyers be willing to downsize like van buyers once did? CAFE changes are coming and trucks will have to get more efficient. It's a repeat of the scenarios that made the El Caminos a little more digestible in the 1970s--only now, with a four-seat body and a flexible bed (not to mention an upscale interior treatment), there's plenty of reason to figure that at least some buyers can be weaned off their big trucks. The virtual disappearance of true small trucks could help make the case too, as could the popularity of crew-cab mid-size trucks.

Say it gets the green light from GM. Will the Denali's flex-fuel, hybrid V-8 be enough to counter hundreds of thousands of big V-8 Sierras in the CAFE woodpile? The concept's V-8 is GM's first two-mode hybrid that also can run on E85 ethanol fuel. It's also 4.9 liters in displacement, versus the 5.3-liter flex-fuel V-8s found elsewhere in GM's lineup. And no doubt a V-6 version would end up in the lineup. But would it shift enough buyers into the higher-mileage category to matter?

No matter what the scenario, something so radical as a Denali XT will be a gamble. Maybe the right way to do it, is the way GM seems to be headed. Make the car-based truck part of a car lineup--wearing a Pontiac G8 badge, for example. That way, GMC builds real pickups, and this kind of truck experiment doesn't seriously damage a strong brand.

Tell us whether you think GMC should build the Denali XT in a comment below -- and keep your browsers pointed here for more GMC news from the New York auto show in March. In the meantime, here's some GM video from the Chicago auto show for your senses:

Toyota Motor Corp. is studying whether there is room for a small truck that would fit underneath the existing Tacoma pickup truck. And in doing so, it’s putting the spotlight on a debate now raging among the industry's designers and product planners.

Don Esmond, Toyota senior vice president, confirmed for TheCarConnection.com that the Japanese automaker is evaluating whether there is room for a smaller truck in its model line.

"We are looking at it," he said.

The new "A-BAT" concept truck displayed at both the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and at the Chicago Auto Show could serve as the model for a new smaller truck, Esmond said.

"It's a pure concept vehicle," said Esmond, adding the Toyota will be looking carefully at the consumer reaction to the vehicle throughout the auto show season. Esmond also noted Toyota's FJ Cruiser started out as a pure concept vehicle and the favorable reaction of auto show crowds helped Toyota decide to put the vehicle into production.

"I think everyone is trying to come out with products the customer doesn't know they want yet," Esmond said.

Toyota isn't the only manufacturer looking at small pickup trucks. Jim Gillette, an analyst with CSM Worldwide in Northville, Mich., noted one of the overriding trends in the car business today is that vehicle segments are getting smaller and smaller. Thus, companies ranging from Suzuki to General Motors have been looking at the small truck segment as a possible new segment or sub-segment.

"Everybody is looking for white space," said an executive with one Japanese automaker who asked not to be identified. In that kind of an environment, the small pickup truck is bound to get attention, the executive said. "I think it would have to be pretty funky-looking to work," he said.

In addition, one reason trucks like the Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier have grown in and succeeded with customers over they years is that they are quite capable for hauling snowmobiles and motorcycles, he added. "The number of people who tow in this segment is huge," he added. Giving up towing capacity could quickly limit sales.

“Everybody asks, 'Why don't you build a simple stripped-down pickup truck like they used to make.' But I'm not sure anybody would buy it," said one GM official, acknowledging there have been discussion about the feasibility of GM bringing small pickup trucks back.

Nevertheless GM has designated its design center at GM do Brazil as a center of expertise for small trucks in its new global product development system, raising the possibility GM also is moving ahead with a truck that would fit underneath the Colorado and Canyon, which company officials insist aren't going to disappear any time soon.

Ford has postponed the death of the Ranger for a least a year and Jim Farley, the company's new group executive for marketing and communication, seems determined to try a rebuild Ranger's sales even though the truck's basic design dates back more than two decades.

Meanwhile, the A-BAT is an example of why other automakers fear Toyota.

The Toyota concept hybrid truck, which offers improved fuel economy and lower emissions, comes with a distinctive un-truck-like profile that has already reminded a lot of observers of Chevrolet's old El Caminos from the 1970s.

The A-BAT isn't exactly an old-school-style truck. It is built on unibody like a car for improved handling and a smoother ride. It also features wireless Internet, a portable battery pack stowed in the center console and a solar panels on top of instrument panel which captures sunlight and converts it to energy used to charge up the navigation system.

The four-passenger A-BAT also features a relatively short, four-foot bed and a bed extender to handle the ubiquitous six-foot long sheet of plywood beyond the tailgate as well as a translucent roof panel, which slides open to allow for tall cargo inside the cab.-- Joseph Szczesny

You missed GM's Denali XT concept from Chicago? Shame on you -- here's your chance to make up for it

Is GM really working on a Camaro hybrid? One reader told us, in essence, no f-ing way, he "called and asked." Well, geez, who'd you call? The receptionist? We have better sources, dude.

That sound emanating from the Dodge Challenger stand at the Chicago auto show? Not a HEMI, but the sound of an era ending prematurely, we think.

The YES! Roadster: is it smarter than a Lotus? Would the NO? roadster be something from International?

GM will have to pay to get the Volt in your driveway. Why don't they ever do this for the ZR1s of the world? Don't they want us to be happy?

Yes, the Denali XT looked cool - but are we really ready for more Caballeros to cross our borders, legally or not?

Toyota watches its profits fall. Prophets falling? We're still waiting for Huckabee to leave the race.

Consumer Reports laid some love on the CTS, saying it's better than a BMW or a Benz. We think it's also better than a kick in the ass, but our standards are notably lower.

The Simpsons sell out! Spider-Pig is on loan to Renault to promote the Kangoo, which actually looks kind of like Homer in the grille. You kind of have to squint a little, but it's there.

Cadillac auctions a CTS signed by Aretha before the Grammys today, but there’s no truth to the rumor that the winning Cadillac will be hidden in Amy Winehouse’s beehive until the show starts.

And finally this week, which would you rather take on a family vacation: VW's Routan or Susan Ruttan? The VW has a navigation system, but we hear Roxie's pretty good with a map.

While a few automakers staged introductions of important new vehicles at the Chicago auto show--the Chevrolet Traverse, the redone Acura RL, and Ford’s Transit Connect among them--Scion’s low-key effort in the Windy City came in the form of a limited edition of the tC coupe.

The second Scion limited edition thus far in 2008, the tC Release Series 4.0 (tC RS 4.0) starts with the basic tC and adds Galactic Gray Mica paint, a DAMD body and grille kit, and can be dolled up with a body-color spoiler. On the inside the RS 4.0 sports gray and black Alcantara seats with embroidered logos, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a leather and wood RAZO shift knob.

Scion’s made big business of small-batch cars, and like other special editions, this one wears numbered badges to tell you exactly how exclusive you are--which is one of 2300. You’ll pay $2770 more than shoppers who opt for the stock tC, which runs $17,000 with a manual transmission ($17,800 with an automatic).

The RS 4.0 goes on sale in March.

Chevrolet's presence at the 2008 Chicago auto show focused on the new Traverse crossover, but the little HHR wagon got some attention of its own in the form of ethanol. GM president Troy Clarke said in Chicago that, starting in the 2009 model year, the HHR will become a flex-fuel vehicle capable of running on gasoline, ethanol, or blends of the two fuels. The HHR will be Chevrolet's first four-cylinder flex-fuel vehicle, and it will be GM's first flex-fuel version of the Ecotec engine family sold in America. Clarke also highlighted GM's new partnership with Coskata Inc., a builder of ethanol plants. Coskata says it will build future ethanol plants so that the fuel can be made from materials like wood chips, solid waste and old tires.