Chevy LUV

short for Light Utility Vehicle.

The Chevy LUV was Chevrolet’s first compact pickup truck offered in the United States, with an interesting cross-Pacific history. It debuted in March 1972 as a 1972 model, imported from Japan.

The Chevy LUV was actually a rebranded Isuzu Faster, a small pickup developed by Isuzu Motors of Japan in the early 1970s. At the time, Chevrolet (under General Motors) owned a stake in Isuzu and saw an opportunity to import and badge-engineer the truck for the U.S. market. Compact pickups were becoming increasingly popular in America, especially after the fuel crises of the 1970s, since they offered better fuel economy than full-size American trucks.