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With the introduction of the GMC Granite concept vehicle at the recent Detroit auto show, the truck-only division of General Motors seems on the verge of entering the growing subcompact-crossover market now populated by such vehicles as the Scion xB, Nissan Cube and Kia Soul.

The Granite looks like a cross between the current xB and the Cube, but without the asymmetrical design that makes the Cube so incredibly compelling (or, if you're the orderly obsessive-compulsive type, so incredibly outrageous).

GM says the Granite combines “a decidedly urban-industrial design aesthetic with functionality aimed at young professionals,” and is an attempt to move the brand “in a new, more-progressive direction.”

Let me translate: GM wants to bring young buyers into the GMC brand, which now mostly serves a much-older clientele with its full-size sport utilities and pickups.

For 2010, GMC has a new midsize crossover, the Terrain that is aimed at an audience in the late 30s, 40s and early 50s; with the Granite, the aim is much younger, ranging from late teens to mid-30s.

That's where the xB, Cube and Soul also are aimed, but experience with the xB, on the market several years already, shows that buyers are across the board, from young first-time buyers to retired people towing it behind their motor homes.

The Cube and Soul, introduced for 2010, definitely are aimed at a younger audience than even the xB, and by early counts, are being accepted readily by that crowd — particularly young, single men.

But my own brother, who is in his 50s, recently bought the Cube and absolutely loves it. Last time I saw him, he was wearing a t-shirt that said something like, “I gave up squares for cubes.”

Even I like these new cube-shaped vehicles, a genre that also includes the compact crossover from Honda called the Element. That car doesn't really play in the same segment as the Cube, Soul or xB, though, because it's larger and more expensive, but the shape is similar nonetheless.

The xB was smaller in its original version, more in line with the Cube, but it grew a bit with the second generation that was introduced for 2008, and now actually is closer in size to the Element. But it still has an affordable starting price of just under $16,000, compared with nearly $21,000 for the Element. Both the Cube and Soul begin under $14,000.

While GM hasn't yet said whether the Granite will make it from concept into production, I expect it to, and I also expect it to be priced to compete with the xB, Cube and Soul more than with the Element. GMC already has the Terrain beginning under $25,000, and Chevrolet has the similar Equinox priced beginning under $23,000; both of them are direct competitors to the Element.

GM says the Granite would be the smallest GMC vehicle ever produced; it's two feet shorter than the Terrain and a foot shorter than the Chevy Cobalt sedan.

Built on the chassis of the new Chevrolet Cruze compact car, the Granite, at 161.3 inches long, is just barely shorter than the Soul, which is 161.6 inches. The Cube is 156.7 inches long, the xB 167.3 inches, and the Element 169.9 inches.

The vehicle's open interior, just like that of the other cube-shaped vehicles, is surprisingly cavernous.

GM says it was “designed to be spacious and flexible to fit the needs of active people,” and can be configured in different ways by folding or flipping seats to add or subtract cargo or passenger space. A mountain bike can fit inside with the tailgate closed, the company says.

“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC — one that could stretch people's ideas of what a GMC can be,” Lisa Hutchinson, GMC's product-marketing director, said during the Detroit rollout. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle' and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”

It's the “automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment,” said Dave Lyon, GM's executive director of North American interior and global cross-brand design. “The exterior has an unmistakable industrial look, but the interior is warm and personalized.”

Under the hood of the concept is a new turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that will be an important element of the Cruze when it comes to market. It's connected to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Like the Element, the Granite has two doors on each side that open in opposite directions like French doors, and there is no support pillar between them. As with the Element, that allows for easy loading and unloading of bulky items.

It has the signature GMC grille found on other current models, along with a rear spoiler, headlights that sweep back, prominent taillights with LED lamps, and a center exhaust outlet.

No chrome is used on the exterior (that's so 20th century, you know), but there is satin or brushed-metal trim. The concept has 20-inch wheels and Bridgestone tires.

GM says the cabin “was inspired by the design of aircraft-type mechanical instruments and precision tools,” and the gauges patterned after “finely crafted timepieces.” A compass that surrounds the speedometer “moves with every turn of the vehicle.”

There is red backlighting on the gauges, and organic LED screens for the navigation, infotainment, phone and climate-control readouts. A center console separates the front and rear seats and has ports for iPods and other portable electronic devices, along with covered storage that can hold a laptop computer.

The shifter for the automatic transmission is in the center console, and rather than a typical lever, it is “a simple, space-saving **** that rotates with the precise clicks of a torque wrench,” GM says.

In the cargo area are several storage compartments, and there are tie-down points to help secure loose items.

The concept's interior has dark colors at the bottom and lighter colors on top, and the seats and instrument panel have a suede-like material. There is satin and anodized trim inside, as well.