The Chevy Trax will be available everywhere except for the U.S., because it might encroach on the smaller next-gen Chevy Equinox. But that’s not going to stop us from lusting after those (pronounced) hips… just look at them! Great design effort, Chevy.
Quote Of The Day: Does The Future Hold Two Distinct Corvette Models?
Hennessey Performance Engineering Promises Up To 1,000 HP With 2014 Corvette Stingray Turbo Kit
This Is The Special-Edition KHL Tahoe
Chevrolet Volt Owners Collectively Surpass 100 Million Electric Miles
General Motors Reapplies For ‘GMC Granite’ TrademarkMay 18, 2013
2014 Cadillac SRX Gets Improvements For New Model Year: RPO CentralMay 18, 2013
Car Clash: Buick Encore vs. Chevy EquinoxMay 17, 2013
Holden Malibu Awarded 5-Star Safety Rating In AustraliaMay 17, 2013
General Motors Stock Is On The RiseMay 17, 2013
Watch A C6 Z06 Serve As Training Wheels At The Ron Fellows Performance Driving SchoolMay 17, 2013
How Might GM Bring An Affordable Small RWD Chevrolet To Life?May 8, 2013
General Motors Closer To Registering “Cadillac LTS”, “LTS” TrademarksApril 20, 2013
Spied: Next-Gen Opel Antara, Chevrolet Captiva/Equinox Mules Caught In SwedenApril 19, 2013
Here’s How GM’s All-New 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 Stacks Up To The CompetitionMay 6, 2013
General Motors Open To Exporting Vehicles From China To The U.S., Says GM China PresidentApril 20, 2013
Community Question: Should GM Discontinue The Chevrolet Volt?May 16, 2013
Daniel Hana on:General Motors Reapplies For ‘GMC Granite’ Trademark
GMC Granite Back On Track, Trademark Filings Suggest | GM Authority on:Report: GMC Granite Officially Confirmed For Production?GMC Granite Back On Track, Trademark Filings Suggest | GM Authority on:LA 2010: GMC Granite CPUGMC Axes The Granite | GM Authority on:Review: The 2012 GMC Acadia Denali
Mike Davis on:GM Working On Software Update To Improve iPhone 5 Bluetooth Connectivity
John Franklin Mason on:General Motors Stock Is On The Rise
I know I might shoot myself in the foot by saying this BUT, why don’t they have this as the next gen Equinox and leave the Terrain Where it is but size it up a bit to be a true midsizer to comptete with the Ford Edge better and let Equinox(Trax) battle CR-V, Escape, Rav-4.
Am I thinking in two different classes with this car vs these others…. they all just look small to me so I tend to lump them together.
The Trax and Buick Encore(which will be available here) are sub-compact CUV’s. They are considerably smaller than CR-V,Escape,RAV4, etc….
I think the appeal/demand for these tiny vehicles is somewhat unknown here in NA? Why would’nt anyone just choose the next size up?(CR-V,Escape,etc…)Looks like another obvious example of vehicles designed with other markets (China) in mind, that are also sold here.
I will say the Trax does look a whole lot better than the Encore to me? All of the Buick brand themes and cues look totally out of place on the tiny Encore.
Well I figured I was incorrect on the class I was fitting it into but thought i’d take a shot. I do like the look of this as well as the Encore personally.
I think there is a market here for it, for those older generation who would like something smaller then their trailblazers (for when the kids were around) and not having to go down to sedan or some odd hatchback like the Crosstour. I personally would like my mother (yes goign there) to trade in her HHR for an Encore since it would be safer and much nicer for her.
The thing that confuses me is how could it steal sales from Equinox, if it does then it means people are buying something that better fits their needs vs something larger since there is no more HHR offered. Maybe this would be a good HHR replacement and then we get a Cruze coupe…. just an idea. ^^
I like the design language, could be used for a variety of platforms. Has GM been looking at Hyundai & Kia lately?
I just don’t get it. As long as they don’t botch the interior like they did the Encore, I would buy the Trax without a second thought. But I can’t because Chevy wants to force U.S. customers into larger (Equinox) or more expensive (Encore) vehicles. This will backfire on them.
I think by “botching the interior” you are referring to the one arm rest setup. I have no reason to think this won’t have the same setup, with slightly different instrumentation design and materials. But given that no one has a CUV in America of this size and even Ford is not bringing its offering here, I doubt this will have any backfiring effect.
Sure it will. People that want a CUV in this size range are probably people like me — either childless or with small children who want a CUV for weekend activity with efficiency for weekday commuting. I can’t imagine that this description doesn’t fit a whopping number of people.
I’ll give you that some will move up in size, but many will just opt for a C or B-class hatchback. Once you do that the only thing GM has is either the Sonic or Encore, which both have the armrest comfort issue. And once you’re in that group of cars there are many from which to choose. So yea, GM will lose customers, without a doubt.
CUVs are very popular in the U.S., Chevy makes a desirable product in the Trax, and the people who bailed out GM are left out of getting the benefit. That just infuriates me.
There can be only one reason for this: GM wants to force its customers into bigger or more expensive vehicles. And yes, that will backfire, because people have a price in mind when they go out to get a car, and this price range, size, and body style are not addressed.
“People that want a CUV in this size range are probably people like me — either childless or with small children who want a CUV for weekend activity with efficiency for weekday commuting. I can’t imagine that this description doesn’t fit a whopping number of people”
Perhaps. But today, the bulk of the market (ore 50%) prefer compact crossovers (Escape, RAV4, CR-V). The B-class crossover segment, and market, is pretty much non-existent, save for the units that all in insignificant amounts.
Now, GM is a for-profit company. You seem like an educated person and seem to understand that intricacies of business objectives and the bailout; why bring the latter into the conversation? If the company feels like it can make more money/profit from selling one model and not selling another, it’s their duty to do so. Keep in mind that GM can begin selling this in the US at their whim, just as they can with the Orlando. So once the market warms up to a smaller vehicle, then it would make sense to bring it here. Timing is half the game.
Hips like that should only come with a dually rear.
Give it a few years, and the rear will grow
Yeah, a pretty hip looking ride!
Don’t like the Pontiac cladding.
Just another example of GM missing the boat on a vehicle that would be in demand in the U.S. I have a GMC Terrain and it is just too big. I’ll be ready to replace in 2012 and I although I’d like to stay with GM, the Buick Encore will be just too pricy and GM just doesn’t offer any good alternatives. So, it will be a Rav 4, CR-V or a five door hatch like the focus. Get with it GM.
Pete, the Trax is a subcompact, the market for which in the US is non-existent today. The next-gen Equinox, however, will downsize by using the Delta architecture becoming a compact CUV:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/06/next-generation-chevy-equinox-2015-delta-platform/
Alex, I know it’s a subcompact. Just because that market doesn’t exist today in an SUV, Crossover, etc. doesn’t mean it will not sell. Gas prices will continue to rise, the demand for small vehicles with good cargo space will grow and I believe there is a market for a Chevy in this size range. GM could start to be a leader instead of a follower for a change. I say go for it!
I agree, but being a leader is a tricky subject. For instance, GM could be the leader financially (from profitability perspective) by not offering the Trax, which will likely have very small margins, while offering the likes of the current- and next-gen Equinox — which would sell exponentially more units than the Trax.
I’m all for globalizing the product lineup, but sometimes, timing is key to success. Allowing the market to “catch up” with the down-sizing of vehicles will allow GM to reap more profits and build even better cars… in other words, bring the Trax, but bring it only once the market is more than 3,000 monthly units industry-wide.
I think the next-gen Equinox will fit the requirements of most customers who feel that the current ‘Nox is too big for them. It might even knock the competition on their collective butts.
Alex, when the next Equinox comes out, what will Chevy offer as the next size up? To compete with, say, the Highlander? Traverse too big, right?
So your saying if the Trax sells outside the U.S. then bring it here? By then it will be dated, just like the Cruze has become dated. GM will have lost the potential customers to other brands and/or to comparable cars like C-class hatches. In my thinking a B-class CUV with a folding front seat (Encore / Trax?) is better for storage than a C-class hatch that does not have good seat folding capabilities (like the Ford Focus). Should be cheaper, and would likely get better mileage for commuting than a C-class CUV (like the Escape or new Equinox).
I have come to love having a car that squeezes well into tight spaces. How much space do two people need? Look at all of the retiring baby boomers whose needs in the next 10 years will be different then their needs over the past 10 years (with their kids now gone). They will prefer the higher riding small CUV. Easier to step in/out, especially for those who are fat.
For me, if they don’t fix the Encore and give it a decent engine, it will be either the Mazda 3 or CX-5 diesel.
Nope, I’m not recommending to wait and see if the Trax sells outside the U.S. I’m recommending to wait for the segment to become more established in the U.S. until making it available here. Why? Profits.
The Equinox is much more profitable than the Trax ever will be. Why offer a vehicle that can potentially “eat” into profits that very few will even buy in the first place?
It’s all about timing. Wait a year or two, reap as much profit as possible with a more profitable product (Equinox) then launch the Trax if need be… if market demand for such vehicles even exists by that time.
The B-segment is already well-established outside of NA but is still very small in the U.S. Have a look at sales of the Fiesta and Sonic; they sell 1/5 the volume of C-segment vehicles like the Focus and Cruze. That’s the volume you will see with a B-segment crossover if not less.
To your question of “How much space do two people need”? If we all thought of it that way, we would all be driving EN-Vs by now. For some reason, people (Americans?) love space. That’s why the B segment isn’t nearly as popular in the U.S. as it is in Europe. Understand that I’m agreeing with you in that regard; but business priorities are for highest profit…
A smaller/lighter car doesn’t guarantee better fuel economy. Look at the Verano vs. Regal with the 2.0T. Same engine/powertrain but the Regal is 1 MPG more fuel efficient on the highway even though its 300-400 lbs heavier.
Also, you do realize that the CX-5 is a C-semgnet and the Encore is a B, right? And that the Encore will be much more luxurious than a Mazda will ever hope to be. Why not just wait for the new Equinox?
One more thing: since when is the Cruze “dated”? In what way is it dated? Have you driven one back to back with truly dated vehicles like the Corolla and Sentra and even Civic? Hell throw in the Elantra and Forte in there too. The Cruze is a much better car than all of those and it drives better than the 3 while exuding class and prestige above the Mazda. The only car that gives the Cruze a run for its money is the Focus and perhaps the new Dart which I haven’t driven or seen in person. I guess what irritates me is folks who believe that a car is automatically dated because is has been around since 2010 in pretty much the same clothes.
I highly doubt that this vehicle will get to Jamaica either. The problem is that the local GM dealer needs to be closed down. With all the great things happening at GM all they have on display is a single Avalanche…in a country where that vehicle will cost US$100k+ and they wonder why their sales are poor. No Sonic. No Cruze. No Malibu. No Captiva. No Colorado. Go one block over and look at the Hyundai showroom. Accent. Elantra. Sonata. Tuscon. Santa Fe. ALL selling like hot bread…
Pete, consider a lightly used Captiva Sport many of which are coming onto the market now from the fleet rentals with say 15,000 miles on them…