When it arrives to dealers in Germany in May of 2013, the Chevrolet Trax will have a starting price of €16,990 (including VAT). For that amount, the Trax cradles a 1.6L 115 hp gasoline Ecotec engine mated to a manual transmission, and — although it wasn’t announced, we’re guessing that this is for the base LS trim level.
The top-of-the-line trim level offered in Germany will start at €23,990 and will include the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system, which assimilates content from a user’s smartphone, including music playlists, photo galleries, contacts, along with other stored media and data. MyLink also supports TuneIn internet radio and BringGo — a navigation app that can be downloaded onto compatible smartphones, making for an affordable and convenient smartphone-based navigation system. The system is also compatible with the EyesFree mode of Apple’s Siri automated intelligent assistant, allowing the user to perform a number of tasks while keeping eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
In addition to MyLink, the top trim level on the Trax includes a flat-folding front passenger seat — allowing the small crossover to swallow objects up to 2.3 meters in length. Meanwhile, a 230V power socket allows users to charge electronic devices such as laptops and tablets.
The powertrain line-up consists of the following engines:
- The now-familiar 140 hp (103 kW) 1.4L turbocharged gasoline engine (LUJ) available in the Cruze and Sonic, among others
- A 116 hp (85 kW) naturally-aspirated 1.6L gasoline engine (LDE), and
- A 130 hp (96 kW) 1.7 liter diesel engine
Being based on GM’s global Gamma vehicle architecture, the Trax is a front-wheel-drive vehicle by default, with all-wheel-drive offered as an option; a manual transmission with Start/Stop technology is standard, while an automatic gearbox is available.
By comparison, the Canadian-market Trax starts at $18,495 (CA$) for mostly the same kind of vehicle, illustrating the vast difference in tax structures between Germany and Canada. The Trax joins the (three-row) Captiva, which has a starting price of €25,690 in Germany; by comparison, the Trax’s Opel-badged twin, the Mokka, has a starting price of €18,990.
In the meantime, the United States remains unworthy of the Trax.
Comments
Has GM been surprised by the demand for the Mokka & Trax, & has production managed to keep up with the demand.
Ah yes, time for another Trax discussion.
I re-read the linked article and comments wherein Mark Reuss chimed in about why we won’t get the Trax in the U.S. In it I commented that GM’s small Chevy’s were a bit out of date in terms of drive-train technology. In the GMA rebuttal it was stated that dual clutch does not have that much of an effect on fuel mileage. Since then I came across this in Wikipedia, which I believe was written shortly after the bankruptcy …
General Motors …
In the company’s restructuring plan, it revealed that dry dual-clutch transmission would be available in 2012 calendar year.[56] The GM’s dual-clutch gearbox will be introduced on the GMC Granite.[57] The new front-wheel drive transmission will incorporate the latest innovations for improving fuel economy and performance. The transmission alone will provide upward of 10 percent improvement in fuel economy over today’s conventional six-speed automatic transmissions. The co-developed transmission between GM and SAIC will feature dry, dual-clutch technology. It will provide shift comfort equal to a conventional fully automatic transmission, with superior quality, while reducing CO2 emissions……
So, if we are to believe this author, dual-clutch would offer a significant advantage, and GM believed at the time that it would be out by 2012, roughly the timing of the Trax/Encore (or the killed Granite). So, has the date been pushed back to 2015 a la GM’s “thorough drive-train testing.” Is it a matter of just being patient and waiting for the smaller version of the Equinox?
This is important because the Trax/Encore suffers by not being sufficiently fuel efficient relative to other CUVs that are larger. 10% would get it done via the transmission, whether mated to a naturally aspirated DI or a small turbo.
Apparently there are plans for a VXR Mokka & with other models in the range with the BiTurbo, surly Mokka will get this engine after initial demand has settled too.
nice and great price too…even has fogs!
Ach, du lieber!
The Opel Mokka costs at least 18,990 €, exactly 2000 Euro more than its cousin Trax.
I have no idea how this difference is justified.
I have notice recently the compact saloon (what was the Belmont) class expanding in the last 12 months, rivals introducing a VW Jetta rival are Mercedes with the CLA and Audi with a A3 based saloon has GM got any plans to reintroduce the Belmont name or relaunch a Astra Saloon in to the UK.
@V8 Jon I certainly hope the Astra Sedan will be made available across all European markets, including the UK. Won’t make sense if it wasn’t.
When Vauxhall does not want to sell you an Astra Saloon (sedan), get one from Ireland (26-county republic, that is). http://www.opel.ie
Check out the website of Gowan Motors Dublin.
The new Astra saloon is also available in America. Check out Opel Chile.
Also I feel the MPV market seems to be less popular, is this the case.
I’ve said for a while now the size difference between Astra & Insignia is enough for a class in between them to exist (say a modern day Cavalier/Cortina) hence a new Belmont based on the Astra saloon would plug that gap in between C & D segments.
Jon — I don’t think there’s much space between Astra/Verano and Insignia/Regal, especially for a new vehicle. This is especially accentuated by the great space efficiency of the Astra/Verano compared to the regular-sized Epsilon-platformed cars. So, not so sure about that opportunity…
Belmont VXR 🙂
It’s a small market for that size of saloon (about 2%) back in the 80’s everyone had Orion, Belmont & Jetta seen as an upmarket version of its hatchback range.
I’ve had a Belmont myself (never had any car other than Vauxhall) & there is an interesting / good story behind my particular Belmont.
Trax and Mokka/Encore are not twins.
While they are from the same family, their looks are quite different.
Opel/Vauxhall Mokka and Buick Encore are twins.
@Observer7 that’s very true… but does that warrant the price difference?
Good question! Next question!
Sincerely, I have not the slightest idea, if and by what this price difference of 2000 Euros is justified. The base models have the same basic motorisation.
I know that Opel engineers had done work in Germany on refinement of the chassis and driving characteristics of the Mokka/Encore (“The SUV’s chassis was tuned by GM engineers in Europe” writes Buick China about the Encore), but I have no idea in how far the Chevrolete brother Trax also profited from this work. Also no idea about interior of the two cars.
Interesting question is also, in how far Adam Opel AG and Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH coordinate and harmonize their model and pricing policies. Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH has as its seat also Rüsselsheim, but is a wholly owned subsidiary of GM Korea, which is not a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Company, but has some minority shareholders with veto rights against the majority shareholder.
Maybe this is part of the differences justifying the price difference:
[quote from an Opel press release]
Germany’s respected Auto Bild magazine recommends the Mokka for “better driving” thanks to its convenient entry height and comfortable seats with adjustable lumbar support. The new compact SUV recently won the trade magazine’s “Wellness Test” (issue 5/2013) ahead of eight competitors. The Mokka’s victory is due in large part to its ergonomic seats, which carry a seal of approval from the Aktion Gesunder Rücken e.V. (Campaign for Healthy Backs) for their back-friendliness.
The seats developed by Opel in the International Technical Development Center noticeably relieve strain on the spine and prevent back problems – a key aim of Aktion Gesunder Rücken, who together with the Bundesverband Deutscher Rückenschulen (Association of German Back Therapy Centers) are declaring “Back Health Day” for the twelfth time on March 15. According to AGR, the most common reason for work absenteeism across Europe is back pain. So it is important for commuters and frequent drivers who cover long distances every day to actively prevent back strain behind the wheel.
Opel offers the ideal solution to this with a range of AGR-tested and certified premium and ergonomic seats for drivers and front passengers in the high-flying Mokka and new mid-size Cascada convertible, Meriva, Zafira Tourer, Astra and Insignia.
[end quote]
The saloon Astra (under a new name for saloon model) would in a sense be still a C segment car so I feel although slightly larger than Astra yet smaller than Insignia would complement both ranges well.
Jon — I think I see what you’re saying. The Astra saloon/sedan is slightly larger than the Astra hatch thanks to the trunk… thereby making it a bit larger. Even so, it’s still a C-segment vehicle riding on a C-segment vehicle architecture, just like the Cascada (no matter how much Opel/Vauxhall try to paint it as a midsizer). Am I understanding correctly?
The saloon (sedan) Astra is not something which “would” be, but it is on the market. You can buy it. If not in UKoGBaNI, then as a RHD in Ireland.
It is not a conjecture, but reality.
I was referring to the Vauxhall Astra Sedan/Sedan… as far as I know, and I may be mistaken, it’s not available as a Vauxhall at this point in time.
But even if it’s not, then it’s only a matter of time until it is — since it’s only a matter of bringing it to market.
Correct, the sedan/saloon is not shown on the Vauxhall web site.
That’s why I always directed the Vauxhall fans to the neighboring island Ireland, where it is available as Opel, but with right-hand-drive.
Hatchback is the dominant body form in the compact segment in Europe, and because of low sales expectations, Opel does not push it very hard in this market. Opel unveiled this car first at the Moscow automobile show, because they expect a larger share of the sedan there.
It is built in the GM factory in St. Petersburg, Russia (which reports to GMIO, not GME). I don’t know if the Astra sedan/saloon is built in some Opel/Vauxhall factory in Western Europe.
Yupp, I believe the Astra sedan is only produced in St. Pete right now. Having lived in St. Petersburg, Russians — like Americans, are obsessed with sedans/saloons… much more so than “Europeans”…
The Astra sedan is primarily manufactured in Gliwice, Poland. KCD parts are shipped from Gliwice to St. Petersburg. Source: opel-blog.com
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), one of the major daily newspapers in Germany, has published a week ago a side-by-side review of Opel Mokka and Chevrolet Trax, with heading “Der Feind in meinem Bett”, which is the German titel of the 1991 Hollywood movie “Sleeping with the enemy”, suggesting a disloyal inhouse competition. The FAZ author Michael Kirchberger sees the two cars as identical twins.
I try to summarize the FAZ’s summary as “the Opel is for people who want more choices of features, a better image, and more safety, the Chevrolet is OK for people who are satisfied with “off the rack” clothing and prefers a basic offer for a good price”. I now don’t know if I catched the authors judgement correctly — “traduction est trahison” say the French…