A new report from Motor Trend alleges General Motors will revive the Chevrolet TrailBlazer name on a new crossover that will fill the narrow gap between the Chevrolet Trax and the Chevrolet Equinox.
The article claims that even though the Trax and TrailBlazer would be very similar to each other in size, the TrailBlazer would be a more premium model than the entry-level Trax and would thus attract a different kind of buyer.
Motor Trend asked Chevrolet marketing director Steve Majoros to comment on the TrailBlazer rumors, who allegedly smiled and said he couldn’t talk about future product, but added that fans should expect some Chevy news in the “2019 calendar year forthcoming.”
A teaser image recently surfaced online showing a mysterious new Chevrolet crossover model. The image, which was first shown at General Motors’ Capital Markets Day last Friday, is believed to be the for the next-generation 2020 Chevrolet Trax. Motor Trend believes the crossover could be actually be the rumored TrailBlazer, however. It’s hard to say, with the teaser image making it difficult to tell if the vehicle shown is much larger than the current Trax. It does look quite a bit like the Blazer, though, which would make sense for a vehicle called the TrailBlazer.
This could also be the model that was spied testing at GM’s Milford proving grounds (below) which was previously believed to be the Trax. With the two apparently being similar in size, it would be hard to distinguish between them without knowledge GM’s future product plans.
The arrival of a crossover that will slot in between the Trax and Equinox seems inevitable, though. Majoros told Motor Trend that “in this day and age, you can’t have too many,” crossovers, so the automaker is absolutely looking at adding another to its already concentrated CUV portfolio. Whether or not it adopts the TrailBlazer name or not remains to be seen.
Where such a vehicle would be built is another mystery. GM could employ one of its US plants to build the so-called’ TrailBlazer’, or build it in profit-friendly Mexico. Korea is another option, which builds the current Chevrolet Trax at its plant in Incheon just outside of Seoul.
GM Authority will have all the details on the new Chevrolet Trax and TrailBlazer is they become available.
(source: Motor Trend)
Comments
The spy shots and the vehicle rendering shown above are definitely two different vehicles. The vehicle in the spy spy shots show a front end and headlight set up much more like the Blazer; a thin LED “eye brow” with the actual headlight unit being placed lower like a fog light. The vehicle in the renderings is a much more traditional headlight set up, reminding me a lot of the Cruze.
If it were me planning the product lineup and design, I would think it would make more sense for the new Trailblazer to be a baby Blazer, with both targeting a more premium, agressive look. Then have the Trax fall more in line with the typical, less premium Chevy design language. That would make the spy shots the Trailblazer, and the rendering the Trax. But only time will tell.
Why wouldn’t they call the 2019 Blazer, which is bigger,the TrailBlazer, and save the Blazer name for this little guy…
Actually, why wouldn’t they save the name of each for a Colorado based SUVs riding on the next gen Colorado T1 platform.
New electric small crossover GM promised. Makes the most sense plus easy for GM to do at Sonic plant. That is why they are keeping the Sonic over the Cruze. Phase in new electric crossover while testing market place, allowing for Sonic to fill the production gap.
Is the GEM base a version of the VSS program?
The teaser surfaced in GM Brazil website, the vehicle is supposed to be the 2019 Chevrolet Tracker GEM-based which will be unveiled March in China. Maybe Trax and Tracker are the same car, and the model spotted is the Traikblazer?
Why not call it the Tracker?
How about you use the TRAILBlazer name for the 3rd row version of the Blazer that is out in Asia?????
It is seriously NOT THIS HARD TO MAKE COMPLETE SENSE GM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look up the mexico trailblazer 2018-2019 I bet it looks a lot like that
Hey maybe iam the only one who thinks this but but why don’t they focus on making there truck line number 1 with depdabilty an a interior an looks to be admired instead of making all these dang small SUV I mean how many SUV ‘s can you make with one being just a little bit bigger than the next come on Gm to me it just seem like Ford an ram try to be number 1 an gm just want to stay in the background
The spy shots are the blazer I think. Go through the photo gallery of this Carscoops story and the new color render looks a lot like it. http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/08/next-gen-2020-chevy-trax-spied-testing-in-arizona/ and https://www.carscoops.com/2018/05/whos-woking-next-gen-chevy-trax-buick-encore/#lg=1&slide=3
My excuse for the Blazer being a crossover was that the name Trailblazer would be reserved for a more SUV type vehicle.
I have no more excuses for GM. Just have to shake my head.
As a former GM employee who actually built the 360 model Trailblazer it makes me sad to see them shrink it down to a Geo Tracker SUV, they were not allowed to sell the Trailblazer in North America for 10 years after closing or plant in Ohio it is almost too the day that they bring it back. Welcome to America Mexican Motors formerly known as General Motors Corporation. When is the next bailout?
How about a Trailblazer with a off road package ?
It would be a disgrace to call that little POS a Trailblazer. Not only does the current batch of designers need to be overhauled, but add the marketing department too if they can’t even come up with a new modern name for this little CUV. Come on GM- build a real mid sized off-road SUV based on the Colorado and call that the Trailblazer. The competition for this type of off-road vehicle will be a lot less than the “hundreds” of car-based CUV/SUV’s out there now. You rekindled the fire for modern mid size trucks, now do the same with a cool new Trailblazer SUV. People are looking for something that is new and different from all these same old boring car-based CUV/SUV’s. Sounds like Ford is trying to do this with the new Bronco (not sure if it will be a true off road vehicle or not)- why not you?
Maybe they should offer this to GMC instead to add to their lineup, as well as allow them to add a true premium offering to Jeep’s Compass. Seems like GM keeps adding models to a lineup that has so many it can barely price them effectively, which constantly causes them to cannibalize other models. The Granite seems to have fallen off the map, but a Denali model of a small crossover would be killer.