The Chevrolet Trailblazer is set for a return for the 2021 model year, but let’s play the hypothetical game for a moment. What if the sub-compact-plus crossover spawned a new pickup truck?
Feast your eyes on this new rendering from Kleber Silva, via the artist’s Behance gallery. The tiny truck ditches the crossover look for a small bed in the back, keeps its four doors, and hauls in extra utility in the form of a sub-Colorado-sized truck. Overall, it’s not a bad-looking package. Heck, the Trailblazer itself isn’t a bad-looking thing—we have a feeling the use of the Trailblazer name itself is what will have fans bemoaning. The Trailblazer was always a larger, off-road-oriented SUV. When it returns, it will be a bit of a gussied up and larger Trax.
The pickup shown here comes at a curious time. While both GM and Ford enact passenger car culls, the two will focus on utility segments. Ford has also confirmed it will introduce a truck smaller than the Ranger for the U.S. market, perhaps based on the global replacement for the Courier. Look for that truck to perhaps ride on the Ford Focus platform, which is no longer sold here.
We have a hard time imagining GM will let Ford go unchecked in this bubbling new segment. The Focus is a compact car, so don’t expect any tremendous off-road credentials with its platform, or major utility. However, it could provide a more affordable way for buyers to opt into the Blue Oval’s truck family. Not to mention, the Ranger, Colorado, and Canyon have all grown significantly larger than their predecessors. There’s certainly room for a smaller pickup.
This hypothetical Trailblazer pickup (S-10, anyone?) could compete directly with Ford’s upcoming small truck. The unibody underpinnings would definitely make it more of a lifestyle vehicle than true off-road rig, but nonetheless, we’d welcome a smaller pickup back to Chevrolet.
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Source: Kleber Silva, Behance
Comments
Other than a small bakery or a florist nobody needs this. That would be a market of about 216 vehicles. If I have a coffee then maybe I could think of one or two more reasons that someone would buy this thing if it were to see the light of day.
it’s an alternative to a crossover, not so much an alternative to a larger truck. If it’s closely based off the trailblazer, development ROI would be relatively low, meaning it doesn’t have to sell 100,000 unit per year, it just needs to fill a white space and do so before someone else (like Hyundai) jumps into it.. like the Buick Encore and Verano did.
Well it did work out for Subaru when they made the Legacy/Outback based Baja pickup. They sold about 30,000 of them in just a few years pushing total sales for that platform up . A small 4 door truck is all some people want especially outside the us market like in Japan and Australia. GM has done this before to make better use of a vehicle platform to capture more of the market their wasn’t a need for the Avalanche or Escalade EXT but it filled a gap and didn’t cost them ton to do it.
The Colorado right now sells because any people dont like how awkward a Silverado is in tighter places. As a cheaper vehicle, this has no value, but as a city-urbanite who lives in new jersey and runs from work to soccer fields, or the Subaru folks who strap surfboards to their euro-cars would be highly interested in such a model. small businesses would jump in as they would have a car perfect for surveyors or engineers on a job site that would only burn 35mpg. the caviate here would be that you need a Z71 with a low end ratio and at least a 1″ lift. The GEO tracker wasn’t a capable truck, but it was incredible run about and we use one on the farm here as a sidebyside with AC. this to me is a perfect addition to anyone’s vehicle portfolio, but it needs to have real truck features, just like the jeep renegade: low end gear ratio, available skid plates and either a larger wheel or 1″lift. (you dont need more than that as the short wheelbase and width makes even 1/2″ lift dramatically increase approach angles.
Would love to have smaller pick up in the truck line. Make me 217
Nice. Brings a smile to my face. I can comprehend the merits of utilizing existing platforms for alternative designs except when it comes to trucks.
The pickup truck is still a fundamental vehicle for America.it is underused many times considering its capabilities and sometimes over abused as well but as a breadwinner there is none better. So I am thinking that any truck should be built ground up to meet all the criteria that everyone seems to demand in a truck to edge it towards perfection. Profits then sales or sales then profits, no matter how you spin it, will take care of each other if you build “The Truck”. In any class. So just not seeing this as a viable contender. Somewhat tired of half done vehicles. Always hopeful though and supporting the good minds in the automotive sector. People float these kinds of “what if’s” all the times and sometimes they spur on creativity from the major manufacturers like GM. For sure though close scrutiny is given to every area where there may be a good dollar to be made weighed against the costs to develop which is why we get morphed vehicles.
I would wait till they put the new nose on the Equinox and use it as a base for a small truck. This at least would give you a. Bed similar to an old S10 short bed crew. It would be close to the Ridgeline.
What about bringing back the retractable roof like on the Envoy XUV. That way you have the best of both worlds.
That was one of the greatest mistakes Lutz ever made per Bob Lutz. He had a chance to kill it and failed to do so.
It was heavy, expensive and had many glitches. It also had poor sales.
Now how about an Avalanche like opening cab on a small truck. It worked and was popular. It would expand the cargo ability others like the Ridgeline lacks.
Yup the foldable bulkhead would be perfect on this little guy. Combine that with wide bedwalls like on the new fullsize and you have a very usable bed when needed.
I LOVE my 2008 trailblazer but HATE the equinox look to the new trailblazer. The look of the old ones is what I liked to begin with. Don’t make the new models look like the crap already on the sales floor go retro and you will see the sales soar.
I’d love to see them build a small pickup off of this or the Equinox. If it had 4 doors as well, heck I might even buy one.
Memories of the Chevrolet Avalanche in some ways; but like a convertible top for a car, unless this is something that had gone in during the design process, the chances of it happening is remote because of structural integrity issues.
Bring back the Avalanche!
Based on the Colorado/Canyon though. The Silverado/Sierra is just too big.
If that were true, naming would be the issue.
However, they could make a truck off of several of their SUV platforms:
Trax: s-10
Equinox: El Camino.
Traverse: Avalanche.
Guess you could bring back the ElCo in that fashion. I mean, I don’t need one. I prefer the full size. But still. Just give it a nice V6 and it’ll be a good seller, I think.
I think the S10 &/or S15’s could appeal to the masses if Chevrolet made a model w/ALL engine power plants w/either A/t or manual!! I think the s10 extreme was a phenomenal model to start with!?
Just put a 6.2 w/LT4 I’ll take 217 of that truck, please don’t compare that to a Japanese Subaru… or anything else from GM !
How about you start to build where you sell. Dont keep shipping all of these cars and trucks here!! Reopen the plants here and build it here in America!!!
I like this. I want it.