Chevrolet reintroduced the Chevy Blazer nameplate as an all-new midsize crossover utility vehicle (CUV) for the 2019 model year, offering up a practical two-row vehicle dressed in head-turning design. So far, the latest Blazer has been doing quite well, posting strong sales performance in the face of stout competition. Now, Chevrolet SUV senior marketing manager Brad Franz has provided some insight into the Blazer’s chief rivals.
In a a recently interview with GM Authority executive editor Alex Luft, Franz disclosed that the Chevy Blazer is heavily cross-shopped with the Ford Edge and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
“Those are the two vehicles that the Blazer goes head-to-head with every day,” Franz said in his recent interview with GM Authority.
So far, the Chevy Blazer is doing relatively well against both models, surging 45.17 percent in terms of sales year-over-year for the third quarter of 2020, with 29,486 units sold during Q3. The figures place it in second for the two-row midsize mainstream crossover segment in the U.S. for Q3 of 2020, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee in first place with 56,447 units sold in Q3 of 2020, a contraction of 8.61 percent compared to Q3 of 2019.
Meanwhile, the Ford Edge posted 26,211 units sold in Q3 of 2020, landing it in fourth place in the segment behind the Hyundai Santa Fe, the latter of which posted 26,991 units sold in Q3 of 2020.
Sales Numbers - Two-Row Midsize Mainstream Crossovers - Q3 2020 - United States
| MODEL | Q3 20 / Q3 19 | Q3 20 | Q3 19 | Q3 20 SHARE | Q3 19 SHARE | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE | -8.61% | 56,447 | 61,768 | 34% | 34% | -17.39% | 152,856 | 185,040 |
| CHEVROLET BLAZER | +45.17% | 29,486 | 20,312 | 18% | 11% | +103.25% | 71,356 | 35,107 |
| HYUNDAI SANTA FE | -6.11% | 26,991 | 28,748 | 16% | 16% | -26.89% | 70,420 | 96,319 |
| FORD EDGE | -28.50% | 26,211 | 36,660 | 16% | 20% | -23.82% | 76,862 | 100,894 |
| NISSAN MURANO | -38.94% | 14,884 | 24,376 | 9% | 13% | -10.90% | 44,859 | 50,348 |
| HONDA PASSPORT | +10.01% | 11,642 | 10,583 | 7% | 6% | +10.12% | 27,665 | 25,123 |
| TOYOTA VENZA | +23,728.57% | 1,668 | 7 | 1% | 0% | +18,433.33% | 1,668 | 9 |
| TOTAL | -8.29% | 167,329 | 182,454 | -9.57% | 445,686 | 492,840 |
As GM Authority covered previously, the Chevy Blazer commands impressive conquest sales, with nearly half of all Blazer buyers new to the Chevrolet brand.
As a reminder, the latest 2021 Chevy Blazer is offered with three engine options, including the naturally aspirated 2.5L I4 LCV, which produces 193 horsepower, the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY, which produces 230 horsepower, and the naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 LGX, which produces 308 horsepower. Each engine mates to a nine-speed automatic transmission, with both FWD and AWD on offer.
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Comments
As far as capability the Jeep is in a whole other ball park than the other two.
I’ve told guys here nobody cares about the Blazer on a CUV just like when the Explorer was fwd. Maybe Oshawa will get some overflow production..
I drive a Grand Cherokee and would never consider a made in Mexico FWD SUV.
GM needs to consolidate Cadillac/its E sugment SUVs on a RWD platform. That was supposed to be VSS-R, I think? But thats now dead, because Queen Virtue Signal wants Cadillac to be EV. You can keep those Cadillacs.
At least we can hope that the next-gen Blazer will be put on VSS-R and be moved to Lansing Grand River and produced with a couple of RWD passenger cars.
Unfortunately VSS-R is dead because it can’t be sold in China. The FWD platform is shared between the US and China. Everything else is either EV or truck based.
The Cadillac cars will eventually go electric by the end of this decade. Enjoy the Blackwings now, because this is it.
Emotion based predictions don’t count…..
Why do you say a RWD platform vehicle can’t be sold in China???
The CT6 has been successful. The large SUV’s of Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac are being imported to China shortly. Other makers sell RWD product there.
Lol, but yes it should move to RWD w/optional AWD fulltime without having to flip a switch each start cycle, not to mention an SS version!!!
The Edge has aged out.
The Blazer is for honest Jeep people who don’t off road.
This is a very VO petite segment and most buyers today are looking for on road ability and some styling that is different but not odd.
The Mexico thing really is not a problem for the average buyer as many are coming from a import to start with.
Scoreboard – the Grand Cherokee generates awesome profits and is at the top of the leader board. Overland/Summit/Trackhawk trims are the icing on the cake.
The upcoming 2022 Grand Cherokee five passenger and seven passenger redesigned will clean up, and have PHEV economy and performance variants. Let’s revisit Enclave/Traverse/Explorer sales a year from now, shall we?
Where did I say the Jeep is not making money. Jeep has a specific segment that is smaller than the standard CUV segment. But yes they do dominate this segment.,
Now others jumping into a segment that is smaller and already dominated by Jeep would be a tough way to make any money.
GM can post a Blazer in the domestic CUV market where the majority of the buyers are. Many of the offerings are not brand loyal as like at Jeep and many will jump ship to the Chevy because of the better styling or what ever they see.
The Enclave and Traverse are also not the same as Jeep. To be honest GM is not going head to head with Jeep. Maybe they should as we could use a lifestyle vehicle like a Wrangler that is not tied to styling that compromises the vehicle. Ford just built a better Wrangler so why not GM?
…what in God’s name are you trying to mental pretzel here?
FCA is coming after GM in the seven passenger CUV segment, much like they’ve cleaned GM’s clock in the five passenger segment with Grand Cherokee.
They are also coming after Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade.
Jeep has a proven winning formula. Durango wasn’t the strongest seven passenger offering – you won’t have to wait long until you see how the seven passenger Grand Cherokee fairs. And you won’t have to wait long to see how Grand Wagoneer fairs against Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade. This isn’t a half-baked Ford interior/exterior either.
The bottom line is Jeep has a lot of name equity and they have a iconic image. They sell well based on that. Take that away and rebadge them as a Dodge and they just be come a forgetable warranty problem.
The Wrangler and Grand Cherokee are the money centers the rest of the line is unloved even by the die hard its a jeep thing fans. Rebodied Fiats are not a good thing.
Ram and the few Jeep models are paying the bills. But with the large discounts on the Ram line they still were forced to merge FCA with another company.
Time will tell how the GC sells and then how much money it makes. If the rebates come in then like the trucks the in come will be compromised.
Durango not being strong. LOL! That was was a rolling hot mess for years.
Time will tell how PSA handles the FCA lines. Sergio understood jeep and used it to fund his other money hemorrhages but will the French hold the same understanding and love? How will the EV products they will be in need of fair as time goes on?
There is still a lot to learn here and nothing is for sure with the future once you mix in the other variables they will face. It is a tough time to be a auto maker and just because you have a couple popular models no longer assures your future.
Yes & No…
Ram’s dramatic growth in a brand loyalty segment demonstrates that the marque has a strong and profitable future. In a deep recession rebates are a must for any automaker and an opportunity to gain future loyalty. Ram Classic can be rebated because it’s bought and paid for much like the Dodge Twins that are nothing but segment leading cash cows. Even Durango makes money riding on Jeep bones and selling high trim packages. BbnJon
The same can be said for Jeep’s growth with the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer likely to make the line even more profitable. Compass and Renegade are really intended for other markets yet sell well enough all things considered.
The plan was always to sell FCA in large part because it lacks an EV/AV program not to mention the stalled FIAT, Alfa and Maserati divisions.
Portuguese Carlos Taveres will have no issue understanding anything outside of Europe and PSA being a French firm isn’t a liability. The man turned first PSA and then Opel/Vauxhall around in record time.
The only question is whether he will see Chrysler as healthy enough for either Opel or even Peugeot vehicles as opposed to importing yet another brand? Also he’d be smart to focus on Maserati and sell off Alfa to VW. Alfa hasn’t caught back on in Europe & will cost far to much to resurrect in a technology driven era.
Stellantis has a bright future only eclipsed by a possible GM-Honda merger and VW.
Ram makes a profit but FCA does not get the same profits as Ford or GM due to the massive rebates. I could get a crew 4×4 Ram for what a Mid Size GM truck cost. They take a hit in profits with these offers to gain market share. Trucks just sell so making money is not a problem making the most money per sale is where the challenge lies. The real Jeeps are money makers the Compass and Renegade are crap Fiat models just trying to fill the CUV gaps.
Here is the trouble. Sergio had plans to merge FCA with GM or a larger stronger partner. He failed and the plans died with him. Everyone wanted Jeep and no one wanted the rest of the baggage. VW had an interest in the Ram and Jeep lines but nothing else.
With that said Jeep and Ram will live but as for the cars that one is a toss up. The Opel and Peugeot lines never had a strong following here. The Chrysler lines are damaged goods as far as cars with names of horrid quality. Either choice is a difficult path with cars and small CUV models. Stellantis is fighting a up hill battle at least in America. They could make a way in if they do so on price but that would be difficult for them. That is how Hyundai made it forward but they had cheap imports from Korea to do that till they had product worth paying more for.
GM and Honda are partners and don’t expect any merger in the near future if ever. Honda wants to remain independent but they need help on development cost. GM could go it alone but if they can save cost with a worthy partner then they will.
VW is just going the volume route and if they can pick up a partner or two like Ford they will.
The unstable ground is at Mazda, Mitsubishi and a number of smaller players with shallow pockets for development. Even BMW needs to share cost but they too will fight to remain independent.
I do see if GM keeps moving as they are they will sell or license their technology to others. Think Intel where you look at any number of computers and many all have similar hardware inside. Many companies will move to this to survive. GM is banking on this to help turn them from just an Automaker to being seen as a true tech company that makes cars.
I would not be shocked by some automakers they will build cars not for just themselves but for others. Think Foxconn. Apple develops the product but others build them.
Things in general will change in the auto industry in the next 10 to 15 years. England just moved the EV only sales up 5 years and many others are sitting at 2035 now. Most automakers have no money to do a full on EV for every model by then. This is where GM will sell the tech.
It is going to be tough for all automakers and the weak and struggling ones today will all not make it. Some may just be names on someones cars not built by them.
Alfa is dying. They just killed the mid engine car. Maserati is selling more cars but they are not the status they once were. Also their resale values may turn off repeat buyers. I have a local dealer with a number of Maserati models and all are fairly cheap to buy as the resale is even worse than a BMW. Quality issues and the expense to maintain them is just not worth the cost.
Alfa would do better as a entry level model at Ferrari in low volume. Think of it as a modern Dino. It would be for the guy who has some money but not enough for a Ferrari.
FCA has proved that a products life cycle can be long provided design and branding is good.
GM could save money by studying this.
It did not save them. They were forced to find someone to merge with. It took a while as they were rejected by many as while Jeep and Ram were of interest no one wanted the rest of the baggage.
PSA took them as they were in the same place and need help.
While they save money on long term use of platforms they also limit profitability with larger discounts or low prices. My in laws bought a 300 because at the price of a Malibu they got a larger car with RWD. Too bad there is little profit for a 300 at $30K out the door.
Incredible how well the Grand Cherokee sells considering its age. It’s 9 years old, with a refresh now 6 years old. The wide array of trims helps, with budget, luxury, off-road and performance variants. Chevy should seriously consider at least an off-road Blazer trim. A “ZR2” is probably too much to ask for, but even a Z71 would be better than nothing.
Haven’t drove a Chevy Blazer but a new 2021 Equinox I wouldn’t even consider a GM product if they all have the econo box interior of Equinox. So much hard plastic and virtually no soft surfaces at all. The Ford Edge beat the Equinox hands down.
blazer and trailblazer could of been a great off road team rwd -4×4 take the sales from bronco and wrangler
The Blazer and JGC are apples and oranges . For as old as the Jeep is the interior is much nicer than the plastic interior of the Blazer . And the jeep can go off road or drive the kids to soccer practice in style , unfortunately the Blazer has all it can handle on a simple gravel road . GM destroyed the Blazer name , its a fine boulevard cruiser but the name should have been put on something else . When the new JGC arrives in 2021/22 it will be a sales success . You just can’t compare the two vehicles because Blazer will loose .
I have owned an older Trailblazer and now own a Jeep.
As for purchasing a new Trailblazer, absolutely not! It has been totally destroyed by not only the ugly design (which reminds you of nothing that Chevrolet makes), but to have only a 4 cylinder engine…that’s a joke! You have lost not only interior space, but also engine power.
The same goes for the Jeep. No engine power and hardly any interior space.
Would not purchase another one of Jeeps products either!