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Chevy Trax Supply Is High, And Growing

Landed, or on-the-ground, inventory of the 2021 Chevy Trax at U.S. Chevrolet dealers was running at 42 days at the end of March – the second highest of any Chevrolet model.

The optimal supply figure for the U.S. auto industry is generally considered to be 60 days, so it appears that demand for the Trax is slightly ahead of supply. Inventories well lower than the optimal 60 days are par course for the current automotive manufacturing and supply climate. However, the Trax figure is growing, which suggests that demand is starting to fall.

Sales Results - Q1 2021 - USA - Chevrolet

MODELQ1 2021 / Q1 2020Q1 2021Q1 2020
BLAZER-13.00% 19,26522,144
BOLT EV+53.67% 9,0255,873
CAMARO-1.34% 7,0897,185
COLORADO+12.38% 24,08321,430
CORVETTE+73.06% 6,6113,820
EQUINOX-13.93% 63,21873,453
EXPRESS+26.81% 16,87713,309
IMPALA-90.69% 4624,965
LOW CAB FORWARD+10.38% 957867
MALIBU-23.51% 26,98735,283
SILVERADO-12.54% 126,591144,734
SONIC-75.47% 1,0654,341
SPARK+23.02% 11,5059,352
SUBURBAN+17.36% 11,1439,495
TAHOE+12.91% 23,03820,403
TRAILBLAZER+834,033.00% 25,0243
TRAVERSE+26.39% 38,03730,095
TRAX-39.97% 16,95528,242
CHEVROLET TOTAL-1.72% 427,950435,422

This is supported by the fact that Trax sales in Q1 of 2021 in the United States were 40 percent lower than they were in the same period in 2020, at 16,955 units. This could be blamed partly on the COVID-19 pandemic, but no other Chevy currently in production has experienced such a decline in sales during the same timeframe.

The Chevy Trax faces strong opposition not only within General Motors but within the Chevrolet brand. The all-new Chevy Trailblazer, which made its debut in 2020, is a rival to the Trax in the mainstream subcompact crossover segment, though the two vehicles occupy slightly different positions.

The subcompact CUV segment is starting to fragment into two distinct channels. The Trax occupies the lower price space, where the average transaction price is around $18,000, and is competing against the Ford EcoSport and Nissan Kicks. The Trailblazer is in the premium space, where the ATP is considerably higher at $23,000 and the opposition includes the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, and Toyota C-HR.

Chevy Trailblazer

The Trax is therefore the more affordable of the two vehicles based on purchase price alone, though not necessarily on the starting MSRPs – which shows the Trax as having a starting price of $21,400 to the Trailblazer’s $19,000, both before incentives, rebates, discounts, or other promotions. Not only did GM cut the price of the all-wheel-drive versions last summer, it has also offered several further incentives to customers, most recently a 17 percent discount which will be in force until May 3rd.

However, despite the greater financial appeal of the Trax, the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer is proving to be more popular. Its 2021 Q1 sales amounted to 25,024 units – some way short of the Trax’s 28,242 of Q1 in 2020, but much better than its performance during Q1 2021.

In fact, although General Motors no longer publicizes sales figures for individual months, GM Authority has learned that around 11,000 units of the Trailblazer were sold in March alone. It has taken three times as long for the Trax to find 50 percent more buyers than that.

In the circumstances, it makes sense that GM plans to cut Chevy Trax production by 30 percent in 2021, and to devote all the freed-up capacity to manufacturing more units of the much more in-demand Trailblazer instead.

Be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Trax news, Chevy Trailblazer news, Chevrolet news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

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David has been writing about motoring and motorsport since he was 13 and racing since he was 19. He is British, and therefore apologizes for taking up too much of your time.

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Comments

  1. The Trailblazer is to the Blazer like the Trax is to the Equinox. There’s a bit of overlap happening here and it appears to be cannibalizing sales.

    Reply
  2. The Trailblazer is just too similar and a better value than the Trax.

    When the Trailblazer arrived I expected them to kill the Trax. It looks like the public may do it for GM.

    Reply
    1. There is a large difference in ATP between trax and trailblazer. Same segment but for different audiences.

      Reply
      1. Not as I see it. For the price difference you get a larger nicer vehicle worth more than the difference.

        Reply
      2. I agree, certain things you can get on the TB that you can’t get on a Trax but you’ll pay for it. A good start probably can be rename international Tracker can be the next US Trax to cover value buyers.

        Reply
        1. Reply
  3. After reading the two comments above mine, I’ll take a different approach. I feel like having better inventory and growing inventory (at this exact time with the inventory shortages growing) is a great thing. Look at it this way. First, the Trax is a nice smaller CUV that is quite competitive in that class. So if Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford and others are having inventory issues and Chevy has better inventory, that’s a good problem to have. Second, any sales person/sales manager worth their pay will be able to convert some buyers from a low inventory model to this. So if someone comes in looking for the Trailblazer and isn’t finding what they want, that good sales person will smoothly move them over to the similar sized Trax and sell the value and availability.

    Reply
    1. Exactly. Here’s one person who gets it.

      Now imagine when the next gen Trax arrives at a lower price point while also being a much more modern vehicle than the current trax. It’s game over for the competition.

      Reply
  4. I’ve always said this about GM is that they have too many CUVs with only slight size differences in between. They need to condense the selection down to subcompact, mid-size, and full-size. They should only keep the Trailblazer and Blazer (and maybe the Traverse for those whose budget is a bit tight for a Tahoe).

    Reply
    1. There aren’t too many. It’s called offering a compete lineup. There is a reason Chevy is the best seller of crossovers in America – they cover the gamut.

      Reply
    2. Dennis Wong: So you feel Toyota’s game is wrong too? How do you think they sell so many vehicles (in total)? It’s because they have every size for every person for every want/need. Toyota doesn’t sell so many because they are good vehicles. It’s because they offer so many along with the fact that there are so many people willing to settle.

      Reply
  5. this and the Encore are like clown cars, one of the worst vehicles I have ever had. Look at something else. Seating is very uncomfortable especially for the driver.

    Reply
    1. a: I’d wager a bunch of sales that say otherwise. I’ve owned a 2018 Encore and it was probably the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Flawless with zero problems or recalls in 2 1/2 years. Comfortable to drive and ride in. And no, the seat wasn’t uncomfortable, at least to me. And I drove mine across country once putting over 800 miles on per day.

      Reply
      1. yep they sold a lot of PT Cruisers and HHRs people will always buy cheap junk if that’s what they can afford and regret it later, maybe you had the 1 in 10,000 good ones

        Reply
  6. Just look at it. Would you want to drive this thing? It’s sort of an updated “rolling potpourri of mediocrity”…

    Reply
    1. And yet it has sold in huge numbers and was often the best selling model or the second best selling model in its segment during its lifespan.

      Might want to focus more on purchase considerations here (price and AWD) rather than whatever it is you’re talking about. Clearly the market disagrees with your “take”.

      Reply
      1. Actually, it appears that “the market” is coming around to my take. Ford Pintos sold in huge numbers, too.

        With all due respect, Alex, this is not Chevrolet’s best work by any stretch and I’m considering it a foregone conclusion that you have never contemplated writing out a check to park one of these AWD babies in your own garage. Chevrolet can do better than this and their customers ought to demand it.

        Reply
        1. I don’t think the first gen Trax was Chevy’s best work, but it did get the job done and was one of the better models in its segment. The second gen model is substantially better, but it’s also a different vehicle – it doesn’t offer AWD and occupies an even lower price point.

          Reply
      2. Car and Driver, February, 1968 – Opel Kadett L Station Wagon review. Legendary automotive journalism. Current times seem more than a bit weak by comparison. I like you, but consider upping your game, my man. Or perhaps add me to your payroll.

        Reply
  7. The Chevy Trax is a trash SUV there are to many problems with that vehicle instead of Chevy Trax it should be called Chevy Trash

    Reply

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