2024 Chevy Trax Planned As A Cruze Replacement From The Get-Go
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The 2024 Chevy Trax got its big reveal last October, introducing a brand-new generation for the entry-level crossover nameplate. Interestingly, the development of the all-new Trax was heavily influenced by the Chevy Cruze, which was discontinued in the U.S. back in 2019, as indicated by the marketing director of Chevrolet crossovers, Brad Franz.
In a recent interview with GM Authority Executive Editor Alex Luft, Franz addressed the development of the 2024 Chevy Trax, which actually started with the discontinuation of the Chevy Cruze.
2024 Chevy Trax
Chevy Cruze
“We made the news of Cruze going away and our product life cycles are five to six years, starting with planning,” Franz told GM Authority. “We realized that, ‘hey we have a hole in the portfolio, what are we going to do?’ There’s some of this white space and car migration, so what can we do?”
According to Franz, the process of reimagining a model to plug the hole in Chevy’s lineup opened up new possibilities.
“As we really started to ground ourselves in that direction, it allowed us to explore what’s possible. And I think that’s what you’ve got today,” Franz said. “It’s got a bit of a lower and longer footprint, so for those folks that are coming out of those mid cars, it’s not that big compared to a larger SUV.”
2024 Chevy Trax
The ride height of the all-new 2024 Chevy Trax was also given careful consideration.
“A lot of people tell us that they don’t like that big ride height, so we think we balanced the car coming off the ground well, it’s higher but not quite Trailblazer’s height, so that’s what I meant when I said we reimagined [the Cruze],” Franz said. “We see a white space there, so it kind of feeds both ends of the demand.”
At the same time, Franz said that the Chevy Cruze remained a big influence with regard to development of the new 2024 Chevy Trax.
“The Cruze was a big inspiration for the Trax, along with Trailblazer, and we’re trying to get it right, as we know there are people that want cars and others that want SUVs, but not all of them want to sit up high,” Franz told GM Authority.
2024 Chevy Trax
As a reminder, the 2024 Chevy Trax cradles the turbocharged 1.2L I3 LIH gasoline engine, the same powerplant found under the hood of the Chevy Trailblazer LS and LT trim levels. The GM VSS-F vehicle set provides the underpinnings.
Check out GM Authority’s first drive review for our take on the new entry-level crossover, and remember to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Trax news, Chevy Cruze news, Chevy news, GM business news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
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Even if that was a replacement for the Cruze, some of don’t want drive an SUV box with a wheezy 3 cylinder engine
So you drove one? Or any other 3 cylinder?
I’ve driven one, loaded 1LT. If you didn’t tell the driver it was a three cylinder they’d never know, plenty of power for this vehicle at this price point. We liked it so much we are buying one, arrives in a about two weeks.
Where’s Dan B. ? Here’s where he starts complaining about “why no more cars?” but isn’t really able to explain what he means by a car…. is it small? is it low to the ground? Does he want three-box car design? He can’t answer, he just want’s to complain. But here’s at least GM’s explanation – so he can’t say they’re not listening….
I’m sure it wont be priced any where near what a Cruze would be today. Also with it being built overseas who knows about availability. I bet the lease on it is not even close to what a Cruze could be today. And the could have built it Lordstown too!!
Once again the Car Manufacturers are Deaf to the consumer!
GM Is reportedly going to be able to have 184,000 of these available for sale by the end of this year. That’s pretty admirable considering there are “only” 8 months left in the year. In its heyday, the Cruze averaged over 200K units. By the time it went away, it was down to around 50,000 units. Chevrolet is also projecting “stronger” resale value compared to other products in the class. If that holds true, that should keep lease prices pretty reasonable.
None of that changes the fact that it is a cheap, entry level economy hatch/wagon pretending to be a crossover. It’s like a less capable, lower riding Subaru Crosstrek.
Oh yes they’re listening. But they will produce whatever makes more money and sedans / hatchbacks are less profitable than SUVs / Crossover. Our answer? Buy sedans and hatchbacks from other brands. At least here in Mexico Chevrolet offers the Aveo hatchback, which is a car segment that sees high demand in the country.
What do you mean won’t be priced anywhere near what a Cruze would be today?
The 2019 Cruze had a MSRP starting at $18,870. The 2024 Trax starts at $20,400. Seems pretty spot on to me.
I just wish they’d modify the rear 3/4 to have a trunk. I prefer the shape in profile, and also having a separate locking trunk.
“cruze replacement” my @ss. i’ll take a cruze hatchback with a host of ZZP mods over this garbage anyday
I totally get that this easily could be considered a Cruze replacement. The Trax is so much better than the Cruze every was, and yes I’ve driven the new Trax; way more tech, drives better and doesn’t sit so low as the Cruze. Until you actually go drive one you won’t get it, whatever “it” is, this has it. People stop judging when you have zero experience with this vehicle and go be a troll somewhere else.
you know what the cruze has that this doesn’t?
-153 hp and 177 lbft
– at least 31 mpg
– soft touch padding on doors and dash
– a manual trans (for those who care)
the cruze also had its fair share of tech. there is no trolling here besides from gm calling this “a cruze replacement”. like i said, id take a cruze hatchback over the trax anyday.
Well said camaro kyle. Below I posted some real facts directly from this site about the Cruze and this Trax. The Cruze wins hands down. But they want to claim that a vehicle from 2024 model year has more “tech” than a vehicle from 2019 model year. Really?
I looked at a yellow Trax Activ at a dealership over the weekend, sticker was just under $26k. While I was expecting it to be more boxy and tall like the Blazer, it wasn’t. It reminded me of a Subaru Crosstrek when it comes to the way it sits…roofline is pretty low and sleek. I’m 6’3″ and the roofline wasn’t even to my shoulders. I didn’t have the chance to drive it, the dealership was closed. It looks like it might be nice for cruising around town, but I am not sure how capable it is on the highway with that little 3 cylinder.
I really don’t see this as a Cruze replacement. It’s a rebadged Chinese Chevy Seeker
I just bought a 2024 Trax. It’s my 3rd Trax purchase. I owned a 2015 and a 2017. Both are still going strong with my kids. Don’t fret the 3 cylinder. This car has plenty of get up and go. I’m a highway commuter and she easily hits a smooth 80-85. With a sticker price around $26k with all the bells and whistles, I’m very happy with my new car.
Good to hear! Ours comes in about two weeks and looking forward to having it as it’s perfect for our use. Absolutely no worries about it having only three cylinders, pulls as good as our 1.5l Equinox and the tech is a big step up.
The tech is amazing. I have 2021 Camry and it blows it out of the water. The screen for CarPlay is huge. I love this car. The ride is very smooth too!
They killed the cars in order to charge $5k more for a slightly lifted wagon. The malibu will be next and they’ll point you at the ‘Blazer’ or Equinox.
And the reality is either the Trax or Trailblazer could be axed. They are basically the same.
Well I mean, the Trax starts at $21k, that is exactly where a Cruze would be in 2023. To me, it is a lot more useful than a Cruze sedan, and even more so than a Cruze hatch because of its higher hip point, which is a plus for ingress/egress.
Ingress/egress isn’t a good reason to just get rid of the sedan. Many still like the styling of sedans over crossovers.
“Many” actually don’t want sedans, hence the continuation influx of the various SUVs across brands.
Tre: That wouldn’t be true. Many do want sedans, but when you aren’t offered but a couple and your choice of SUV/CUV’s is 10X or more, people end up buying what they can get.
How do you argue with over 3 million car (sedan/cpe) sales in 2022? That’s no small number and would be much higher if GM actually offered more sedan’s and if Ford offered even one.
But I’m sure the “butt-hurt” W Body Cutlass will be here shortly to set me straight.
The operative word is “Many”, the big 3 have largely or completely gotten out of sedans due to declining sales and higher favor of SUV’s and the remaining manufacturers of mainstream sedans have reported declining sales and have adjusted production to meet (declining) demand. Do you or people you know want a sedan? probably so, however that doesn’t satisfy manufacturers bottom line and that’s really all that matters when it comes to what is available to the consumer.
I work in the auto sales (fleet) side of this and have been in this business for 23 years now. People do still want cars. People come in all the time looking for them. I know a lot of people in my orbit that won’t buy an SUV/CUV. More than 3 million last year still purchased cars. You just can’t argue with those numbers. And you can’t argue with the fact that buyers are being forced to take SUV/CUV’s since they don’t have a real choice any more. I’ve stuck with GM all these years, but no more. They can sell all the boxes they want. I’m going elsewhere in 1.5 years from now when I’m ready and I trade every 2 years. Chances of me coming back to GM are slim to none. I’m young enough to still purchase about 12 to 15 more new cars before I should be done driving. And that’s just me. I have two kids who will be buying at some point and friends/family. I will no longer recommend GM to them. GM’s loss.
Taken from GMA’s own artilce: “Cruze was included in this list thanks to the fuel-sipping nature of its standard turbocharged 1.4-liter LE2 engine, which is rated at 153 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. In the 2017 Chevy Cruze sedan with the available six-speed automatic transmission, this engine returns 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway for a combined rating of 34 mpg”
Again from a GMA article: “2024 Chevy Trax returns 28 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined equipped with the turbocharged 1.2L I3 LIH gasoline engine, which is rated at 137 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 162 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm.”
So let me make sure I’m getting this. So many on here want to say how much better a crossover is vs. a car. Well here’s an example of the Cruze vs. this new Trax. Engine? Although I don’t have any issue with the 3 cyl, I’d still prefer a 4 cyl. Win for the Cruze. When it comes to power, I’m not into that but a lot on here want more power. The Cruze has more HP and torque. Second win for the Cruze. Lastly, MPG is important to many and very much so for me. The Cruze is better in city, on highway and combined by 4 MPG. A third win for the Cruze.
But go ahead and tell yourself how much better the crossovers are. I’m sure W Body Cutlass will be following this up with their rendition of how wrong I am while ignoring the facts I just laid out.
I guess they could not put the drivetrain from the equinox in the Trax but that would have killed the equinox but just the sound of saying 3 cylinder seems so cheap. This Trax would have been the perfect time for GM to get into the hybrid mode which they should have been in along time ago. To me the mixture of ICE and EV is the best alternative.
Yes I knew the Trax would have been a Cruze replacement, and it also replaces the Sonic and Spark too. Whatever the noise being made the Trax will be a good seller for Chevrolet. My main concern is that the Trax Trailblazer and Envision should have also being made at Lordstown.
Evo69: Speaking for myself only, I will agree with you that this Trax will sell well. I’ve never doubted that from the time I saw pics of it. People who want an SUV or crossover will like them. Like you said, this is basically replacing the Spark, Sonic, Cruze and the old Trax. My issue is two fold. First, go into a GM store (let’s pretend you can go into one store with all 4 GM brands under one roof). Say you want to look at a smaller SUV and you will be met with the Trax, Trailblazer, Equinox, Blazer, Encore GX, Envision, Terrain, Acadia, XT4 and XT5. That’s 10 smaller SUV’s and the difference in overall size is not that much. I understand that the Acadia would be on the bigger side, but from the XT5 to the Trax, you don’t have a lot of difference in overall size. Why so much overlap?
Now go into that same dealership and ask for a car. Choices? Malibu, CT4 and CT5. Wow. GM has 3 whole sedans and the dealers don’t even want to stock them unless they have to. Walk into a Ford/Lincoln store? Forget it. And people on here try to twist that into people wanting only SUV/CUV’s when it’s really a matter of buying what you can or they walk out and go buy a Honda or Toyota.
As for the vehicles being made at Lordstown? Absolutely!! Agreed.
So GM closes the American plant that made the Cruze in Lordstown Ohio. Thousands of Americans out of work.
Now GM imports the trax and thinks I will ever buy one. No way.
Makes me sick the greed of GM and Mary Barra.
GM cried to the American taxpayers to save them from bankruptcy to ‘keep good paying jobs in America’
Now they scru your eyes out with more imports.
Of course, if this were Europe, Cruze would have a wagon/estate variant like Astra. Trax is an elevated wagon with a Subaru vibe and a price point hitting a sweet spot for many US drivers. Envista would have filled the spot well if badged with a Bowtie.
I find it telling that Trax isn’t being presented as a Trax replacement. Cruze was GM’s top seller & I expect Trax to somewhat fill that void. Problem is that you loose a lot of customers with a three year gap.
The original Trax was built off the original Cruze. I won’t touch anything with a turbo or automatic transmission. My 2012 Sonic LS is also a derivative, and so far flawless.
I’m sitting in my basement typing like many on this site. 3 cyl engine, mpg, it’s not a car. The people that test drove a new Trax liked it and bought it. Never seen one never drove one trash it all day. I bought a Ford hybrid because GM only made a fake mild hybrid or Volt EREV which I did consider. My kids said that Volt drove like a, ready for it, Cruze. You buy what you like, I’ll buy what I like.
GM needs a Trax EV to replace the Bolt EUV.
With the instant torque of an EV motor, should be a fun little EV.
It’s bigger slower less powerful worse gas mileage…. please tell me how this vehicle is even comparable to a Cruze, a car they shouldn’t have stopped production on and was an actual American made product.
Trax is heavier by the extra steel to make it bigger. But it’s chassis is basically the same, drivetrain choices identical. There are no complaints regarding the 1.8 NA. Always insist on manual, they don’t break and rarely need service.
I have a Chevy Cruze 2012 and I like it very much. I would like to buy a Chevy Cruze 2024 but am disappointed they discontinued the Chevy Cruze. Trax is too small for a SUV. I prefer sedan.