General Motors pulled the wraps off of a new sport utility vehicle, the TrailBlazer, in Dubai this week. Though GM proclaims this to be a global SUV, it’s looking quite unlikely that the new model will ever make it to the U.S. market.
The TrailBlazer will go on sale in early 2012 in Thailand and is a body-on-frame model built atop the same frame as the new Colorado pickup. It features a 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel engine, all-wheel drive, and seven seats. Predictably, the TrailBlazer has all the accoutrements one would expect from a family SUV: fold-flat second and third-row seats, rear seat infotainment, and Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
It would be easy to speculate, then, that the TrailBlazer could come to the United States. GM has already finalized plans to upgrade its Wentzville, Missouri plant to produce the new Colorado pickup, and we’ll likely see the fruits of that investment in the 2013 model year, although it’s unclear if the U.S.-market pickup will get turbo-diesel engines or soldier on with the existing Colorado’s selection of four-, five- and eight-cylinder engines.
Producing a new body atop a Colorado frame and then selling the model in the states might sound easy, but GM spokesmen said that the TrailBlazer is still a no-go. Their reasoning: the model wouldn’t work in the states. A GM spokesperson said that the new TrailBlazer would be roughly sized the same as the old model, but that it would ultimately cannibalize sales of Chevy’s current crossover offerings, the Equinox and Traverse. Furthermore, Chevy says itfeels the TrailBlazer’s body-on-frame construction is better suited for countries with less highway infrastructure.
In any case, the TrailBlazer nameplate will be spread around the world early next year when the model goes on sale. In the meantime, if you need seven seats and want a Chevrolet, GM would be happy to sell you a nice Traverse.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
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