When GM started sending out press releases for the new not-for-the-U.S. Colorado, everyone was a little suspicious. After all, they've got lots of foreign products that they don't bombard the U.S. media with, why this one?
The plan became clear this monday when Chevy confirmed that the next-gen Colorado would, in fact, come to the U.S. a year after being introduced in Asia. Whether this was due to customer demand or if it was the plan all along, who knows. But now we're seeing it all again. Today, GM teased a photo of the new Chevy Trailblazer that would debut at the Dubai Auto Show in November.
The new Trailblazer, they say, is built on a "new global mid-size platform developed by GM of Brazil." GM of Brazil built the platform for the new Chevy Colorado. If GM is already spending the time and money to bring this new architecture to the U.S. in the form of the Colorado, there's no reason they're not going to spread that investment into a new SUV.
It should be noted that this new SUV will be a real, body-on-frame SUV available in rear or four-wheel-drive. Other SUVs like the Explorer and the now-pretty-much-a-mini-van Dodge Durango have gone unibody.
*Update* Speaking with Inside Line, a source in GM says that there are no immediate plans to sell this one in the U.S. Believe him?
Check out some spy footage of the Colorao-Based SUV here.
xprojected says:
10:30 AM, 10/12/11
Between the Equinox and the Tahoe/Suburban, does Chevy in the US really need another SUV in between? I'd think it would cannibalize their sales a bit.
xprojected says:
11:36 AM, 10/12/11
And the Traverse, forgot that one.
stress83 says:
12:11 PM, 10/12/11
Not asking this to be obstinate (ok, maybe just a little), but why does Edmunds need to make two different posts about the same subject? While I understand IL blog is supposed to be just that -- a blog -- with the ability for readers to comment, it'd make more sense (in my plebian mind) to simply combine both posts.
mazdamike17 says:
09:08 AM, 10/14/11
I disagree Xprojected.... Many companies offer several SUV's so why shouldn't Chevy? Especially to cater to the off road crowd who have fewer options as the years go by.
Toyota has Rav 4, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, 4Runner, while Nissan has the Armada, Rougue, Xterra, Pathfiner, and arguably the Juke as SUV's.
So Chevy wouldn't really stick out by having "too many" SUV's, just another one to compete with 4runner and Xterra/Pathfinder, etc.