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Chevy Blazer --- Bronco Wrangler fighter?
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My money is it will be brought back as a GMC Jimmy, Chevy already has that abomonation of a crossover blazer.
I still think an SUV based on the Twins would be great. Yes, it probably needs to have a shorter wheel base, but that style vehicle was what I was looking for in 2014 to replace my Wrangler when I discovered the 2nd Gens were being released.
I wanted 4 doors, the quiet of a hardtop my Wrangler did not have, bluetooth phone connection, and some towing capacity. I did not see an SUV/CUV on the market that fit my needs without going all the way up to a $50K Tahoe in 2014/2015 timeframe. A $32K Canyon was a great solution.
I wanted 4 doors, the quiet of a hardtop my Wrangler did not have, bluetooth phone connection, and some towing capacity. I did not see an SUV/CUV on the market that fit my needs without going all the way up to a $50K Tahoe in 2014/2015 timeframe. A $32K Canyon was a great solution.
Chevy has made an SUV of the Colorado in other markets, known as the Chevy/Holden Colorado 7 and later Trailblazer:
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They could easily do the same for the American market, as the international version for 2023 are much more closely related, although I haven't heard of it being updated in the international markets, but I wouldn't doubt that.
That being said, I don't see GM investing in americanizing or creating a new ICE based body on frame SUV.
They could easily do the same for the American market, as the international version for 2023 are much more closely related, although I haven't heard of it being updated in the international markets, but I wouldn't doubt that.
That being said, I don't see GM investing in americanizing or creating a new ICE based body on frame SUV.
In 2023, I agree with you 100%. In 2014-2015 timeframe, I think it would have had a legitimate shot at the market.
I think the major thing to understand, in 2014, when GM was releasing the 2nd Gen, no one, including GM, expected them to be as successful as they were. They were so successful, Ford reintroduced the Ranger, Jeep debuted the Gladiator, Toyota put more lipstick on the Tacoma, and Nissan updated the Frontier.
Heck, the Colorado/Canyon were so successful, Honda even reintroduced the Ridgeline as a wannabe truck.
If you want to look at the last 10 years of pickups and pick out something that really impacted the market, the 2nd Gen Twins just may be the winner. (I don't see the 3rd Gen being that impactful.)
I do think there is a market for a decent little SUV with some tow capacity, doesn't have to be 7K like the Twins, maybe 4000 to 5000 pounds. Drop the 2.7L in it, and you probably have a sweet little SUV.
It ain't gonna happen, but honestly, if there was a vehicle like that available, my wife and I might consolidate down to one vehicle we shared in the next few years, an SUV that fit in our garage, carried the groceries well, could stick my cargo carrier in the 2" receiver for small, dirty loads, and when needed, pick up that trailer at Home Depot to bring home some home improvement supplies.
With my wife retired and not safe to drive after dark, me wishing I could retire and getting too old to do crazy projects, we are almost to the point we could make it with one vehicle. At the same time, the world of EVs and EV charging is not where an EV can meet our needs. We have plans to drive 14 hours in April in a day for a trip. In an EV, that 14 hours probably would need an extra day in each direction. I once did a day trip from DFW to Baton Rouge with 4 hours in BR taking care of business. That is not going to happen in an EV anytime soon.
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As some of us remember, Wentzville had a prototype Blazer built on the Colorado frame sitting in the cafeteria and the union had announced right after a contract was ratified that it was going to be built next to the twins. It was even in the local paper..... then..wait for this...
Mary Berra became CEO and nixed the Blazer project.
we here in Missouri drank the kool-aid when GM said they need xxx millions of dollars to upgrade and expand the plant to increase production, they did spend the money on a paint booth
since 2019 you do not hear of everyone who bought a new truck logging in and telling how blotchy thier paint job is, like those of us earlier
Then the CUV Blazer and Trail Blazer came out built on a car chassis, maybe the Malibu or Cruze or some foriegn chassis
Mary Berra became CEO and nixed the Blazer project.
we here in Missouri drank the kool-aid when GM said they need xxx millions of dollars to upgrade and expand the plant to increase production, they did spend the money on a paint booth
since 2019 you do not hear of everyone who bought a new truck logging in and telling how blotchy thier paint job is, like those of us earlier
Then the CUV Blazer and Trail Blazer came out built on a car chassis, maybe the Malibu or Cruze or some foriegn chassis
The real trouble in the size this vehicle is would be how much it cost to build and how much you can get people to pay for it and still make money.
This middle segment is tough money wise.
Now that jeeps are costing more and Broncos are topping $60k they may see money in it finally.
This middle segment is tough money wise.
Now that jeeps are costing more and Broncos are topping $60k they may see money in it finally.
This is very true. In 2014, when I was looking for an SUV, everything I looked at was in the mid-$30s or higher with minimal tow capacity, or jump to a Tahoe. When I figured I could get the 2nd Gen truck for a low $30s price range with decent tow capacity, it was an easy decision on my part, and I never regretted it.
The only thing close to replacing my trailblazer were the twins. The whole 360 platform was expensive compared to the full size and that ultimately led to its axing as well as the introduction of the traverse and equinox to fill in the slot it once occupied. If GM does anything I'd want a colorado chassis built out in the style of a K5...
I’m driving one of those 2022 abominations and while it will never be an off road beast, it is a damn great SUV. And with the right tires it’s more than passable in mud and snow. I live off road where snow is an issue. As long as it’s under eight inches I have no problems. Otherwise I use my Canyon AT4.
GM is taking a few steps back with their original aggressive EV initiative, as the death of the ICE appears to be taking a back seat.Chevy has made an SUV of the Colorado in other markets, known as the Chevy/Holden Colorado 7 and later Trailblazer:
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They could easily do the same for the American market, as the international version for 2023 are much more closely related, although I haven't heard of it being updated in the international markets, but I wouldn't doubt that.
That being said, I don't see GM investing in americanizing or creating a new ICE based body on frame SUV.
The Econmy has slowed things down.
As for ICE GM like several others will build two lines one ICE and one EV.
How long they do this will be up to the government laws. Ice may remain in play in limited areas.
Trucks and Corvette will be the very last to change. The 3/4 and one ton trucks may be the last to change.
Keep in mind the dates on some states are different from others. Some states my back off others like California and New York may double down.
I see now some states are looking to tax ice vehicles based on weight to force folks to smaller cars.
You can probably buy this today at your local Target made from die cast metal at 1:64 scale. Bonus points if you can find it with more orange tracks.
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If GM came back out with this body style with updated gadgets and drive train, I'm afraid my Colorado would be but a memory:
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If only I had the money to buy one of those and fix it up!!!!
Love the idea of a Wrangler and Bronco fighting body on frame midsize SUV from GM, but it wouldn't be named Blazer. With the upcoming Blazer EV they seem pretty committed to the current body style for the Blazer name whether it's ICE or EV. Then again, I think Chevy has too many SUV/crossover options (7 plus 2 EVs and 2 more EVs coming soon) and not enough car options (Malibu, Camaro and Corvette) so maybe I'm wrong?
First, cars are pretty much dead, few people are buying. The wave of crossover SUVs has all but wiped out the car market. Go to Chevy's website and pull up the vehicle choices: They list SUVs, Trucks, EVs, Cars, Performance
The Corvette is an outlier, a performance vehicle. The Camaro is listed there, but I thought they had discontinued it.
In SUVs, I agree, it seems like the SUVs overlap so much in size, etc. I would think they could consolidate the group of Trax, Trailblazer, Equinox, Blazer and Traverse could be compressed down to maybe 3 vehicles, and then a new vehicle in between those crossovers and the Tahoe would be a good fit.
If you look at the SUVs that Chevy has, there is just over a $13K spread between the Trax and the Blazer starting MSRP (Traverse is slightly under the Blazer?) and then almost a $20K jump to the Tahoe MSRP. A $40K Body on Frame SUV based off the Colorado would fit nicely in that gap.
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