2013 Chevy Trailblazer Debuts in Thailand

[whitejeep1989]

The new Chevy Trailblazer launches in Thailand and in the rest of the world, except for here. Why don't we get this good looking "real" SUV?

From GM Press Release:
http://media.gm.com/media/th/en/gm/n...ailblazer.html

Bangkok – Chevrolet has given a new name to a vehicle that can do it all – the Trailblazer. Designed for family transport and urban commuting, the SUV is equally at home negotiating off-road terrains as it is with urban traffic and highway cruising.

The tough seven-seater will go on sale in Thailand this month, spearheading Chevrolet’s latest push into the booming SUV markets of Southeast Asia, where customers demand strength, versatility and cargo space to meet their daily transportation needs.

The Trailblazer was developed in tandem with the all-new Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck by a highly skilled team of GM engineers. They used their expertise to add passenger vehicle attributes to the midsize truck architecture.

Team members lived in Thailand during the development of both vehicles, immersing themselves in the highly competitive truck and SUV market and observing how Thais use their vehicles and the driving conditions they experience. The insights gathered led to the development of Trailblazer models covering four specification levels.

Martin Apfel, President of GM Southeast Asia and Chevrolet Sales Thailand, said the introduction of the new Trailblazer, which will be built at GM Thailand’s manufacturing facility in Rayong, will boost Chevrolet’s presence in the world’s fast-growing SUV markets.

“The Trailblazer is strong and capable. Ready for rugged off-road conditions but equally well-mannered for city and long distance road trips. It will be built in Thailand for Thailand, and soon also make its way into the rest of the world. It is yet another world-class Chevrolet product that demonstrates the capability, commitment and attention to detail of our dedicated Thai workforce. And delivery of the Trailblazer to our customers starts right now,” Apfel continued.

“True to its name, the Trailblazer will blaze the trail for new Chevrolet vehicles coming into the market. It has been built tough to offer Chevrolet customers everything they need from a heavy-duty SUV,” he commented.

[whitejeep1989]

[leakslikasieve]

I kind of like it..

[spockcat]

This is the basis for the next Colorado, isn't it?

[bzcat]

This is the basis for the next Colorado, isn't it?

Nope. The Colorado would be the basis of next Colorado

[2.0T_Convert]

Interesting but I doubt we need it here in the US. Too much overlap and bad public image for GM to be putting out an old gas guzzler name plate.

[GTE77]

South America will be getting it. Love the design.

[Late Apex]

Talk about an eyesore

[jetta9103]

This is the basis for the next Colorado, isn't it?

Nope. The Colorado would be the basis of next Colorado

Actually, neither is completely true. As with the original Colorado situation, where the Colorado sold in the US was almost nothing like the Colorado sold elsewhere, history will repeat itself for the upcoming generation. I'd imagine they will look similar again, though.

[200HP4dr]

That is pretty ungainly, especially from the rear 3/4.

Chris

[J-Tim]

Man, that's ugly!

[thisisdog]

cant say i expected it to be good

and boy was i not surprised

[vdubdave]

Has GM ever made a vehicle that had decent looking wheel arches? It's almost like they try to make them look bad. Not to even mention the rest of the car...

[whitejeep1989]

Has GM ever made a vehicle that had decent looking wheel arches? It's almost like they try to make them look bad. Not to even mention the rest of the car...

Okay, humor me. Why are the arches bad? They look fine to me, especially in the other photos.

[Iroczgirl]

That's all pretty darn ugly if you ask me.

[whitejeep1989]

Actually, neither is completely true. As with the original Colorado situation, where the Colorado sold in the US was almost nothing like the Colorado sold elsewhere, history will repeat itself for the upcoming generation. I'd imagine they will look similar again, though.

You mean to tell me that the previous gen Australian Colorado and the previous gen American Colorado are not the same vehicle? The same vehicle was sold in Thailand, China, and South/Central America, as well.

[jnm2.0t]

Interesting but I doubt we need it here in the US. Too much overlap and bad public image for GM to be putting out an old gas guzzler name plate.

Forget bad public image, that thing is a bad image period. Keep it away please, that is quite awful looking.

[Turbio!]

For some damn reason, ROW midsize pickups and the SUVs based on them all seem oddly proportioned - they're too tall for their width, or something. The styling on the new Trailblazer is okay, but the proportions are odd.

[The Chemist]

For some damn reason, ROW midsize pickups and the SUVs based on them all seem oddly proportioned - they're too tall for their width, or something. The styling on the new Trailblazer is okay, but the proportions are odd.

Maybe because the roads in the rest of the world generally aren't as wide as they are in North America, but people still need ground clearance and headroom? That'd result in a very tall but narrow vehicle.

[muffintop]

You can't just slap the same front end on 5 different cars, or can you?

[VWFSIB6]

Has GM ever made a vehicle that had decent looking wheel arches? It's almost like they try to make them look bad. Not to even mention the rest of the car...

Getting used to crossover "wheel arches," are you?

You can't just slap the same front end on 5 different cars, or can you?

if anyone could do it, it's GM


I like it. It's a truck, so it looks like a truck. I think in the U.S. we have gotten so accustomed to how crossovers look that we seem to find a traditional SUV goofy looking now. Now, not saying that goes for all of us. Keep in mind this is going to be USED, this is Thailand we're talking about. Many crappy trails on a daily basis as well as highway driving, etc.

[J-Tim]

For some damn reason, ROW midsize pickups and the SUVs based on them all seem oddly proportioned - they're too tall for their width, or something. The styling on the new Trailblazer is okay, but the proportions are odd.

I think that has something to do with those stupid "pedestrian-friendly" designs that pollute the whole automotive world.

New Ford Ranger and Mazda BX look just as odd.

[whitejeep1989]

You can't just slap the same front end on 5 different cars, or can you?

See:
VW
Audi
Volvo
Lexus
Infiniti
Etc........

[spockcat]

See:
VW
Audi
Volvo
Lexus
Infiniti
Etc........

We need a thread about this. Worst offender (most vehicles). Least successful offender. Somewhere Porsche is coming to mind.

[bzcat]

For some damn reason, ROW midsize pickups and the SUVs based on them all seem oddly proportioned - they're too tall for their width, or something. The styling on the new Trailblazer is okay, but the proportions are odd.

Try parking a US midsize SUV in an underground parking garage in Bangkok or Sao Paulo...

Width for extra elbow room is the ultimate luxury.

[whitejeep1989]

We need a thread about this. Worst offender (most vehicles). Least successful offender. Somewhere Porsche is coming to mind.

First, let me say that I don't mind corporate front and rear fascias.

Chevy, however, would probably be a little less than mid-pack.

It only seems like all their vehicles have "Malibu Face". In reality, however, only this new Trailblazer/Colorado, and Equinox are closely matched to the Malibu. Volt, Corvette, Camaro, Silverado/Tahoe, Impala, Sonic, Traverse and Cruze are all pretty distinct from each other and the Malibu.

[caj1]

Looks like a smaller Isuzu Rodeo

[Turbio!]

Try parking a US midsize SUV in an underground parking garage in Bangkok or Sao Paulo...

Width for extra elbow room is the ultimate luxury.

I get antsy parking a subcompact in Rio. Ugh.

Maybe because the roads in the rest of the world generally aren't as wide as they are in North America, but people still need ground clearance and headroom? That'd result in a very tall but narrow vehicle.

But the thing is, though, my 4Runner is no wider than the Trailblazer (and Hilux and Fortuner and Ranger and so forth.) The headroom and ground clearance is still excellent, the elbow room is generous....really, this Trailblazer is the exact same size as my 4Runner, just a few inches taller and a few inches shorter (horizontally.) But pickups much longer than my 4Runner are all over Bangkok, Sao Paulo, and Cape Town. It just seems like the cowl height and cab height are both taller than in US-market pickups and BOF SUVs.

[jetta9103]

You mean to tell me that the previous gen Australian Colorado and the previous gen American Colorado are not the same vehicle? The same vehicle was sold in Thailand, China, and South/Central America, as well.

Yup...Australian Colorado = ROW Colorado. US Colorado = US Colorado. Isuzu had a hand in engineering both, but a much heavier hand in the ROW version.

[bzcat]

Yup...Australian Colorado = ROW Colorado. US Colorado = US Colorado. Isuzu had a hand in engineering both, but a much heavier hand in the ROW version.

The new one is designed by GM so there won't be any difference like the previous gen. And besides, the major difference in the previous gen were all drivetrain related. The US version had to be modified for the I-5 engine while the rest of the world had Isuzu diesels.

[jetta9103]

The new one is designed by GM so there won't be any difference like the previous gen. And besides, the major difference in the previous gen were all drivetrain related. The US version had to be modified for the I-5 engine while the rest of the world had Isuzu diesels.

GM Brazil engineered the new global Colorado.
GM North America will be engineering the new US Colorado. As you say, most of differences are powertrain/driveline related, but I'm sure they'll look a little different too.

[Seitan]

An SUV with a stance capable of actually going offroad? Amazing!

I'm not offended by the styling, it's not beautiful or anything but it at least looks capable.

[Turbio!]

GM Brazil engineered the new global Colorado.
GM North America will be engineering the new US Colorado. As you say, most of differences are powertrain/driveline related, but I'm sure they'll look a little different too.

My guess is they'll be putting the 3.6 V6 in there - why it wasn't in the last version is beyond me, but whatever - and maybe a turbo Ecotec for a little Ecoboost-style action. So they'll need to engineer it to accept those drivetrains.

[adrew]

An SUV with a stance capable of actually going offroad? Amazing!

I'm not offended by the styling, it's not beautiful or anything but it at least looks capable.

Reminds me of the diesel Prado I rented in Belize.

[bzcat]

My guess is they'll be putting the 3.6 V6 in there - why it wasn't in the last version is beyond me, but whatever - and maybe a turbo Ecotec for a little Ecoboost-style action. So they'll need to engineer it to accept those drivetrains.

The 3.6 was in the ROW Colorado, just not in the US. I don't know why either but it may have something to do with marketing monkeys trying to sell the 3.6 as "high feature" V6 right before the whole ship went down in bankruptcy. Can't have your "high feature" V6 also powering a uncouth pickup truck when you are still flogging the 3.5 OHV in the Malibu