The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was phased out of North
America a decade ago, but it continues to be sold in a number of international
markets including Asia, Australia and South America. The current model was introduced
in 2012 and it has largely remained the same. That could soon change as a
mysterious prototype has been spied wearing a camouflaged front fascia.
While this would normally suggest the SUV is getting
a minor facelift, spy photographers believe the model is actually a mule for
the third-generation TrailBlazer. That remains unconfirmed, but it’s an
interesting possibility for a number of reasons.
General Motors is rumored to be considering a US$ 1
billion investment in its Wentzville plant which currently
builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. While the automaker hasn’t
announced anything, speculation has suggested the investment could be used to
build a new body-on-frame SUV in America. The model would be based on the
same underpinnings as the Colorado and Canyon. If this sounds familiar, it
should as the current TrailBlazer is based on the international version of the
Colorado / S10.
As a result, it’s possible that GM is working on
next-generation mid-size pickups and is also planning to launch a redesigned
TrailBlazer on the same platform. This wouldn’t be too surprising as the
Colorado and Canyon were introduced in North America in 2013 and are related to
the international variant which unveiled a couple of years earlier.
The redesigned TrailBlazer is expected to be
launched as a 2021 model and if it does come stateside, it would be an
interesting addition to Chevrolet’s lineup. While it probably wouldn’t be a
direct Ford Bronco competitor, it would give the brand an entry in the
increasingly popular off-road segment which has been dominated by Jeep. The
model could also appeal to customers who do a lot of towing, but would rather
have an SUV than a pickup.
