It’s no secret that GM is developing a longer
variant of the Blazer crossover and the automaker has already previewed its
design with the FNR-CarryAll Concept unveiled in China last year. Expected to carry the Blazer XL
name, the three-row crossover will initially be available from 2020 in China,
where it will also be built. Later on, Chevrolet will reportedly offer it in
other markets as well, including South America and South Korea.
The seven-seat Blazer XL is not likely to arrive in
the United States, however, given the ongoing trade war with China and the fact
that it would overlap with the Chevy Traverse. Europe is among the last places
we’d expect the Chevy Blazer XL to become available in, since Chevrolet’s only
models currently on offer there are the Corvette and Camaro. Still, the first
spy shots of a Blazer XL prototype come from Europe. More specifically, this
fully-wrapped prototype was spotted by Carscoops photographers in Germany.
Does this mean the Blazer XL will eventually be
available in Europe? That’s highly unlikely; the SUV’s presence in Germany
probably has more to do with the country’s superb infrastructure for vehicle
development and testing which includes the Nürburgring Nordschleife and the
derestricted Autobahns.
As you can see, GM is keeping the design of the
Blazer XL secret, although we expect it to look just like the FNR-CarryAll
Concept. As with the normal Blazer, the XL version is expected to use the short
version of the GM C1 platform and gain around 140 mm in length. Most
of it will come from the longer rear overhang as the wheelbase will only be
around 4 mm longer.
In China, the Blazer XL will reportedly be available
with a 240 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, with other
markets likely to get it with the 305 hp 3.6-liter V6 currently offered in the
regular Blazer. Both powertrains will come as standard with the nine-speed
automatic transmission.
