Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Yesterday, Chevrolet announced that an all-new TrailBlazer (previewed by the above teaser image) will debut later this year, set to go on sale around the world starting in early 2012. Now, Inside Line reports that company spokespeople have said that there are no immediate plans to sell the new TrailBlazer SUV here in the United States.

The new TrailBlazer, confirmed as a 2013 model, will be a traditional body-on-frame SUV based on the new Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup truck. General Motors has confirmed that the new Colorado will be sold here in the U.S.

Even so, we won't be shocked if GM does decide to bring the TrailBlazer to the U.S. in a few years. For now, however, the new SUV will be built and sold in South America and Asia, with Thailand slated to get the first vehicles.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/13/2...ng-to-the-u-s/

Fizzboy7

Come on folks, this is GM. The KINGS of flakiness. In a few months or years, they will announce this vehicle WILL be sold in the U.S. And Lutz will retire and rehire for the sixth time.

jimbosr1

cant think of anybody that will miss it.

SLegacy99

Pshhhh, I'll wait for the Saab version. :-)

mmarshall

There's the reason why....it's (virtually) obvious. In the U.S., the market for traditional, truck-based, frame-rail SUVs is shrinking more each year, as fewer owners go off-roading and CAFE laws get ever-stricter.....and many people just rent full-size pickups or SUVs for the few times they need to do heavy towing....it doesn't pay to own them full-time. Even the hot-selling Explorer has given up the traditional truck (Ford-Ranger)-based frame for a new unibody design.

But, in the Third-World (for those who can afford personal vehicles), conditions are just the opposite.......the market for rugged, truck-based SUVS is booming. Many of those countries don't have a lot of smooth, paved roads, and vehicles have to contend daily with conditions that, here in the U.S., would be considered off-road.

In fact, many auto-theft rings in the U.S. deal primarily with truck-based SUVs, simply to satisfy the illegal black-market for them (and for parts for them) in places like Mexico, Africa, South America, etc.....

So......by selling the TrailBlazer primarily in countries like that, GM seems to only be cashing-in (legally, of course) on the local markets there.

lamar411

They can't bring it back because it would just get in the Traverse's way. But who knows they were pretty popular here.

mmarshall

Apples-and-oranges. Can't really compare the two. The Traverse is a much different, and far more family-oriented, vehicle than the Trailblazer. The main thing keeping out the new Trailblazer is not the Traverse, but simply the changing demographics of the American SUV market.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I agree Mike. But to add to this, Chevy's CUV/SUV line-up might become too bloated if the Trailblazer came back. In a way the Traverse meant to phase out the Trailblazer due to as you say its more family oriented features and changing demographic, but also the tarnished nameplate (the previous Trailblazer and its GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x siblings were absolutely terrible). Unlike Chevy, Ford decided to keep the Explorer nameplate but change the platform to unibody from body on frame because of the increased civil utility, efficiency, and again that changing demographic. Back to the bloated line-up, Chevy is looking at about 5 CUVs and SUVs which is looking good. I compare that to Toyota's line-up which seems to overlap too much (at least with body on frame 4x4 SUVs)

Equinox
Traverse
Upcoming Orlando
Tahoe
Suburban

Rav4
Venza
Highlander
FJ Cruiser
4Runner
Sequoia
Land Cruiser

mmarshall

Yes, you bring up some good points. And, besides that, the Tahoe (and its GMC Yukon twin), which are still on sale, are more than capable of replacing the TrailBlazer for traditional off-roading.

The Isuzu Ascender, IMO, was a joke...basically a decontented Trailblazer with a lower price.....and the Trailblazer, IMO was cheaply-built to start with. The only thing the Ascender had going for it was the extremely long Isuzu warranty.....and when Isuzu packed up and left the U.S. a market, of course, Chevy/GMC/Buick dealers got stuck having to service/repair Ascenders and honor the balance of that long warranty. Of course, not many Ascenders were sold to start with...one reason the company left.

(The I-series Isuzu pickups, twins of the poorly-built Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon, were even worse, but that's a subject for another thread... I won't go into it here)