Chevrolet unveils truck-based TrailBlazer SUV

Chevrolet has unveiled an all-new ladder frame-based mid-sized SUV, named the TrailBlazer, at the Dubai International Motor Show recently. A sister model of the Colorado pick-up, the TrailBlazer will commence sales worldwide starting with Thailand in early 2012.

Despite being essentially a mechanical twin of the Colorado, and that both models were supposedly developed in tandem, design work of the TrailBlazer was based in Brazil rather than in Thailand like the Colorado.

Like with the Colorado Show Truck displayed at this year’s Bangkok Motor Show, the TrailBlazer show vehicle at Dubai is a faithful-to-production display unit, and it is powered by GM’s new 2.8-litre Duramax turbodiesel engine that is also used by the Colorado.

Details such as LED lamps, 20″ wheels, and aluminium trims may disappear when the real thing comes out, but cues such as the trademark Chevy dual-port grille and dual cockpit interior design will definitely see the light of day.

The interior seats seven, and according to Matt Noone, director of design for GM do Brasil, “The third row in this SUV isn’t an afterthought. It’s an authentic third row where people can sit comfortably for long trips. Combine that with luxurious interior appointments and it is easy to see why TrailBlazer really is an all-purpose vehicle.”

The TrailBlazer should not be compared with the Captiva, which is another seven-seater SUV from Chevrolet, but based on monocoque underpinnings. When it hits the market, the tougher body-on-frame TrailBlazer will count other truck-based SUVs such as the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuner, and Nissan Pathfinder (Navara-based, not sold in Malaysia) as its key rivals.

KON

Pictures: Official GM release.

See also:
– Chevrolet gives Colorado teaser image ahead of Bangkok debut
– Chevrolet Colorado Show Truck unveiled in Bangkok
– Chevrolet Colorado debut date for Malaysia confirmed