General Motors South Africa will soon be gunning for a slice of the Toyota Fortuner's vast sales pie with this new SUV, unveiled in concept form at the Dubai Motor Show today.
Besides a few minor details, the Trailblazer production vehicle is expected to look almost identical to this concept vehicle.
While GMSA has officially confirmed that the new SUV is destined for South Africa, it has not given any timing or specification details at this point.
Sharing its platform with the all-new Isuzu KB-based Chevrolet Colorado bakkie, which is not destined for South Africa, the Trailblazer is a traditional body-on-frame SUV with a chassis tuned to best combine heavy-duty off-road ability with reasonable on-road comfort.
As with its bakkie sibling, power is from a 2.8-litre diesel engine featuring a variable-geometry turbocharger. No output figures have been provided but the engine in the Colorado is good for 132kW and 470Nm and is available with either a five-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic.
The Trailblazer's styling is likely to prove a major draw card, its large 'dual-port' grille, 'powerdome' bonnet and chunky wheels making it look the 'tough American' part. “There's an obvious sense of muscle in the design, but at the same time a very sophisticated appearance in line with the world's premium SUVs,” said Matt Noone, director of design for GM Brazil - the division responsible for its design.
Inside, the Trailblazer offers space for seven occupants with three-row tumble and/or fold-flat versatility and it even claims to offer the most third-row space in its class. “We made the seating both flexible and intuitive. There's no need to pull out the owner's manual to figure out how to configure the seats,” Noone continued.
This Chev also sports most of the gadgets you'd expect in a modern car, including dual-zone climate control and the latest in infotainment technology.