General Motors South Africa has announced that the Chevrolet Trailblazer will be coming to the local market before then end of 2012.
According to Malcolm Gauld, vice-president of sales and marketing for General Motors South Africa, the Trailblazer will join the local line-up as a robust seven-seater SUV that features a body-on-frame construction that makes it suitable for a variety of tasks ranging from heavy towing and off-road duty to city driving.
It’s with these provisos in mind that the designers at GM’s South American Design Centre unveiled a near-production-ready concept at last year’s Dubai International Motor Show featuring such signature touches as the dual-port grille, swept-back headlamps with LED elements and domed bonnet. It’s a similar story inside, where the facia features Chevrolet’s dual-cockpit design as well as a versatile seven-seat layout that comprises tumble/fold-flat pews – the third row of which will offer what the firm believes class-leading spaciousness.
The concept vehicle’s interior goodies included an auxiliary power plug with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, numerous stowage compartments, dual-zone climate control and a newly developed infotainment system. It remains to be seen just what sort of specification levels the locally bound production models will feature.
The Trailblazer concept was powered by an all-new 2,8-litre turbodiesel engine with a variable-vane geometry turbocharger that will channel drive to all corners via a new all-wheel drive system. This unit’s outputs have not yet been divulged and it remains to be seen if a petrol model will be offered.
The final model line-up, specification and pricing will be announced closer to the time of the Trailblazer’s local launch, says Gauld.