Updated on 21 Feb 2013
Chevrolet Trax has bee launched in Korea, Chevrolet Trax India launch is also expected soon.
Updated on 16 Aug 2012
In May 2012 we published a news about Chevrolet, part of General Motors considering bringing their compact SUV Chevrolet Trax to compete with Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport in the compact SUV segment. The news leaked out when a French magazine presented a couple of partially rendered images of an upcoming SUV which later turned out to be the Trax.
Until now, the company had only released the official pictures of this new SUV and the actual debut has not happened. As per the latest official word from Chevrolet, the Trax is all set to make an official debut on September 29 at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
As I have mentioned above, the company never made any official announcements on Trax for the Indian market but going by the response Renault Duster has received and the excitement that is building up for the EcoSport, it is evident that the compact SUV segment has a lot of potential and Chevrolet cannot overlook that.
Talking about the design of the Trax now, it looks like a smaller Chevrolet Captiva. The design is chunky and quite muscular. At the front the car resembles the Chevrolet Beat to an extent as presently the company is following this design language. Moving on to the side profile, the ground clearance is quite nice and for that SUV feel you have flared wheel arches. Although it looks bigger than the Duster, it is actually shorter and narrower.
Clearly the car is meant for urban buyers who not only demand refreshing design but a unique road presence as well. Based on the platform of a sedan, the Trax will initially be available with a two wheel drive option but later Chevrolet does have plans to introduce an all wheel drive variant to the line-up.
Expectations are that the car will be showcased at the 2012 Paris Motor Show with two engine options. Engine options include a 1.6 litre MPFI petrol unit and a 1.7 litre CRDI diesel unit where the latter has an output of 130 BHP. A 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine with an output of 140 BHP is also under speculation but we can’t confirm whether it will come or not. Transmission options include a 5 speed manual unit as of now, while a 6 speed automatic option is likely to come shortly after the manual launch.
Once the car makes its debut in Paris, the company will start launching the car in its respective markets.
