The Chevrolet Trax is a
compact crossover SUV manufactured by
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
and marketed under the
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
brand since 2013, currently in its second generation.
The first generation model was released globally in 2013 as the smallest, entry-level crossover SUV offering from the brand. Development and production were centered in South Korea by
GM Korea
GM Korea Company () is the South Korean subsidiary of American multinational corporation General Motors and the third largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo Motors vehicle brand, which was sp ...
. A restyled model was also produced as the
Buick Encore in North America and as the
Opel/Vauxhall Mokka in Europe.
In several markets, the vehicle was marketed as the Chevrolet Tracker, and as the Holden Trax in Australia and New Zealand. The Trax became available in Canada, Mexico, Germany, South Korea, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, and Europe for the 2013 model year and was released in the United States for the 2015 model year.
In 2019, GM released the replacement of the Trax for China and Latin America, the
Tracker. The first-generation Trax continued to be marketed in North America, South Korea, and several other markets until 2022, when it was replaced by the larger second-generation Trax due for the 2024 model year. The second-generation Trax is also marketed in China as the Chevrolet Seeker.
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First generation (U200; 2013)
The first-generation Trax (model code U200, designated TJ in Australia)
was first shown as a concept car, which was first unveiled at the
2012 Paris Motor Show,
with the final model unveiled at the
2013 North American International Auto Show.
It was then available for test driving at the 2013
Montreal International Auto Show, with four essay models shown.
The SUV was in development since 2008 by GM's small vehicle development team centered in South Korea. It is based on the
GM Gamma II platform, which is shared with the
Chevrolet Aveo/Sonic and the
Opel Mokka/Buick Encore. It was marketed as the Holden Trax in Australia and as the Chevrolet Tracker in Russia and South America. For most global markets, the Trax was produced by both
GM Korea
GM Korea Company () is the South Korean subsidiary of American multinational corporation General Motors and the third largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo Motors vehicle brand, which was sp ...
and GM Mexico.
SAIC-GM also produced the model for the Chinese market from the 2015 model year until 2020.
GM Uzbekistan also produced this model starting in late 2018.
During 2013 and early 2014, the Trax was only sold in Canada, Mexico, Germany, South Korea,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, and Europe.
In Canada, the Trax was the first compact Chevrolet crossover SUV since the discontinuation of the Tracker (read below). The vehicle started shipping on April 2, 2013; however, pre-sales began as early as the fourth quarter of 2012 for both Mexico (1.8 L) and Canada (1.4 L turbo). Sales in South Korea started in late February 2013.
In late 2014, the Trax was marketed to more countries including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
File:Chevrolet Trax LS+ 1.4 4WD – Heckansicht, 11. August 2013, Wuppertal.jpg, Rear view
Markets
South Korea
The Trax was introduced in South Korea in February 2013. It was powered by the 1.4 L turbocharged gasoline engine. In 2015, a 1.6-litre diesel engine was added. The facelift model was introduced in October 2016.
It was the most exported car of South Korea from 2016 to 2018.
United States
The Trax came to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as a 2015 model, following the success of the
Buick Encore (the Trax and Encore share the GM Gamma II platform) and possible competition from the
Jeep Renegade; GM initially had no plans to offer the Trax to the U.S. market.
The U.S.-market Trax was largely unchanged from the global version, but had some U.S.-specific features including
OnStar
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based telecommunication, communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, ...
with
AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
4G
LTE and
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
satellite radio.
The U.S. version was powered by the 1.4 L turbocharged inline-4 with at 4,900 rpm and at 1,850 rpm. Trailer towing was not recommended. Only the 6-speed automatic transmission was available.
Three trim levels, each available with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, are available: LS, LT, and LTZ.
2017 refresh
Chevrolet performed a mid-cycle update on the Trax for the 2017 model year, first unveiled at the
2016 Chicago Auto Show on February 12, 2016. The updated Trax carried design cues from the
Malibu and
Volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...
, including new halogen projector headlights, LED daytime running lights, dual taillights, and a new grille design. A set of 18-inch aluminum wheels were offered on the Premier model trim. The interior was also redesigned with a new dashboard and center instrument panel. Overall, the 2017 facelift improved Trax's perceived quality. The 2017 Trax went on sale in the fall of 2016.
The Trax continued unchanged for the 2020 model year in North America. It was joined by a slightly larger model, the
Trailblazer (no relation to the previous North American or international mid-sized SUVs of the same name).
For the 2021 model year, the base L and high end Premier levels were removed from the offering trims, leaving the bottom-tier LS and now top-tier LT.
File:Chevrolet Trax Facelift IMG 3724.jpg, Chevrolet Trax (facelift)
File:Chevrolet Trax Facelift IMG 4194.jpg, Chevrolet Trax (facelift)
File:2020 Chevrolet Trax interior.jpg, Interior
Name variations
Holden Trax (2013–2020)
In Australia and other
Oceania
Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...
markets, the Chevrolet Trax was offered under the
Holden
Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
brand until that brand was discontinued in 2020.
It went on sale in 2013.
Chevrolet Tracker
In Russia and South America,
the Trax was instead named the Chevrolet Tracker, which was the name used in
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
from 1989 to 1991 and 1999 to 2008 for a Chevrolet/Geo version of the
Suzuki Sidekick
The Suzuki Vitara is a series of SUVs produced by Suzuki in five generations since 1988. The second and third generation were known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, while the fourth generation eschewed the "Grand" prefix. In Japan and a number of ...
.
Engines
The Trax was offered in different markets with different choices of drivetrains. In Latin America, the Trax was only available with the 1.8L gasoline engine. In Canada and the U.S., only the 1.4L turbocharged gasoline engine was offered. In Mexico and Australia (from 2015), it was available both with 1.8 and 1.4L turbocharged engines. European customers could choose from a 1.4L turbo gasoline engine, a 1.6L gasoline engine, and a 1.7L diesel engine.
Safety
Discontinuation
In China and South America, the first-generation Trax was discontinued and replaced by the
Tracker in 2019. It was similar in size to the Trax, but built on a new platform (
GEM) for emerging markets and not intended for North America.
General Motors discontinued the first-generation Trax, as well as the related
Buick Encore, following the 2022
model year
The model year (sometimes abbreviated as MY) is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured.
...
in North America.
Second generation (2023)
The second-generation Trax debuted in China in July 2022 as the Chevrolet Seeker.
The North American second-generation Trax was unveiled in October 2022, with sales beginning in the second quarter of 2023 as a 2024 model. It is larger than the previous model with a lower height. While being larger than the
Trailblazer crossover, the Trax is priced below it. Chevrolet expects a $5,000 lower average transaction price compared to Trailblazer.
Chevrolet considered to use another nameplate for the North American market to reflect changes in its size and exterior styling compared to the first-generation Trax, but the brand instead kept the ''Trax'' nameplate due to its wider recognition.
In North America, the second-generation Trax is offered in five trim levels: LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and Activ. The Activ gets accents with a titanium-chrome finish and a faux rear skid plate. All-wheel drive is no longer offered. All models are powered by a 1.2 L turbocharged, three-cylinder gasoline engine rated at and . The U.S.-market Trax continues to be manufactured in South Korea.
The second-generation Trax is available with
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...
only, as Chevrolet offers the Trailblazer, which is available with an all-wheel-drive option. Another reason is because the new Trax was designed as a more versatile replacement for the
Cruze sedan and hatchback.
South Korean sales began in late March 2023 in RS, Activ, LT and LS trims.
Sales
References
External links
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{{Holden vehicles
Trax
Cars introduced in 2012
2020s cars
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Mini sport utility vehicles
Crossover sport utility vehicles
2010s cars