This Means War

MANILA, Philippines – It may have taken a while to show their hand, but now that we’re starting to slowly see some of Chevrolet’s cards, it has become pretty clear that the top three are in for one hell of a game.

Meet the all-new, completely reinvented Trailblazer. It is, according to General Motors head of sales and marketing for Thailand, Toti Zara, the entire reason that The Covenant Car Company took on the Chevrolet brand to begin with almost three years ago. And after seeing it up close during the world premiere last week in Bangkok, it’s not hard to see why.

This is not the American-sourced Trailblazer that has been the nemesis of the almighty Ford Explorer. This here is General Motor’s newly developed weapon of mass destruction in the 7-seater diesel SUV segment, zeroed in on the likes of the best-selling Montero Sport, the Ford Everest and the former king of the hill, the Toyota Fortuner.

But unlike the big three, the Trailblazer is the only one that will be riding on a second generation multi-purpose platform, derived from the soon-to-be launched Colorado pick up, which has been shortened slightly for better off-road performance and handling. It promises unprecedented levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), which we all know to be the Achilles heel of this segment, and should be priced smack, bang in the middle of where the top dogs are doing business.

Having just driven the Colorado last week over 500 kilometers of Thai roads, including a two-hour Jungle drive that would trouble a mountain goat, it is safe to say that on-road comfort, NVH and refinement will be Chevrolet’s major selling point here, and be the benchmark of which the current leaders will be judged.

The Trailblazer, which has been designed to fill one of the most lucrative segments in the industry, is a collaboration between top Brazilian engineers and their Thai counterparts, who have spent over 9, billion baht (P12.5 billion) the last five years and 2.5 million testing kilometers combing through every detail just to get things right.

“About 15 engineers, with their families, migrated to Thailand for two years, and travelled the region extensively, just to be able to imbibe themselves into the Asian culture, and more importantly, understand the way we like to use our vehicles,” Martin Apfel, president of General Motors Thailand explained during the impressive global launch at the Impact Convention Center in Bangkok.

Philippine bound units will be built in General Motors’ Rayong plant in Thailand, which, like its major competitors, will attract 0% import tax under the current Asean Free Trade Agreement. This would allow Chevrolet to be more competitive in their pricing, versus their Korean-sourced products like the Cruze, the Spark and the Orlando.

The Trailblazer will be powered by either a 2.5 liter or 2.8 liter Duramax diesel engine that are currently being built in an exclusive 500 million dollar diesel engine plant in Thailand, and promise best in class power and fuel efficiency. They are also the only ones in the segment to offer a six speed automatic gearbox.

It will be offered in 4X2 and 4X4 versions, and will come with a choice of two trim levels; and although local specifications and trim levels are yet to be announced, the range-topping LTZ should come with full leather seating, Bluetooth infotainment system and dual climate control.

GM Thailand, as well as the local distributor, TCCCI, are keeping tight lipped about the launch date, but all signs point to the last quarter of this year.