New baby Holden SUV emerges

Chevrolet has revealed its iteration of General Motors’ all-new global compact SUV, which was previewed previously by the Buick Encore and Opel Mokka concepts, providing the best look yet at the version Holden is expected to release wearing Lion badges in Australia.

Now confirmed to make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in September before going on sale across Europe in the first half of next year, the Chevrolet Trax is essentially a revised version of the Encore that debuted at this year’s Detroit show and the Mokka that made its global debut at Geneva in March.

Opel will be launched as a separate sister brand to Holden in Australia in August and Opel Australia has all but confirmed the Mokka is odds-on to join the local Opel line-up here by the end of next year.

The Trax will debut in Paris alongside Opel’s all-new premium city-car, the Adam, which is also expected to eventually join this year’s Opel launch range comprising the Corsa, Astra and Insignia.

Similarly, Holden said the Encore was under consideration for Australian release when it was revealed in January, and has now reiterated its enthusiasm for the all-new city-crossover following the reveal of the Chevrolet version, which GM has now announced will be sold in more than 140 countries.

Revealed in a single image overnight, the Trax is essentially a rebadged version of the Encore and Mokka, featuring new headlights and a different front bumper punctuated by a Chevrolet grille and bow-tie logo.

GM Holden spokesperson Kate Lonsdale would not be drawn on which version Holden would potentially release here, but the Chevrolet version is more likely than the Buick – an upmarket US brand that is also GM’s biggest brand in China – given Chevrolet’s similar brand position to Holden.

“We’ve got no comment to make on Trax at the moment, but it’s something we’ll consider very carefully,” she said, adding that Holden’s next new SUV would be the seven-seat Colorado 7 wagon due on sale here early next year. The latter is based on Holden’s all-new Colorado ute, which is due in showrooms next month.

“It’s a pretty exciting product and it’s part of a growing market segment, but we’re really focussing on the Captiva5 and Captiva7, and the upcoming Colorado7.”

Chevrolet said the five-seat Trax will go on sale following the release of the mid-size Malibu sedan and five-door Cruze wagon, both of which are also due in Holden showrooms within 12 months.

“Trax provides Chevrolet an entry into a growing small SUV segment and delivers the flexibility, great fuel economy and car-like handling that urban explorers require,” said Susan Docherty, President and Managing Director of Chevrolet Europe.

Chevrolet has released no new details, but said the Trax would offer class-leading cargo space, room for five adults and an interior “executed to standards usually found in more expensive vehicles”.

If the Mokka is any guide, the Trax will also boast up to 1372 litres of loading space, and up to 19 storage locations. Also available will be Opel's integrated rear Flex-Fix bicycle carrier Flex-Fix, which can accommodate up to three bicycles.

Like the Encore and Mokka, the Trax is based on the same new compact platform that underpins Holden’s new Barina and should therefore be offered with the same engine line-up, including 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol and 1.7-litre turbodiesel engines matched with six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. All manual versions of the Mokka will be equipped with a fuel-saving idle-stop system.

Like the circa-$25,000 models with which it will compete – including the Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Dualis and Skoda Yeti, the Trax should become available in both price-leading front-wheel drive and more expensive all-wheel drive configurations.

If sold here, the Trax would also compete with Ford’s upcoming EcoSport sub-compact crossover, which is due here in the second half of next year and will also undercut traditional compact SUV top-sellers like the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and Subaru Forester in terms of both size and price.

The Mokka, meantime, would be priced and equipped to compete with high-end versions of existing compact SUV models including Volkswagen’s Tiguan and perhaps premium small crossovers like BMW’s X1 and the Audi Q3.

As we’ve reported, the Mokka will be available – at least in Europe – with a range of top-shelf technologies, some of which may also filter across to its Holden, Chevrolet and Buick siblings.

They include driver assistance systems based on the Opel Eye front camera system, in which the driver can access several functions including Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Traffic Sign Recognition, plus Advanced Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL+) – a bi-Xenon lighting system that includes High Beam Assist (HBA).

The 4.28-metre Mokka will come with electronic stability and traction control, as well as Hill Start Assist, Hill Descent Control and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The new Trax is not to be confused with the last Chevrolet that emerged with the same name – the Barina Spark-previewing Trax concept that debuted at the 2007 New York show.

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