What on Earth Is This Chevy Test Vehicle?
When Chevrolet first unveiled the 2019 Blazer, the automaker said that, at least for its first year, three rows of seating was out of the question. This brought some raised eyebrows because the GMC model that is about the same size, the Acadia, has a third row. However, if a test mule seen running around in Michigan is any indication, a tri-row Blazer may be on the way.
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Potential Three-Row Chevy Blazer Captured Testing https://t.co/f2dnajVHsh
— GM Authority (@GMauthority) September 27, 2018
…Maybe. GM Authority, which captured the photos, seems a little unclear. The testing mule shares the Blazer’s headlight style, including thin LED Daytime Running Lights and separate headlight clusters. Both have a similar A pillar and side mirror mounting.
However, the mule has a longer roof line with more rear overhang and a more upright rear end. This all points to a probable third row. In addition, when the door was opened, the photographer got a glimpse of a more traditional rectangular air vent (the Blazer has round vents), and the steering wheel is a different design.
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It is honestly pretty difficult to say what this vehicle is under the heavy camouflage. I can’t dispute the GM Authority assertion that a three-row Blazer would fill a hole in the Chevrolet crossover lineup. In addition, my other thoughts on what it may be didn’t really pan out. The Equinox and Traverse were just refreshed for the 2018 model year, and I couldn’t seem to find a Chevy vehicle with the same steering wheel/air vent configuration.
In the end, I have to throw up my hands and agree that it seems likely to be an extended-body Blazer. I suppose that my hopes that this was an early version of the crossover replacement for the Volt plug-in hybrid are pretty unlikely, in any case. Maybe we will see a return of the Chevy Trailblazer to the US market.
For all we know, it could be an American-spec version of the new Chevy Orlando, which the brand just unveiled in China.
This guy
I personally like the look of the Orlando. I wouldn’t be upset to see it on American shores.
News Source: GM Authority
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