Chevrolet Blazer (crossover)

The Chevrolet Blazer is a mid-size crossover SUV produced by General Motors brand Chevrolet. The vehicle went into production in December 2018 and sales began in January 2019 as a 2019 model. In China, it is a larger, 7-seat crossover SUV, which debuted in 2019 and went on sale in April 2020.
Overview.
The Blazer nameplate, whose history dates back to 1969 when it was introduced as a two-door large SUV, was introduced to the public in Atlanta on June 21, 2018 as a mid-size crossover SUV that will be slotted in between the compact Equinox and the 3-row full-size Traverse. It will serve as a counterpart to the GMC Acadia in the mid-size crossover SUV segment and will be built on the same platform as the Acadia. The vehicle's design will detail a sporty-style look that takes its cues from the Camaro but will have a crossover SUV feel.
Powertrain.
The Blazer is powered by a standard 2.5 L I4 engine rated at and of torque. A 3.6 L V6 engine option will also be available, offering up and of torque. It is paired GM's 9-speed 9T50 automatic transmission. The same transmission is also used in the company's Cruze, Malibu, and Equinox models.
Trim levels and pricing.
The Blazer feature both FWD and AWD, with a choice of L, LT (1LT, 2LT, and 3LT), RS, and Premier trim levels. It will have a starting MSRP of $29,995 (USD), including destination charge, for the base L model when it officially goes on sale in January 2019.
Standard features on all Blazer models include the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 system with eight-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, OnStar with 4G LTE Wi-Fi capabilities, keyless entry with keyless access and push-button start, and alloy wheels. Options include remote start, upgraded alloy wheels, a Bose premium audio system, GPS navigation, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, a power sunroof, heated and ventilated front bucket seats with driver's memory, red interior accents (RS trim only), and a power tailgate.
Chevrolet also announced that ten colors, three exhaust styles, and seven wheel designs will be featured for the Blazer.
Nameplate.
The use of the Blazer nameplate on a crossover has sparked mixed reactions, mostly from fans of the K5 Blazer and S-10 Blazer SUVs, as well as the TrailBlazer faithful, who were disappointed of GM's decision to apply it to a crossover instead of importing the international Trailblazer to North America, building it as an SUV on the same platform as the Suburban/Tahoe, or putting it on an SUV platform based on the Colorado, citing the Blazer's history as an adventurous off-road vehicle. The Trailblazer nameplate returned to North America as a compact crossover that will be slotted below the Equinox in 2020 as a 2021 model.
Markets.
North America.
Although the Blazer debuted in the United States and Canada in December 2018, the vehicle was not launched in Mexico, where the CUV is built, until mid-February 2019. This gives all three countries a complete crossover and SUV lineup, ranging from the Trax all the way up to the Suburban. The Mexican version differs from the ones built for U.S. and Canada markets, as the levels trims are Tela (replacing L), Piel (replacing Premier), and RS, not the same as the RS sold in Canada and US other than name.
South America.
Chevrolet sells the North American Blazer in South American markets, with Argentina, Chile and Colombia (where they expect to modify their roster) receiving the vehicle in 2019 as part of its lineup expansion in the region.
Oceania.
GM was looking at expanding the Blazer to Australia and New Zealand as a Holden, up until GM’s decision to eliminate the Holden brand in 2020. It would have been slotted as a mid size entry between the Acadia and Equinox (both vehicles whose future in this region is cloudy due to Holden’s demise) as part of its expansion of its North American vehicles into this region; with Chevrolet planning to export vehicles to this region, it is not known at this point if the Blazer will be among the CUVs joining the lineup.
Asia/Middle East.
GM began selling the Blazer in the Middle East and Persian Gulf countries (excluding Iran) in June 2019. The features are the same as the North American version.
Changes.
2020.
The 2020 model year Blazer saw a 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder LSY engine added as an option on 2LT and 3LT level trims.
2021.
The 2021 model year Blazer offers a new towing package called the VR2 Trailering Package, only on models equipped with front-wheel-drive and the 3.6L V6 LGX engine. The optional package will include the same robust cooling system as the aforementioned similar V92 package available on AWD models and is expected to increase the maximum towing capacity of front-drive models to 4500 pounds, the same as on the AWD model. Four new colors were also added, while three were dropped. Pewter metallic, iron gray, cayenne orange, and cherry red tintcoat were all new for 2021, while nightfall grey metallic, graphite metallic, and cajun red tintcoat were discontinued. The standard leather-wrapped steering wheel was replaced with a urethane steering wheel on the L, 1LT, and 2LT trim levels. The twin-clutch all wheel drive system was removed from the premier trim, and is now only exclusively offered on the RS trim level, while all the other models get a regular AWD system (without the twin-clutch setup).
2022.
The Blazer L and 1LT trim levels were dropped, these models were only available with FWD and the 2.5L inline-4 LCV engine. This marks the discontinuation of the 2.5L inline-4 engine for the Blazer lineup, as this engine is not offered with any other Blazer configurations.
Three-row version.
In November 2018 at Auto Guangzhou, Chevrolet unveiled the FNR-CarryAll concept, a larger 3-row crossover SUV counterpart of the Blazer. It had a length of 5,000 mm (196 inches) on a wheelbase of 2,867 mm (112.87 inches), a width of 2,258 mm (88.9 inches) including mirrors and height of 1,693 mm (66.65 inches). It previewed a production version, to be sold in countries where it could fill the same full-size crossover SUV slot reserved for the Traverse due to the latter's length and width. The FNR-CarryAll will not see production as the concept was meant to be used as a prototype for Chevrolet’s next generation models.
On November 8, 2019, Chevrolet officially introduced the 3-row, 7-seat Blazer during 2019 Chevrolet Gala Night, a special event held in the Chinese city of Hefei. The Blazer, using the same model name as the 2-row version available in other markets, will serve as its flagship SUV in China albeit marketed as a full size vehicle. There will be three trim levels available: standard, RS, and Redline. Pre-sales began in March 2020, with deliveries starting by mid-year. The full size Blazer went on sale at dealerships in China and began production at its Jinqiao Assembly in April 2020. In addition to the three-row Blazer, Chevrolet is also offering the two-row version in the same size as the former that is also built at the Jingiao Assembly.
Contrary to rumors that it would be called the "Blazer XL" in North America, Chevrolet will not make the 3-row Blazer available there because of the Traverse filling that slot. 
So far, in addition to China, Chevrolet has looked at Brazil and South Korea as key markets, but they have yet to be confirmed for production. However, it was confirmed that the 3-row Blazer will not be available in South Korea as GM instead introduced the 2nd-generation Chevrolet Traverse to replace the discontinued Chevrolet Orlando from the South Korean Chevrolet lineup in 2018. GM also said that it will not sell the 3-row Chevrolet Blazer variant in Brazil either as the newer Asia-Pacific region Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV will fill that slot in Brazil. This means that the three-row Blazer will only be available exclusively in China. 
Production and assembly.
GM chose the Ramos Arizpe Assembly in Mexico because its Spring Hill facilities was at full capacity.
On November 27, 2018, Chevrolet began production on the Blazer in Ramos Arizpe, phasing out production of the discontinued Chevrolet Cruze altogether. The latter ended its North American production in March 2019.
Sales.
The first 27 units of the Blazer were sold in the US in December 2018.
Reception.
In a side-by-side comparison with the Ford Edge, "Car and Driver" declared the Blazer the best, for its "responsive and stable handling, aggressive styling, and stout V-6 engine."