GM's Chevrolet Trax Crossover is feature heavy but cost light

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GM's Chevrolet Trax Crossover is feature heavy but cost light

Published: 22 Mar. 2023, 16:49

Chevrolet Trax Crossover [GM KOREA]

General Motors introduced its latest Chevrolet Trax Crossover for the Korean market Wednesday, with various exclusive features but a surprisingly low price tag.

It is the first crossover utility vehicle (CUV) Chevy brand is offering in Korea. The vehicle was developed by GM Korea, the Korean unit of General Motors, as the first fully revamped version in a decade.

The CUV, which is between a sedan and an SUV, offers a wider interior and views like SUVs but weighs less.

“We are paving the way for GM's new target segment, crossovers, with the Chevrolet Trax Crossover's launch in Korea," said GM Korea President Roberto Rempel during a press conference Wednesday at the Kintex exhibition center in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

"We sent our first shipment of 6,000 vehicles to the U.S. in February and have already seen an amazing response from dealers, customers and the media."

The interior of the Trax Crossover [GM KOREA]

Measuring 4,540 millimeters (179 inches) long, 1,825 millimeters wide and 1,560 millimeters in height, the vehicle is bigger than Kia’s Seltos SUV, one of its major rivals in the market.

Thanks to the 2,700-millimeter wheelbase, or the distance between the front and back wheels, the vehicle offers spacious legroom. Second seats can be folded down, which will be a plus point for camping lovers.

Notably, the Trax comes with improved features that are exclusively for Korean customers, including an auto-hold system.

The system, largely favored by Koreans, automatically controls the brakes, assisting drivers who frequently face stop-and-go traffic.

Equipped with a 1.2-liter gasoline engine, the vehicle generates a maximum of 139 horsepower and 22.4 kilogram-meters of torque.

Fuel efficiency stands at 12.7 kilometers per liter.

Chevrolet Trax Crossover [GM KOREA] [GM KOREA]

But the most attractive feature of the vehicle will be the cost, with the sticker price starting from 20.5 million won ($15,700), even cheaper than the prices in the United States.

It’s even cheaper than rivals Kia’s Seltos and Hyundai Motor’s Kona.

"The Trax is affordable and it has incredible safety technology and fuel efficiency," General Motors CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.

"In the U.S. we are already seeing positive customer response and high demand, and I am confident that it will be the same in Korea."

Trax CUVs will be entirely manufactured at GM Korea's Changwon plant in South Gyeongsang. GM recently invested 900 billion won to build a new 3-story painting facility and upgrade its stamping and assembly facilities for the new vehicle.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]