CHICAGO AUTO SHOW: TEASED! Chevrolet Preps Us For A Refreshed Equinox — What Does It NEED To SUCCEED?

When you think of General Motors' Chevrolet division, can you name one vehicle that moves units on a volume basis?

It's tough, right?

Well, the Equinox has been quite popular among consumers. So much, in fact, the company just celebrated its best January ever in terms of sales. It's good to hear something is selling well for our American friends.

And if you're in-market for an all-new GM product of the sport-utility vehicle persuasion, you may want to hold out a wee bit longer. That's because Chevrolet has confirmed that a newly revamped Equinox will appear at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.

Although the automaker has kept details mum, we think it's safe to expect new powertrains that are more efficient as well as the introduction of GM's new infotainment system with upgraded software. In addition, expect new tech, like wi-fi connectivity, to make itself home in the refreshed model.

Having said that, we're a wee bit curious: What do YOU think Chevrolet NEEDS to bring to the table with its updated Equinox to remain as competitive as possible in the hot SUV market?

"More cash on the hood," is not an acceptable answer.


Chevrolet's press release follows:

Chevrolet Equinox Has Best January Ever

Refreshed 2016 model to be introduced at Chicago Auto Show

DETROIT – Customers snapped up nearly 20,000 Chevrolet Equinox compact SUVs in January – a 34-percent increase over year-ago sales that made it the model’s best January ever and Chevrolet’s second-best selling vehicle, behind the Silverado full-size pickup.

Equinox’s January performance builds on the momentum of five consecutive years of record sales. Annual sales in the U.S. increased to 242,242 last year, accounting for more than 9 percent of the rapidly growing compact SUV market. Compact SUVs eclipsed midsize cars in 2014 for the first time to become the auto industry’s largest segment.

“In one of the industry’s most competitive segments, the Equinox continues to win customers with its value-driven balance of performance, versatility and personal connectivity,” said GM North America President Alan Batey. “It also represents the depth of Chevrolet’s strong SUV lineup, ranging from the all-new Trax small SUV and Traverse to the redesigned 2015 Suburban and Tahoe.”

Chevrolet will introduce an updated 2016 Equinox on February 12 at the Chicago Auto Show.

JDMUSMuscle - 2/6/2015 11:37:16 PM

+3 Boost

First, it needs to be reliable.

But then I guess that's not really possible, since the American companies have to outsource jobs in order to even compete with the Japanese and the Koreans.

And the Japanese also outsource, but the reliability of their cars remain to be excellent even to this very day.

Thus, it can't really succeed. I mean, who really drives this thing? It looks like a chick car, too. Chevy's small and midsize SUVs all look like chick cars. What happened to all the good designs like the old Trail Blazer, etc?

TomM - 2/7/2015 9:23:42 AM

-3 Boost

That is a Misconception - According to actual statistics - while Japanese cars tend to be reliable - American trucks and Suv's lead that category already - and have for quite a while. And it already DOES succeed - so I guess saying it cannot succeed ignores reality.

It would be nice to get a smoother 4 cylinder engine as standard, and updated styling that is more in line with the rest of the Chevy offerings. The biggest problem is that impossible infotainment system - which really needs a reboot from scratch - not just an incremental update.

Agent00R - 2/7/2015 10:24:03 AM

-2 Boost

Right. If you read the story above you'd notice I pointed out it's doing well; however, the market is as competitive as ever.

What does it need to keep on trucking in this environment?

Agent00R - 2/7/2015 10:25:04 AM

-2 Boost

Hopefully GM gets the infotainment right soon. This is their noted weakness time and time again.

ParadoX - 2/7/2015 2:51:43 PM

+3 Boost

American trucks and SUV's use parts that would only be found in commercial vehicles in other parts of the world. Regular passenger vehicles by comparison (the majority of the market) fail in comparison. The long-term trend is smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. American companies need to do better at competing in that segment. The Malibu needs to be turned into a competitor, GM's smaller SUV's need to be more on par with the RAV and CR-V.

dumpsty - 2/11/2015 2:35:27 PM

+1 Boost

it will look a bit more aggressive...maybe a little bit longer & wider.