While we’re well into the dawn of an electric age, fossil fuels aren’t dead yet. Case in point? China’s new gasoline-powered Chevrolet Equinox could come to America. These photos of the new Chevrolet Equinox come to us via China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is how many cars debut these days if they’re sold in the Chinese market, and I like what I see. But wait, Chevrolet has that new Equinox EV coming out, so why would it need another gasoline-powered Equinox in America?
First of all, the current Equinox first appeared in China under similar conditions as this one. Secondly, GM’s a car company, and companies are interested in printing money hand-over-fist. With not everyone aboard the EV train, a new gasoline-powered Equinox could pick up fossil fuel devotees and those who can’t practically charge at home. Apartment-dwellers, people with ancient 100-amp panels who commute too far to top off on 120-volt power, those sorts. Oh, and that’s assuming the Equinox EV production ramp is fast and steep — the current Equinox has sold well over 100,000 units in every year except 2022, far beyond the scope of GM’s current EV sales. In short, a new gasoline-powered Equinox might actually be necessary.
Up front, the Equinox showcases a lot of grille, but there’s a high chance that much of it is non-functional. The small lower grille probably doesn’t do much, judging by how the license plate mount is allowed to block airflow, but that’s showbiz, baby. Likewise, the upper grille could just be a garnish, with most of the breathing coming through a large, rectangular, horizontally-slatted grille smack-dab in the middle of the fascia. It’s a reasonably clean look, and combined with the very Trax-like split headlamp treatment, should help this front end age well.
[Editor’s Note: I dunno, it looks an awful lot like the Blazer:
And honestly not that different from the Trax:
And is it that much different than the Trailblazer?
I’m a little bored. And by “a little” I really mean “a lot.” -DT]
Move around to the side of the Equinox and it’s clear that GM’s gone all boxy. Think Nissan Rogue, but with more interesting touches. The shark fin C-pillar treatment is reminiscent of the B-pillar on the dearly-departed DS3 three-door hatchback, while the angular roof rail conjures up VinFast of all things. Those touches of intrigue are somewhat tempered by traditional GM touches like squared-off wheel arches and character lines that seem to butt heads, although that’s to be expected. For a mass-market vehicle to sell in droves, it helps to not rock the boat too much.
Around the back, Chevrolet continues its crusade to put C7 Corvette taillight wings on everything. From the faux-vents on the Trax come the swooping form of the Equinox’s taillights, and it works. Job done, I reckon. It’s a dramatic enough gesture to take eyes off the fairly plain form of the Equinox’s rear end, but sometimes a bit of oatmeal is good for you. From the tall bit of unpainted cladding right up to the hatch opening so you don’t scratch any paint loading and unloading cumbersome items to the trapezoidal license plate relief, the rear end of the Equinox feels decidedly functional, as it should.
While there aren’t many pictures of the new Equinox out right now, the Ministry has published lots of close-ups that seem to indicate that a GM product is made of very GM-looking parts. Who knew? Still, there are a couple takeaways from this collage: A 360-degree camera system is available, a panoramic moonroof is on the options list, and the base alloys don’t look bad. Not the most enlightening info, but still, good to know.
Power comes from a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine which totally sounds like it could make it across the ocean, mostly because it already has. The GM Small Gasoline Engine has appeared in various American-market vehicles over the past few years including the current Equinox. Experience with a very similar engine in a late-model Chevrolet Malibu suggests it’s pretty adequate, capable of moving a midsize sedan from a stop to speed with neither joy nor derision. It’s what you’d get if Canada’s ominous No Name brand sold a giant yellow crate labeled “Four-Cylinder Powertrain.” For a mass-market crossover, it should do nicely.
Overall, the new Chevrolet Equinox looks to be a handsome, practical-looking mass-market two-row crossover that should find more homes than just Hertz and Avis. While it’s yet to be seen if it’s sold in America, don’t count it out. GM plans to go all-electric in 2035, which means we could still have more than a decade of new gasoline-powered vehicles.
(Photo credits: GM)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV Is A Lot of Electric Car For $30,000
-
The Surprisingly Nice 2024 Chevrolet Trax Is $21,495 Of Fundamental Goodness
-
The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Is Reportedly Expected To Offer Up To 450 Miles Of Range, Arrives This Spring
-
The Brilliant Sixth-Generation Chevrolet Camaro Deserves A Better Send-Off Than This
-
The VinFast VF3 Looks So Fun That You Almost Forget What A Mess VinFast Is Right Now
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
I’m not a buyer for this type of vehicle, but I really like the looks. It’d be nice if they could scale this up on the Colorado platform to compete with the 4Runner and Bronco. It’s unfortunate GM hasn’t had a player in that market since the H3.
Wait those GM vehicles DT posted are different models?!
Came back to this after the weekend with fresh eyes and still no. Looks like they raised the hood to make it look more rugged or something. The back door looks a little better than it did, but the tradeoff behind it wasn’t worth it.
I can’t wait to get cut off by one of these on the road and rear ended by another
I was unable to read the last third. I tried, but my eyes just slid down the screen. Not Hundal’s fault, he really wasn’t given much to work with. Autopian, though, is the place where the perviest automotive interests will be catered to, so no judging.
exactly the same here.
They need to ditch the bowtie, it says cheap to me on anything other than a pickup.
I wouldn’t even call that handsome.
“Blazer.” Yeah, still no. #notmyblazer
I suppose if you are getting rid of all hatches and sedans in your lineup, you’re gonna need a low and high CUV in each size category. But why not make the low end one design style, and the high end another? The Equinox and the Trax have the stupid shark fin, which means that’s not happening.
Ford makes the Escape and the Bronco Sport. Tall wagon and offroad thing on the same platform, aiming for different consumers.
Torch is right.
I fell asleep 3 times trying to scroll through those pictures.
I almost don’t even care what the new Equinox will look like, provided that it’s possible to buy a base EV version at $30K and actually pay MSRP. Same goes for Volvo’s new EX40 at $35K, or Tesla’s still-semimythical Model 2 for a supposed $25K. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bring myself to give some local dealer an extra $10K of mark-up profit, no matter how nice the Maverick looks in Cyber Orange Tri-Coat Metallic.
ANY of these, if devoid any obvious glaring defects or stupidity, and with ranges of at least 200 miles, would be fine, almost regardless of what they look like. I must be in the minority that doesn’t need sub-seven-second 0-60 times… I’d gladly trade some of that ‘feature’ for a lower entry price. I also don’t want or need apps in my next car, but again: I’m weird like that.
BTW Thomas, I appreciate your wordsmithery: “neither joy nor derision” is lovely. 🙂
Remind me why taxpayers bailed GM out? Everything they design these days is ugly.
Trucks, SUVs, yes even the Corvette looks like the designers took a 2005 Ferrari 360 Modena and copied it but only using straight lines. If you sliced 20% of the height out of the design through the middle it might look decent. (Same goes for the Dodge Challenger).
My dad says he hasn’t liked the look of an American car since the Malaise era started and honestly, I see where he’s coming from. I’d argue the latest Hondas show what a decent-looking appliance car should look like, i.e. boring, but clean and inoffensive (compare the Honda Prologue with the platform-mate Blazer EV, ugh). All new GM cars are bland yet simultaneously fussy and overly micromanaged. I guess that’s what design by committee gets you.
When AI and corporate combine to design a profit-maximizing fleet. Working in total loss I sadly have to not only determine which blob it was, but what features it has and then explain the “value” to people. My internal value is set to $0.00 for both dollars and F’s given for these appliances.
Zzzzzzz….
So, same sausage, different size, but that’s a bad thing here vs the e39/e46 and basically most bmw sedans since, all Audis from about the same era etc? It’s a cheap SUV that fits the goal of family appliance for those that an EV doesn’t work for with a widespread dealer network. Not sure what you were expecting…
I think the objection, is that GM keeps giving us the sausage. (Yes. I know.)
The size isn’t important, it’s that we don’t want more sausage.
Hats off to David, winning the argument in the most understated way possible. I did start out thinking “well, this car looks ok I guess” and then David just adds another 3 cars that look the exact same but with different wheels. Your point has been made and acknowledged Mr Tracy.
For sure it’s because I’ve been watching too much anime, but the lead image makes me think of: https://animemotivation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/akatsuki-log-horizon-pout.jpg
Equinoxious
Really there are SUVs made that dont look like every other SUV being made? THEY ALL LOOK ALIKE. I wouldnt buy a vehicle from China, against the whole using slave labor and starting a global pandemic, but nice to know I have principals. Anyone else?
I used to have principals, until I dropped out of school.
Have you been to Walmart lately?
Nope dont do walmart