ATLANTA — Chevrolet wants the Traverse to be more than just a functional entry in the growing and competitive large crossover segment.The third-generation Traverse is a “marked departure” from the nameplate’s first iteration, Chevy CMO Steve Majoros said. When it debuted for the 2009 model year, the Traverse’s design resembled the Malibu sedan, with emphasis on its sleek and smooth profile.No longer.The 2024 Traverse, which began shipping last month from General Motors’ Lansing Delta Township assembly plant in Michigan, now draws inspiration from Chevy’s truck lineup. It’s intended to be a more rugged alternative to even the second generation that debuted for 2018, with a Z71 off-road trim available for the first time. At the same time, Chevy has streamlined the nameplate with fewer trims, a new engine and fewer buildable combinations than in the past./cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js
The updates are meant to give Chevy a fresh offering in the market for three-row crossovers, which Majoros said is growing faster than for two-row vehicles.”When we go generation to generation, a lot of good things happen. Obviously, the product gets immeasurably better, which this one has,” Majoros told Automotive News at an April media drive near Atlanta.”We fully expect that we are going to be in a position where we’ll be able to sell each and every one of these,” he said. “As we’ve gone from gen to gen, loyalty has increased, conquesting has increased. So there’s certain products that once you get in them, people tend to stay in them, and Traverse is one of those products. It’s just really right-sized for what a lot of people are looking for.”The 2024 Traverse starts at $38,995 with shipping for the base LS trim, up from $35,915 for 2023. Chevy packed the Traverse with more technology, including a 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen that it says is more than twice as large as the outgoing model. It also offers more standard safety and driver-assistance features, including rear park assist, adaptive cruise control and rear pedestrian alert, that now appear on all trims rather than only some.
GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver-assist technology is now offered on the Traverse.”We’re going to have an entry-level trim here. You’ll still get a lot of goodness on that vehicle, but we’re not going to overcontent it,” Majoros said. “We’ve learned a lot about how to package things, what popular options are ordered together most frequently. Let’s bundle those together.”The Traverse also has a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which GM estimates will produce 328 hp and 326 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is available. A 3.6-liter V-6 and nine-speed transmission have been eliminated.Chevy is selling the Traverse in four varieties — LS, LT, Z71 and RS — after dropping the Premier and High Country trims from 2023. Majoros told reporters that the brand eventually could add trims above the RS, which offers a sportier look and drive starting at $55,595 with shipping.”We’re thinking about those things,” he said. “We haven’t announced everything.”
Chevy sold 123,555 Traverses in the U.S. last year, marking the nameplate’s best year since 2020 and its first year-over-year increase since 2019, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. Traverse sales declined 45 percent in the first quarter to 17,475 as the brand prepared for the redesigned model to reach dealerships. It was the No. 3-selling large crossover last year, behind the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander.Findlay Chevrolet in Las Vegas has about 40 Traverses ordered or spoken for, General Manager Doug Fleming said. The dealership has not yet received its first shipment, but Fleming said 35 are in transit.In its early days, the Traverse acted as a minivan replacement without the sliding door, he said. It evolved to have a bolder and stronger look, he said, and the latest redesign builds on that.”The new body style is much more like a Tahoe, and I think that it’s going to sell even more,” Fleming said. “It’s less and less like a minivan. I think it’s more and more like a full-size SUV, with all the comfort and convenience of a car.”Chevy will promote the Traverse through targeted marketing efforts as supply ramps up, Majoros said. “Traverse has been able to be successful with a little bit of smart support,” he said. “It’ll find its way into more of our mass-based advertising, but especially early on here where … we’re building inventory, you’ve got the ability to find people because of loyalty and because of demand signals that they would send.”
Source: autonews.com