I was just perusing a French website when I noticed this “animated” ad come up. Given how Chevrolet has used its “original” Suburban for some recent Suburban ad campaigns, I was a bit surprised: an ad for the giant Suburban in France? Didn’t Paris threaten to ban big SUVs from its streets? Well, the follow up was a bit of a surprise (or not):
The New Chevrolet Trax! Yes, the perfect modern incarnation of the original SUV. It does pay to have a bit of an imagination.
The Trax is of course a close relative of the Opel Mokka/Buick Encore, and will be sold in Canada, but not in the USA. Wonder if the same ad campaign is going to be used in Canada? Somehow, I don’t think it would go over quite so well; it would take a hell of an imagination for Canadians to see the 169″ long Trax as a the “Original Reborn”.
Unbeknown to me when I started this obscure post, is the fact that the tv ad campaign for the Trax got GM into trouble for a supposedly racist soundtrack: Austrian DJ and producer Parov Stelar, refers to “the land of Fu Manchu” a place in which the girls sing “ching, ching, chop-suey.” Maybe I better stick to old cars…but then it was the 1935 Suburban wagon that caught my eye in the first place.
I’d prefer the original but thats me, i had a tale all thought out about the Panther on the cohort Paul but you did the Mirage yesterday, thats a badge just rereleased here and Mitsu actually use an original 84 in black for the TV ads, Skyliner probably has original advertising material for it.
An SUV without 4X4 does not quite meet my specifications. Not arguing the historical significance of the Suburban, but the following for me is my “first” SUV. Yes, it is NOT a factory production model, but still….
I loves me a Power Wagon, that’s for sure.
I will admit to getting a little testy about Suburbans. In fact, I would indeed argue their historical significance. A little known passenger carrying truck that virtually nobody bought for family use is turned, over 70 years later (or 40 at the least), into a family hauler for driving to little league games and on vacations. Yup, the original SUV.
Chevrolet’s modern Suburban took over that market by sheer force of dumb luck. But before 1973, that role was filled more commonly by Jeep wagons, Travelalls, and about 40 different kinds of station wagons (like, maybe, the Plymouth Suburban). Really, full sized vans were the SUVs of the 70s. It wasn’t until the Cherokee and Explorer took off in the 90s when GM decided that their big station wagon/pickup truck hybrid was an SUV.
But no. We are treated to this incessant drumbeat from GM of “Hey, everybody, lookee here – we invented the modern SUV!” Sorry, no.
Agreed. But how many people today have a clue about this? Show enough ads, and people start believing it.
If the any of the Big Three offered factory 4×4 in the full-sized 1970’s vans, things might have been different, but they didnt. International and Jeep were niche players and didnt survive as independent light truck makers. The term SUV may have originated with the Wagoneer, but Im not positive.
The first commercial evidence of the term Sport Utility, actually Sports Utility was by Ford in referring to the original Bronco in the half cab or pickup configuration. The full length top was simply called a Wagon. Of course the Bronco was just a copy of the Scout with fewer configurations.
“International and Jeep were niche players and didnt survive as independent light truck makers.”
Not so…it’s true neither were able to continue as independents; but that was true of Volvo and Saab as well. The modern motor industry, with regulation requirements and liability exposure, favors large companies with multiple product lines in many markets.
But it WAS the Wagoneer which crossed it all over…was it a desperation move? I think so; Kaiser marketers came up with the “Tuxedo Park” trim to move Jeeps out of the Service Departments and into private-owners’ garages. And the Wagoneer was just starting to get traction that way when AMC took over the operation and went Country-Club with it, full-bore.
And it worked. And GM saw and wondered if they could cash in on some of that money as well. The 1973-89 Suburban was civilized enough; but not really lending to the luxo-treatment it did get in the last years. But the 1990 relaunch…put it right in Jeep territory; and this time with a bigger body, longer option list, and a more-trusted name.
International was the one that first put the luxury into the segment when they contracted with Midas and Van America to give Scouts the full luxury treatment, at least by the 70’s standards, and they also created the 7pass compact SUV category then too.
Aint seen that body style before, weapons carrier, check Ambulance check, Command car yep, one guy in an off roader club had a set of 3 but all WW2 vintage without winches which severely limits their off highway capability, I know what the Quartermasters put them thru for military testing and they can climb a 3 foot wall out of a pit of mud and old tyres thats what the skids on the front bumper are for but they went uphill on club runs on a tow chain.
I would actually reply that THIS is the original.
I see one of your points. If you can get there in it with no roads, it passes muster, assuming of course he was able to get out.
And who says an SUV has to be 4 wheel drive?
How far do we want to split hairs?…………… I see four wheels, yes one axle, but still four wheels.
Do we need a model T week just to show your collection JP? I do like the halftrack seen an A like that but not a T.
Maybe we should do T & A week here at CC? 🙂
+1
Man, I’ve been excoriated for some of my more salacious statements, but I’ve never suggested a T&A week. But it is a great idea.
> And who says an SUV has to be 4 wheel drive?
That bugs me too. 4×4 means more stuff to break and reduced fuel mileage for mostly no benefit. My cousin had a Ramcharger that was RWD, my dad’s ’88 Suburban was RWD, my van was RWD and my Cummins is RWD. Of course, in the case of my truck, I at least wish it had a limited-slip differential every time I get it stuck. 🙁
The cars in the comments ring my bell louder than the ones in the story.
Agreed.
And do we Canadians really need more generic GM vehicles? It’s bad enough with all those Chevy/Daewoo Epicas around here..
They already sell the Chevy Orlando in Canada too, but not the US. The Chevy Equinox is also sold in Canada. From the dimensions, the Trax is the smallest, the Orlando is a bit bigger, and the Equinox is a bit bigger still. Then continuing to go larger, there are the Traverse, Tahoe and Suburban. Is there really enough of a market for that many similar vehicles under the Chevy banner?
I’m sorry but the original Suburban was just that a suburban or station wagon, that just happened to built out of a panel truck.
Yep modified to haul people not goods, 7 seater Hudsons and Cadillacs from the 30s were used as passenger service cars here for similar purposes, mail cars etc these suburbans could have done that role If we’d got them.
I think they bypassed the trouble by calling it a “CUV” or “Crossover”.
Renault seems to be inspired from the 1947-55 Advance Design Chevrolet Suburban when they made the Renault Colorale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Colorale
We do indeed get the Trax in Canuckistan. I saw one a while back when I was dealing on a used Cruze for an employee. It is a rather spartan thing, like a tall Cruze. Seems like a nice enough thing and since the turbo 4 in the Curze could barely cut it, it would even worse.
A similarly equipped RAV 4 is $220 more than the Trax. I know where my money would go and it ain’t Daewoo ever again.
Here in italy we’ve got the same ads, even on tv they air up this commercial with an electro-swing soundtrack where they try to compare the trax to the original suburban…bah…the whole european chevy adventure as a low budget brand it’s depressing and nobody has been fooled…thankfully they’re selling the camaro but as every real us-car it’s a really low volume seller