MINNEAPOLIS — Chevrolet has sold more than 4 million of its Equinox compact crossover in the U.S. and aother 322,000 in Canada over two decades, building a large and loyal customer base for the nameplate.
With a redesign that packages more technology into a truck-like profile for 2025, the brand sees an opportunity to take share from rivals.
With U.S. sales up 0.6 percent in the first half of 2024 to 106,455, the Equinox was fourth among compact crossovers after the formidable Japanese trio of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue.
In Canada, though, sales were off 3.4 per cent in the first half of 2024 to 6,139, and the Equinox was 12th in sales among compact crossovers, according to the Automotive Research and Data Center in Detroit.
Scott Bell, vice president of global Chevrolet, said he would put the fourth-generation Equinox up against any rival for its updated exterior design and interior technology.
"It's such a competitive segment," he told sibling Automotive News at a media drive here. "There's so many different options for consumers that in some cases, I don't think we've been on all those consumers' shopping lists. I think we're going to get a shot at getting on them."
The 2025 Equinox is in production at General Motors' San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico. By October, the brand should have enough dealership inventory to launch a marketing campaign that's under development, Bell said.
The redesigned Equinox is more muscular than the outgoing model, with a more upright front end, a wider stance and boxier wheel wells. Truck-like influences have made their way across Chevy's crossover lineup, including the redesigned three-row Traverse.
"We had such a positive reaction to what we have out there now," said Scott Wassell, senior creative designer for Chevrolet. The reaction to the Traverse, in particular, has been strong "because it's giving them more of a tough, bold, expressive vehicle than its predecessor — and than, for that matter, a lot of the other competitive vehicles in the segment."
