With the new Blazer on the horizon, it seems the GMC Envoy could be on its way back as well. GM recently filed a trademark for the name ‘Envoy’, which applies to “motor vehicles, namely, sport utility vehicles, engines therefor and structural parts thereof.” From 1998-2009, GMC produced midsize SUV cousin to the Chevrolet TrailBlazer. Even beyond that, the small S-10 Blazer was related to the GMC Jimmy. While some were expecting the Jimmy name to return, it seems the Envoy may work its way into the brand’s lineup alongside its other SUVs and crossovers.
Back in the 2000’s, the Envoy enjoyed reasonable success until the most recent recession and rising gas prices crippled its sales. Right now, the crossover market is red hot and gas prices are low. They currently rule the sales charts, and the field is ripe for the GMC Envoy to make its comeback.
Odds are if GMC does revive the Envoy, it will a slot somewhere between the Acadia and Yukon. That’s much the same as the Blazer, which falls around the Traverse in the market. We’d expect powertrains to be similar as well. There are two engine options for the Blazer: a 192 horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder, or a 3.6-liter V6 with 305 horsepower.
While we don’t live in an era of GM that will see the Blazer spread across several different brands, it still does have Buick as well. Remember the Buick Rainier? That was also a cousin to the Chevy TrailBlazer, so we may see a Buick version of the new Envoy as well. It fits well within the “Encore”, “Envision”, “Enclave” nomenclature, so we may see that outcome in lieu of a GMC model as well. Perhaps we’ll see the Chevy Blazer, GMC Jimmy and Buick Envoy in the near future. For now, it’s speculation as to exactly what GM will do with the trademark.
Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!
