Chevrolet Trailblazer coming to the U.S. as a 2020 model

Chevrolet

launched a new Trailblazer during Auto Shanghai in April, and it looks to be on the way to the U.S. Such a move wouldn’t mark a resurrection of the Trailblazer name, since the model carried on in Asia,

Australia

, and South America in 2012 after it died here in 2009. As with the

Blazer

crossover, the Trailblazer takes its design inspiration from last year’s FNR-CarryAll concept, hence the family resemblance. The smaller offering wears similar slim headlights but with angular fog lights, a split grille, and sharply creased sides. The pictured model is in Redline trim, with 17-inch wheels.

The Bowtie hasn’t gone into specifics yet, so we aren’t sure how large or small the Trailblazer is compared to the subcompact

Trax

we already have, and what its arrival means for the Trax. The Trax rides on

GM’s

Gamma II platform, while the Trailblazer utilizes the automaker’s new, modular VSS-S architecture. As far back as two years ago,

GM said it wanted to add another crossover

to the Chevrolet lineup.

GM Authority

believes

the Trailblazer will replace the Trax

outright later this year, while

Motor Trend

reports the Trailblazer could slot in to the lineup

between the Trax and the Equinox

, perhaps as a more rugged or upscale entry in the same class.

On that rugged note, this month GM applied

to register the name Chevrolet Trailblazer Activ

with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Activ trim name has been used on the Spark in the U.S., and the Onix and Spin in South America on models with black cladding and beefier looks. If the Trailblazer replaces the Trax, an Activ model could provide the upscale entry

Motor Trend

mentioned. We should know more soon, since the Trailblazer is expected in the U.S. later this year as a 2020 model — and remember, a

new Envoy might be coming with it

.