CHEVROLET IS planning two new 4x4s — the Captiva, on sale next June, and a smaller, sportier model previewed in the T2X concept car.
The Captiva is Chevrolet’s version of the new Vauxhall Antara, first shown as the S3X concept car last year. It will be sold in the UK with a choice of five- and seven-seat layouts, unlike the Vauxhall/Opel version which will be available only as a five-seater.
Prices will start at £16,000 for the 2.4-litre petrol five-seater, but the biggest seller is likely to be a new 150bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Both Chevrolet and Vauxhall versions will be built in Korea by GM-Daewoo Auto Technology, the rump of the bankrupt Daewoo empire now co-owned by GM and SAIC of China.
The Captiva is 4.6m long, 1.85m wide and 1.72m high, and the new platform is clothed in rakish bodywork. According to Steve Clarke, GM-DAT’s chief engineer, the Vauxhall version will have a ‘completely different body’. The rear-most row of seats uses a seat-folding mechanism based on the Vauxhall Zafira’s excellent Flex-7 system.
Under the T2X is a version of the Captiva’s platform, with shorter front and rear overhangs for a sportier look. The seats are also lower, enabling the roofline to be dropped.
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