Who’s Working On The Next-Gen Chevy Trax And Buick Encore?

A reader sent us these spy shots of what looks like a subcompact crossover, undergoing testing in the altitude of Colorado. But what is it, and who is developing it?

The camouflage does a pretty good job of obscuring the vehicle’s identity. But to our eyes, it looks like it could very well be the replacement for the Chevy Trax and Buick Encore. But that poses more questions than it answers.

Both models share their Gamma II underpinnings with the Opel Mokka. And all three came out out in late 2012/early 2013. Now over five years later, they’re coming closer to the end of their lifecycle than they are to the start. And with newer rivals like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona, and Kia Niro contending in an increasingly competitive market segment, the GM trio is starting to show its age.

The kicker is that, while those were all GM brands when the current models came out, the American giant has since sold the Opel brand – along with Vauxhall and most of the rest of its European operations – to the PSA group. They’re made in a variety of plants around the world – including GM’s in South Korea and Mexico, SAIC-GM’s in Shanghai, and Opel’s in Spain.

So the question is, will GM replace the Trax and Encore on its own, with PSA spinning the Mokka’s replacement off a shared Peugeot/Citroën platform? Or will they continue to collaborate on this model, as they will on others? Surely there are those in Detroit, Rüsselsheim, and Paris who know. But we’re not among them. At least not at this early stage. We’ll find out sooner or later, though. So watch this space, and check out the spy shots below – sent to us by reader Brett Borgard – in the meantime.