There is something beautiful coming out when competing multinational automobile manufacturers combine to produce a common product. In the SUV category, the Tracker is an offspring of another Japanese-American romance. This time, Chevrolet and General Motors collaborated with Suzuki to produce one of the greatest mini-SUVs to respond to the growing fuel-conscious market. In the pick-up truck category, the Colorado was born out of Chevrolet and Isuzu’s parenthood. The Japanese virtue of efficiency fused with American passion for power and durability, and now comes the Tracker.
The American Revolution wishes everyone to know that you belong because you are a proud owner of a Chevy Tracker. Fuel efficiency is now a demand all automobile users have been wishing, yet most Americans could not abandon their traditional preference for powerful engines. Dressing your key with a Chevy Tracker Keychain means you have not forgotten the American taste in your car preference, even if Japanese fuel-efficiency has become your primary concern.
The Tracker comes in many names. It was originally marketed under the Geo small cars and SUV product lines by General Motors as the Tracker, and then it was sold by Chevrolet under the same name. Suzuki calls it own version as the Escudo. Asüna and Pontiac sold it as the Sunrunner until 1997. Suzuki named the model as the Sidekick until 1999, when the second generation Tracker came out of the assembly lines. Suzuki called this generation of the Tracker as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, a popular Japanese SUV in the market today. In Mexico, the Tracker is still sold as the Chevrolet Grand Vitara until the last units rolled off in 2004.There are Tracker and Sidekick units manufactured at the Suzuki’s Kosai assembly plant in Japan and in General Motor’s Ingersoll, Ontario plant in Canada.
Compared to other mini-SUVs in the market, which are mostly based on a rugged light-truck chassis, the Tracker is designed with a sturdy four wheel-drive system. It has a strong front suspension equipped with a tough ‘re-circulating ball steering box’. The light truck engine is backed-up by a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission with high and low mode two-wheel/four-wheel drive transfer case. The underpinnings are like a conventional light truck with U-jointed drive shafts connecting the coil-spring front hubs to the differential case. This makes the model a little ‘harsh ride’ but the design’s inherent durability in tough off-road conditions is a great benefit that offsets experiencing a little bumpy ride sometimes.
Eventually, the Tracker’s legacy in terms of durability and performance will give rise to a new concept model in the mini-SUV category. Chevrolet’s brand engineers are loyal patriots of the American Revolution, and they will always remember something important learned from the Japanese. Eventually, the Tracker would trigger a new concept or design that would give rise to a future SUV.
Always keep with you a beautiful Tracker keychain that reminds us of a great Japanese-American affair that gave birth to the Tracker. Available in black round Chrome plate, stone-looking oval metal and genuine leather designs, these key ornaments illustrate the proud Chevy logo and the model name “Tracker” standing out of a shiny black crystallite dome. This is a perfect gift with a very affordable price of $6.99.
