The compact Holden Trax SUV is one quarter of an international trio, alongside the Chevrolet Trax, Opel’s European-market Mokka and the Buick Encore.
While the Holden Trax and its Chevrolet sibling wear largely identical styling, the Mokka gets an all-round unique look that makes it a cleaner fit with GM’s Opel and Vauxhall brands. The Buick version, which forms part of an Opel-heavy range, uses the same rationale.
Styling for the two Trax models remains essentially unchanged since their global debut in 2012, but these new spy photos show the four year-old Mokka testing with its first major styling update.
And, thanks to its heavy but relatively revealing camouflage, it’s clear that the Mokka’s makeover is inspired by the newly revealed 2016 Astra range.
Visible changes include sharp new integrated LED daytime lights at both ends, along with a revised grille design with new mesh and chrome garnish that again matches the brand-new Astra.
The on-road appearance of this key styling update raises the question of whether we’ll see the Mokka in Holden’s line-up in the future.
When the Trax launched here in 2013, it was the best option – both in styling and in sourcing – for a range largely made-up of Chevrolet models. But, with Holden now looking to Opel as a major source of future models, we could see the Trax swapped out for the related Mokka.
With the next-generation Commodore expected to be drawn from the Opel operation, and the new Astra likewise due here in 2016, the refreshed Mokka would be a comfortable fit.
For now, however, Holden remains tight-lipped on its plans. Speaking with CarAdvice today, a Holden spokeperson offered only: “Holden is committed to leveraging GM’s global portfolio to provide the best vehicles for Australia, however we have no announcements to make regarding our future product at this time”.
The Trax has been a solid contributor to Holden’s bottom line, with 4319 sales against its name so far in 2015. But, with models like the Subaru XV (5481 YTD), Nissan Qashqai (7882), Honda HR-V (8158) and Mazda CX-3 (8612) leading the Trax, Opel’s Mokka may prove a clever replacement.
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