Monza, CarryAll - It's Back to the Past for GM China

Chevy isn’t just bringing back retro nameplates here in its home market. Sure, the Blazer is set to appear in this country next year, while the Malibu and Impala have been back for ages.

Over in China, GM is dusting off two more nameplates – the CarryAll for a crossover and Monza for a sedan. Why should you care? Because the CarryAll bears styling very much like the Blazer, portending a shift in design language for future bowtie crossover machines in this country.

Essentially, the CarryAll appears to be a Blazer that was put into a taffy puller until it was long enough to accept a third row of seats. GM says the CarryAll is 196 inches long and rides on a 113-inch wheelbase. The General hasn’t yet released dimensions for the Blazer. The China concept is said to have an “independent six-seat layout” which this author takes to mean three rows of two with buckets in the middle row. Two rows of three-across bench seating is highly unlikely.

For comparison, the five-place 2019 Ford Edge has a 112.2-inch wheelbase and casts a 188.8-inch shadow. The Explorer stretches 198.7 inches to accommodate three rows on a wheelbase just half an inch longer.

The dimensions make sense, then. Your author thinks there is little chance of the Blazer gaining a third-row in this country, as it would probably just serve to cannibalize sales of other machines in the Chevrolet portfolio. Still, this CarryAll is worth talking about since it is now the second crossover to have “Camaro-inspired” styling. One is an aberration, two is notable, and three – should a third one appear – will make a trend.

This is not to say the Tahoe will suddenly sprout Camaro headlights atop its bulky hood. The Traverse and Trax, though? Maybe. Companies do seem to enjoy endowing all their machines with a corporate face.

Elsewhere, our Associate Editor was quite excited to once more see the Monza name on a GM car. Described by the company as a sedan with a “youthful aesthetic,” the RS model shown here is apparently aimed at younger car buyers in China. The photo doesn’t tell us much, so check out the video below for more detail.

Here is a picture of a 1978 Monza, just ‘cuz.