When did Chevy stop making trackers?
The Chevy Tracker was discontinued after the 2004 model year, with production ending in 2004. It was a badge-engineered compact SUV based on Suzuki Vitara under GM’s late-1990s strategy to rebadge existing platforms for the U.S. market.
Origins and market positioning
The Tracker arrived in the United States as a small, affordable SUV built on a Suzuki platform, part of General Motors’ effort to expand its entry-level SUV lineup through badge engineering. It served as Chevrolet’s version of a lineage that included the Geo Tracker in earlier years.
Below are the major milestones in the Tracker's U.S. run.
- Badge-engineering lineage: Chevrolet offered the Tracker as a replacement entry in the small SUV segment, leveraging Suzuki Vitara underpinnings.
- Market positioning: It was marketed as a practical, budget-friendly two- or four-door SUV with modest off-road capability and straightforward practicality.
- End of production: GM ceased Tracker production after the 2004 model year, with no direct successor bearing the Tracker name.
These milestones illustrate why the Tracker was short-lived in the Chevrolet lineup.
Aftermath and legacy
Following the Tracker’s exit, GM redirected its small-SUV strategy toward other models and global crossovers. The Tracker name has not been revived in the U.S. market, while Chevrolet and GM expanded their lineup with newer subcompact and compact crossovers in the years that followed, reflecting a broader industry shift toward modern crossovers rather than badge-swapped, entry-level sporadic models.
Summary
In brief: Chevrolet stopped making the Tracker after the 2004 model year; production ended in 2004. The model was a badge-engineered version of Suzuki's Vitara and represented GM's late-1990s badge strategy in the U.S. It was not directly replaced under the Tracker name, and GM later leaned into other small-SUV offerings as the market evolved.
