Chevy puts on international face at Detroit Auto Show
Chevy will be using the Detroit Auto Show on Jan. 14 to release two quintessentially American products: an all-new Corvette and Silverado pickup truck. But the automaker’s booth will have an international flavor as well, as five vehicles from Chevy’s global lineup will also be on display.
“[Detroit] kicks off the global auto show season and gives us a unique opportunity to show off the depth of Chevrolet’s global product lineup,” Mary Barra, a senior vice president of Global Product Development, said in a statement.
The vehicles are sold in markets like China, Brazil, and Indonesia and are all designed to meet the specific needs of their respective markets.
PHOTOS: Chevy’s global products at the Detroit Auto Show
The Sail is a compact sedan developed jointly in China with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center. Chevy says it’s intended for “young Chinese families,” though it will also be exported to emerging markets like Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
Also representing the South American market is the Onix, a small, four-door hatchback. This car has been on sale in Brazil since November 2012, and Chevy says it can run on 100% ethanol or a mix of ethanol and gasoline.
The Spin is a compact, four-door minivan made in Indonesia for sale in that country and Thailand. Chevy says the seven-passenger Spin was designed with the urban confines of these countries in mind.
Also on display at the Chevy booth will be the Trax and the Orlando.
The Trax is a compact sport utility vehicle to be sold in Mexico and Canada. It shares a platform with the Buick Encore, which is sold in the U.S. Meanwhile, the Orlando is another four-door minivan made in South Korea and sold in Canada.
This emphasis on Chevy as a global brand is also reflected in a new advertising slogan.
Earlier this week, GM dumped Chevy’s America-centric “Chevy Runs Deep” advertising slogan for “Find New Roads,” a tagline the company believes better matches its ambitions for overseas sales.
“Now is an excellent time to build the brand on a global basis,” said Alan Batey, GM’s vice president for U.S. sales, service and global marketing.
Chevrolet plans 20 vehicle launches globally this year.
Founded in 1911, Chevrolet has long been one of the top nameplates in the U.S. But it is also a giant global brand, selling more than 4 million cars and trucks annually in 140 countries. Back in 2002, just 27% of Chevrolet’s sales were outside the U.S. Today it’s 63%.
Chevrolet has used the “Chevy Runs Deep” slogan since 2010. It has appeared in seven Super Bowl commercials and was an attempt to connect buyers to the auto brand’s roots in American society as the company started to rebuild from its 2009 federal bailout and bankruptcy reorganization.
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