GM Daewoo's 'Winstorm' SUV prepares to sweep SUV market
GM Daewoo has announced the launch of its first SUV. Called the Winstorm, auto enthusiasts will immediately recognize it by its more familiar name of Captiva.
Stats, pics, and additional vehicle information can be found here and here. Analysts are reporting mixed reviews of the South Korean automaker's entrance into the SUV market, citing high gas prices and softening demand as party poopers. But the company is confident it will be able to sell over 120,000 units next year with 30,000 in South Korea alone. Says Nick Reilly, CEO of GM Daewoo, "The (SUV) segment in Korea is still very significant. It's still a very important segment in many, many markets around the world." We sure hope he's right since GM Daewoo plans to export 90 percent of the SUV through GM's Chevrolet and Holden lines.
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GhostDoggy 8:58AM (6/09/2006)
Just what the market has been looking for ... yet another SUV. It would be interesting if the Feds were to place a 1-year ban on the sale of SUV's, crossovers, and pickups, and force the automotive industry to 'adjust' themselves. Now wouldn't that be an interesting 'what if'?
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Jason 9:12AM (6/09/2006)
Because if you owned an automotive company, you'd think it was entirely reasonable if your government told you what you could and could not build and sell.
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Ian 9:21AM (6/09/2006)
Why ban corosssovers? They are beter than SUVs.
I take it you don't live in New England.
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Steve 9:28AM (6/09/2006)
Look! A Mazda CX-7!
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Philbert 9:40AM (6/09/2006)
It looks like the new Saturn to me, which is good, but that name has got to go. Winstorm?? The first thing I think of is Winstar which conjures up many painful memories.
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ZipperSeven 9:45AM (6/09/2006)
Philbert-
The Chevy Captiva is the Opel Antara which is whidely thought to be the next gen VUE, yes. Personally I kinda like it.
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Greg A. 10:11AM (6/09/2006)
Following up on #7: In other words, this exact model will not be sold in the U.S., nor will the Chevy Captiva.
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Dman 10:30AM (6/09/2006)
Gosh Jason, can't have that.
Totally okay to tell people what they can and cannot do, where they can and cannot do it and who they can and cannot do it with. People are just cogs in the corporate wheel. HEAVEN FORBID we should put any sort of restrictions or requiremnts on a corporation!! Thery are Uber-People!! You cannot constrain them!
Schmuuck!
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Scott_D 10:34AM (6/09/2006)
Ian, I am not quite sure what you mean about new england, i take it your refering to the winters as a reason for needing a crossover or suv. Well i live in Canada in a little place called the snowbelt. I drive a honda civic hatchback, and i get through every winter fine, unless the snows over my hood, and then i just stay in. I did however invest a little more money to get snow tires. I couldnt believe it either, they have tires made specifically for the snow, and winter. Its crazy.
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Scott_D 10:48AM (6/09/2006)
Now seriously, i believe there are some people who honestly need SUV and pickup trucks. I realize that many of my friends who are contractors need their trucks. Any banning the sale of trucks, suv's and crossovers is just ludicris. What we need is for people to realize that they don't need an suv to get through life. I am a big fan hatchbacks and wagons, i know there not the coolest looking vehicles, but they are very practical, and will get you through 363 of the days of the year, and those other two rent a uhaul trailer, or call a friend and give him 20 bucks to use his/her truck.
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Howard Kerr 11:20AM (6/09/2006)
As one of the posters has already mentioned, this vehicle will NOT be sold sold in the U.S....unless GM/Chevy think this COULD be sold as a Chevy Tracker replacement. Aside from the Daewoo/Chevy Aveo, all other GM-Daewoo products in this country are sold by Suzuki and they don't need Daewoo to build them a small SUV/CUV.
I just wonder if Daewoo's street cred is strong enough to get upwards of 100,000 customers for this outside of Korea.
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Hanryu_Star 11:51AM (6/09/2006)
"Look! A Mazda CX-7!"
I don't think so. Use some salve, and it was released even before the cx7 as Captiva.
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ZoomZoomin' 2:04PM (6/09/2006)
Complaining about this class of SUVs is pretty ridiculous...I'd wager there's little economical/efficiency difference between this and something like an Audi Allroad (I'd actually wager this is probably more efficient and somwhere near the Forrester). It's just different physical packaging.
Some people hear the term SUV and just lose their minds.
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Glenn A. 2:41PM (6/09/2006)
This car/crossover/suv thing will actually only be sold as Daewoo in South Korea and Vietnam, I believe. Elsewhere in the world, except for N. America, it will be sold as the Chevrolet Captiva.
Daewoo as an auto badge is now limited to a couple of markets since GM bought it up.
I think a couple of east European markets have locally built Daewoos from old licensing arrangements, but then GM also sell more modern variants of similar cars as Chevrolets, and not owning or part-owning these operations, GM simply are content to drive over the competition. Until, of course, GM goes Chapter 7.
One of these little Daewoo companies is in Romania, another is in Uzbekastan, another is now renamed its old name FSO in Poland, and yet another is in Ukraine.
Daewoo were a busy beaver car company expanding in new markets all over the world until the asian financial crisis of 1999. Then it all became a house of cards in a sh!t storm.
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Glenn A. 2:41PM (6/09/2006)
This car/crossover/suv thing will actually only be sold as Daewoo in South Korea and Vietnam, I believe. Elsewhere in the world, except for N. America, it will be sold as the Chevrolet Captiva.
Daewoo as an auto badge is now limited to a couple of markets since GM bought it up.
I think a couple of east European markets have locally built Daewoos from old licensing arrangements, but then GM also sell more modern variants of similar cars as Chevrolets, and not owning or part-owning these operations, GM simply are content to drive over the competition. Until, of course, GM goes Chapter 7.
One of these little Daewoo companies is in Romania, another is in Uzbekastan, another is now renamed its old name FSO in Poland, and yet another is in Ukraine.
Daewoo were a busy beaver car company expanding in new markets all over the world until the asian financial crisis of 1999. Then it all became a house of cards in a sh!t storm.
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bob 5:49PM (6/09/2006)
Cant figure it out. Nobody wanted a Dawoo when they went under that name, and now that GM put their name on it, its a good product? Get real! Its amazing how stupid people are. Go ahead buy one and see what the quality, realibilty, and resale is. If you do buy one, you deserve everything that comes to you!
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Anthony Albertus 2:30AM (6/10/2006)
Anybody know if this is also going to be the foundation for the rumored Saab 9-4x?
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Mike 3:29PM (6/23/2006)
Anthony.... Come on dude. Get real. Do you think GM simply bought it and let it continue down the path it was on. Give me a break .. They are a bit smarter then that. Goto Edmunds.com and read the reliability reports of the Chevy Aveo.. Its a Dawoo.. Its a Chevy Aveo.. but it is not the Dawoo you have come to hate. It has revamped. Its quality much improved upon. And by and far one the best values on the market. So before you bash a vehicle you obviously have so little knowledge of at least take the time to do the research as now you simply look like a fool with nothing but blubbering coming out of your mouth.
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