Official

GM plans new car family for global markets, $5B investment

Globalization remains all the rage in the auto industry, as manufacturers scramble to develop single vehicles that can easily be adapted to the world's disparate market places. Ford has been a champion of this movement, with its One Ford mandate, but now, its cross-town rival is getting in on the action, albeit on a smaller scale.

General Motors has announced a $5-billion investment to develop a new Chevrolet-badged family vehicle for global growth markets, including Brazil, Mexico, India, and importantly, China. With the PRC listed as a target market for the new vehicle, it's no surprise that GM is teaming with its Chinese joint-venture partner, SAIC Motor, to develop the vehicle's architecture and engines. The first vehicles should be hitting dealers by 2019, with GM expecting to eventually move some two million units per year.

"With a significant majority of anticipated automotive industry growth in 2015 to 2030 outside of mature markets, Chevrolet is taking steps to capitalize on that growth," GM President Dan Ammann said in the attached statement. "Strengthening Chevrolet's position through this major investment is consistent with our global strategy to ensure long-term profitable growth in the markets where we operate."

GM is quite focused on developing markets for a new vehicle, going as far as to say that "mature markets" like the US aren't currently being considered for the new family vehicle. As for where it will be built, the press release specifically says it won't be exported to the US, meaning it will very likely be built abroad using parts from local suppliers. Read on for the official press release from General Motors.

Show full PR text
Chevrolet Strengthens Position in Growth Markets with $5 Billion Investment
2015-07-28


All-new vehicle family tailored to local customer requirements
General Motors and SAIC Motor partnership further enhanced

DETROIT – Chevrolet announced today it is investing $5 billion to strengthen its business in global growth markets through the development of an all-new vehicle family that will meet the rapidly changing demands of customers in these markets.

"With a significant majority of anticipated automotive industry growth in 2015 to 2030 outside of mature markets, Chevrolet is taking steps to capitalize on that growth," said General Motors President Dan Ammann. "Strengthening Chevrolet's position through this major investment is consistent with our global strategy to ensure long-term profitable growth in the markets where we operate."

By creating one all-new vehicle family to replace several existing vehicles, Chevrolet expects to substantially improve competitiveness and profitability by delivering what customers expect in each market while taking maximum advantage of the benefits of global scale.

"This new vehicle family will feature advanced customer-facing technologies focused on connectivity, safety and fuel efficiency delivered at a compelling value," said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. "It will be a combination of content and value not offered previously by any automaker in these markets that are poised for growth."

GM has further expanded its successful partnership with SAIC Motor through an agreement to jointly develop the vehicle family core architecture and engine, which it expects will result in significant development cost savings and optimized total vehicle cost. The program represents another important step in GM's previously stated architecture consolidation plan.

The vehicle family is being developed by a multinational team of engineers and designers assigned to ensure each entry is tailored to meet the expectations of customers in each market. Vehicles will be manufactured and sold in several markets including Brazil, China, India and Mexico, and exported for sale to other important growth markets. There are no plans to export the vehicles to mature markets such as the United States. A high level of localization of parts suppliers should drive significant savings over the life of the program. The program is expected to grow to more than 2 million vehicles annually with the first entry planned for the 2019 model year.

"We have taken many decisive actions over the past few years to restructure our business in specific markets as part of our plan to become a more customer-focused company and to generate superior returns on our owners' capital," said Ammann. "This growth initiative is the next important step toward our goal of building the world's most valued automotive company."

More information on the investment plans and all-new vehicle family will be announced in the future in each market.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling around 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About General Motors Co.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Chevrolet Information

Share This Photo X