Today General Motors, for some reason, released two photos of the Chevrolet Orlando concept vehicle. The concept will officially be shown at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. It is clear from the concept that there is an intent on producing the vehicle just by the level of “production ready” shown within the exterior and even more so in the interior. GMI has learned that Orlando is certainly not just a concept for design study; GM will be producing the vehicle for global use. North America will even be getting the little crossover; not too far off either. You’re looking at Chevrolet’s new global MPV.
The concept vehicle is based off of the Delta II small car platform that will underpin the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. It has three rows of seats for seven passengers and “impressive interior space” according to GM. No photos of the interior space have been shown, so at this point we can only go off of what GM says. While the concept is powered by a 2.0L diesel engine, we are unsure at this point what engines will be offered when the car hits production. We’re likely to see a different combination of engines for each market region that it is sold in; including gas and diesel engines.
This vehicle is intended to replace the Daewoo/Chevrolet Tacuma in Asia and the Chevrolet Zafira in South America. In addition to replacing products in those markets, it will also be sold in North America and Europe. Actually, we are told that it will be produced at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant. Depending on demand and production, it may also be built in South Korea.
It is projected to go on sale in the U.S. in the fall of 2010 as a 2011 model.
We anticipate the production car to look very similar to the concept as the concept closely resembles the production Cruze; however what Chevrolet will name it is unknown. Will it keep the Orlando name or get a new one? We don’t know at this point. The name selection process is done by marketing and is usually not selected until closer to production.
Click here for Orlando Concept images/information