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GM hopes new Cobalt ignites sales
By JOSEPH SZCZESNY , Of The Daily Oakland Press 12/30/2003
December 30, 2003
General Motors Corp. unveiled the new small car that it hopes will help push the Chevrolet Division's sales past the 3-million-unit mark for the first time in years.
GM used the Los Angeles Auto Show, which now serves as a warm-up act for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, to show off the new Chevrolet Cobalt, which is now scheduled to go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2004.
Gary Cowger, president of GM, said the new Cobalt is certain to become a feared competitor in the small or compact car segment, which has long been ruled by Japan's Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic models.
For more than a decade now, GM has relied on the Chevrolet Cavalier, a car originally designed in the 1980s, and heavy discounts, to help maintain a foothold in the compact market, which automakers consider critical in shaping the buying habits of young consumers.
"We think it will be better than anything in this class from power to the ride and handling, to fit and finish," Cowger said recently. "We are really, really pleased with this car and we think it's going to make a big statement and it will come out in four different levels, including the highest level, which is to be a tuner."
Cowger predicted the tuner version of the Cobalt will help attract a whole new generation of automotive enthusiasts to GM and the Chevy brand. "It's an important image thing. There are lot of young folks out there that love their cars today just like we did," added Cowger. "It's important to get those folks back in a Chevrolet showroom.
"General Motors is a full-line producer and Chevrolet exemplifies that on a brand level and GM has to cover all the needs of our customers from the low end of the market right up to commercial vehicles," Cowger added.
The Cobalt is only one element of GM's effort to overhaul the Chevrolet line. Even before the Cobalt reaches the market next fall, GM will have introduced the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx wagon, the South Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo, which will cover the low end of the market and the Chevrolet Equinox, an SUV-like crossover vehicle.
Lori Queen, GM vehicle line executive for small cars, said that GM also has been setting the stage for the coming of the new Cobalt in other ways. In the past couple of years, GM has supported efforts to race Cavaliers and the effort is paying off and will help with launch of the Cobalt, she said.
The new Cobalt also will come in both and sedan and coupe version with very distinctive appearances, Queen said.
"But to appreciate Cobalt you've got to get beneath the sheet metal," she added.
More Here
By JOSEPH SZCZESNY , Of The Daily Oakland Press 12/30/2003
December 30, 2003
General Motors Corp. unveiled the new small car that it hopes will help push the Chevrolet Division's sales past the 3-million-unit mark for the first time in years.
GM used the Los Angeles Auto Show, which now serves as a warm-up act for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, to show off the new Chevrolet Cobalt, which is now scheduled to go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2004.
Gary Cowger, president of GM, said the new Cobalt is certain to become a feared competitor in the small or compact car segment, which has long been ruled by Japan's Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic models.
For more than a decade now, GM has relied on the Chevrolet Cavalier, a car originally designed in the 1980s, and heavy discounts, to help maintain a foothold in the compact market, which automakers consider critical in shaping the buying habits of young consumers.
"We think it will be better than anything in this class from power to the ride and handling, to fit and finish," Cowger said recently. "We are really, really pleased with this car and we think it's going to make a big statement and it will come out in four different levels, including the highest level, which is to be a tuner."
Cowger predicted the tuner version of the Cobalt will help attract a whole new generation of automotive enthusiasts to GM and the Chevy brand. "It's an important image thing. There are lot of young folks out there that love their cars today just like we did," added Cowger. "It's important to get those folks back in a Chevrolet showroom.
"General Motors is a full-line producer and Chevrolet exemplifies that on a brand level and GM has to cover all the needs of our customers from the low end of the market right up to commercial vehicles," Cowger added.
The Cobalt is only one element of GM's effort to overhaul the Chevrolet line. Even before the Cobalt reaches the market next fall, GM will have introduced the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx wagon, the South Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo, which will cover the low end of the market and the Chevrolet Equinox, an SUV-like crossover vehicle.
Lori Queen, GM vehicle line executive for small cars, said that GM also has been setting the stage for the coming of the new Cobalt in other ways. In the past couple of years, GM has supported efforts to race Cavaliers and the effort is paying off and will help with launch of the Cobalt, she said.
The new Cobalt also will come in both and sedan and coupe version with very distinctive appearances, Queen said.
"But to appreciate Cobalt you've got to get beneath the sheet metal," she added.
More Here
