The decision to withdraw Chevrolet from Europe was made to “clear the runway for Opel and Vauxhall,” said Dan Ammann, president of General Motors and chairman of Opel’s supervisory board.
“Those two brands are now on a positive trajectory and there is a focus for us to win in Europe with Opel and Vauxhall,” said Ammann. “We have all the pieces in place to do this and we have increased our share of the European market for the first time in 14 years.”
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Another reason for pulling Chevrolet out of Europe was to clear up any doubts about GM’s commitment to the two domestic brands.
“There’s been a question mark over Europe for some time which we have now cleared up; we have the resource and commitment.”
Work still needs to be done on the clarity of the brands, he said, but new product, starting with Corsa at the end of this year and Astra next year, will help underscore the brand identity and redefine customers’ perception of the brands, he said, adding that “the value and history of Vauxhall is better understood within GM than you might think.”
“Brands evolve over a period of time and GM is very strong financially so we can take a long-term view,” said Ammann.
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By GlobalDataWhich is exactly what GM is doing with yet another relaunch for Cadillac in the region.
“It’s long-term and low key” he said. “There is a role for Cadillac at the top of the Vauxhall and Opel line-ups.”
There was still no firm commitment to right hand drive or diesel engines, however.
