General Motors’ Brazil brand Chevrolet will launch 20 new models in the Mercosur trading bloc by 2022.
The automaker will completely renew its current model line and add new vehicles models in several segments in which it currently is absent or barely present.
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But GM’s announcement was short on detail and appeared to be a direct response to Volkswagen which since last year has aroused great interest from the press (and the markets) with details of its product plan to 2021.
The German automaker said in 2017 that 20 new products were in the pipeline; 13 to be produced in Brazil, two in Argentina and five imported. These launches include new engines, gearboxes and updates of existing models already anticipated by just-auto.
GM, however, is not considering only new variants and clearly wants to stress that its plans are more substantial than Volkswagen’s.
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The German automaker counts, for example, adding the option of a V6 diesel engine to the Argentine-built Amarok and automatic gearbox options for the Brazilian Gol and Voyage as three new products, yet they really are only additional variants of existing models.
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By GlobalDataVW also counts sports GTS versions of the Polo hatchback and Virtus sedan as ‘new models’.
“This is the largest renewal of the Chevrolet line-up in the history of the brand in the region, reinforcing our commitment to put the customer at the centre of everything we do. The new products will amaze the market with unprecedented content and technology, “said GM Mercosur president Carlos Zarlenga in a statement.
In Brazil GM currently offers 15 products, if the five- and seven-seat Spin minivans, Camaro coupe and convertible are included along with the announced, future five- and seven-seat Trailblazer.
That leaves five models left to guess in the absence of detail from GM. One surely will be the Bolt EV the automaker has already confirmed (albeit limited imports). Another is the Camaro ZL1. There is also local speculation of a crossover a size below the new Tracker and based on the new Onix.
Another good bet is an intermediate SUV between Tracker and Equinox which could share the Cobalt platform. And finally, an intermediate pickup truck midway between Montana and S10, just as VW is expected to threaten the Fiat Toro’s dominance with an additional model and also compete with Renault‘s Duster Oroch. Both are four-door, double-cab trucks.
Chevrolet has been the market leader in Mercosur for over two years and the Onix has been the top selling model in Brazil since 2015.
