Jim Mateja Column(Brent Dewar)

Chicago Tribune

By Jim Mateja

March 31, 2003

Mar. 31--INDIANAPOLIS--When Brent Dewar, 48, took over as general manager of Chevrolet three weeks ago, his directive was simple and to the point.
Sell 400,000 more vehicles in 2003 than in 2002 to ensure Chevy reaches 3 million total sales, a feat last accomplished in 1979, and ensure General Motors reaches a 30 percent market share, up from 28.6 percent at present.
Considering the new Chevy general manager just sold his wife on moving from New York to Detroit after a three-year stint as East Coast regional sales manager, selling 400,000 vehicles to strangers should be simple. But, for investment purposes, he's keeping the apartment in New York.
"The 3 million objective is an attainable goal with the products we have in the pipeline," Dewar said in an interview here, where Chevy unveiled the SSR roadster/pickup pace vehicle for this year's Indy 500 race.
The reason Chevy hasn't reached 3 million in so long, Dewar said, is that "the heart of the market is the $15,000 to $20,000 price range, the highest volume of buyers but our lowest penetration of sales."
So, Chevy will bring out a new line of Aveo subcompacts from its GMDAT operations with Daewoo in South Korea next spring as 2004s, a new compact sport-ute called Equinox built off the Saturn VUE platform next spring as an '05 and a replacement for the compact Cavalier for '05 that has yet to be named.
"We were missing a small sport-ute and a small car in the low- or entry-level end of the market. With Equinox, we'll have the sport-ute; with Aveo, we'll have an entry-level car [starting at about $10,000]; and with the Cavalier replacement, we'll have a premium-level small car. Cavalier tried to cover both entry and premium levels with one car, and it didn't work," Dewar said.
Dewar said Aveo, Equinox and the Cavalier replacement, plus a new midsize '04 Colorado pickup and the next-generation '04 Malibu this fall, will add more than 400,000 sales combined. Colorado replaces the compact S-10, and the Malibu line will get a slightly larger Malibu Maxx hatchback early next year, also as an '04
Though he's still familiarizing himself with his new job, we asked Dewar to comment on a variety of other topics, such as:
Honda has Insight and Civic gas-electric hybrids, and Toyota the compact Prius hybrid, with a Camry-sized Prius coming this fall. Where's Chevy?
"Like [GM vice chairman] Bob Lutz says, you can't legislate against obesity simply by designing smaller suits. Hybrids account for small numbers, and our strategy is to start with trucks [Silverado in '04], then the Saturn VUE ['05] and then Chevy [Equinox in '06, Malibu in '07]."
Are SSR derivatives in the works?
"Too early to say. We'll be able to do derivatives, but we want to focus on the excitement of launching the SSR first. I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't say that derivatives are something we're looking at."
Where does the SS, the four-door concept built off the Corvette platform from the auto-show circuit, stand?
"It's still a work in progress but is a beacon of where we're going at Chevrolet. We need more halo vehicles. We're still trying to get more public opinion on it."
What about a return of the Camaro?
"Ford has the Mustang and should enjoy it while it's got it because our plan is not to be out of that segment for a long time."

Are other Daewoo vehicles planned besides the Aveo sedan and hatchback?
"When it comes to small cars, that's it for now. There are no plans beyond Aveo."
Any plans for a return to full-size sedans?
"We're working on the next-generation Impala now and while it will be larger, I won't say how much larger," he said.
Ford has the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans coming out for '05 with all-wheel-drive. How soon will there be all-wheel-drive in Chevy cars?
"We have no immediate plans," he said.

 

Looks like someone is copying & pasting from Socrates .

 

 

Everyone in Gm is just itching to say “yes it will be back.” After this weekend at the show and then reading this I don’t think we need to even hope for one anymore. Its coming, I think we need to start saving our cash.

 

 

Don’t want to be Pessimistic but he never really said that the Camaro would be back. I know enough about double talk to know that you can say things without actually saying them and vice versa. He didn’t specifically say the Camaro would return, just that the Mustang’s days are numbered, meaning that there may be another 2+2 coupe in GM’s future (RWD Monte maybe) or Chevelle (though the latter is just a dream) just my .02 although I pray that I am wrong. The camaro is what I have wanted since the age of 15 and I am hoping to finally get one this summer.

 

Good grief, you're pessimistic.

Camaro's comming back. Everyone who should know has pretty much said so. Just because someone's 1st born wasn't sacrificed at an alter, doesn't mean it's always double talk.

We're talking about a car company, not a congressional election!

 

LOL. Take it from Guion, (and every1 else ) it will be back. Its just a matter of time.

 

Only 53 more payments to go!!!