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The Chevy Camaro has been crowned the “hottest car” of the 2010 SEMA Show – an award that – according to GM – “recognizes the most accessory-friendly new models, based on the number of vehicles exhibited at the show.”
Basically, the award goes to the car that is presented most often, or – as Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO put it, “A booth space is a ballot, and the models these exhibitors have selected represent their vote.” But does this award have any real merit besides making an attractive headline? Continue reading to find out.
Click the image to watch the video
Update: press release from GM added.
Here’s the latest on the entire Chevy vs. Chevrolet debacle. This time however, it’s coming straight from the lips of Alan Batey, Vice President of Sales, Service & Marketing for Chevrolet. Before we get into the details, yes, you can absolutely positively use Chevy to refer to Chevrolet.
So, Alan – can GM Employees use Chevy?
“Of course we can. Chevy – what is Chevy? Chevy is our nickname. Where does it come from? It’s come from selling vehicles here in the U.S. for 100 years. We love it when people call us Chevy. It means they’re very attached to us, they’re very close to us, and we’re like a friend so they use our nickname Chevy. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. And we love that – in fact we love people talking to us in that way.”
Okay, so what was the whole memo thing all about then?
“Let’s put it into context. Chevrolet is one of the fastest growing brands in the world today. We’re selling now in over 130 countries. For every vehicle we sell here in the U.S, we’re actually selling two vehicles overseas – so we really are on a great momentum and a great march. But it’s also ture to say that Chevrolet is at an early stage of development in many of these [international] markets. So the ability for us to use our Chevrolet brand name, as we do on all of our vehicles, in all of our dealerships in all of those countries, just gives us the ability in this global world we live in today to get the maximum amount of leverage. And that’s really all it’s about.”
And you know what I hope? I hope in ten years time in twenty years time – in all of these countries they’re talking about Chevy as our nickname because what does that mean – it means we’re close to them as we are here in the U.S.and it’s jsut a great palce to be.
You know, Chevy is a great nickname and I love it and I don’t want it to distract from it.
After the break, catch the video of what you’ve just read. (more…)
Now that GM has its North American leadership in order with Mark Reuss at the helm, it is time for the executive shuffle to make its way to Australia. Holden just announced that Mike Devereux is the new Chief Managing Director of GM’s Australia subsidiary. Devereux replaces Alan Batey, who has been appointed Vice President of Sales and Service for Chevrolet in the United States (during the latest executive shuffle at GM NA).
Devereux holds a Bachelor’s Degree from GMI Engineering and Management Institute as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School. His career with GM began in 1986 in Ontario and has spanned the globe, most recently as the President and Managing Director of GM Middle East Operations. This recent experience predisposes him to success in Australia, since Holden exports its products to the Middle East. For example, the Holden Commodore (long-missed Pontiac G8 in North America) carries the Chevy badge and wears the Lumina nameplate in the Middle East.
His experience and span of knowledge make him well-suited for the position according to Tim Lee, President of International Operations:
“Mike brings rare experience across almost every area of the automotive business including manufacturing, product development and senior management roles in GM’s international operations, marketing, sales and aftersales including the then newly formed e-Business group.”
Moreover, Mr. Lee thinks very highly of Mark Reuss’ and Mike Devereux’ dedication standards:
“Recent leaders such as Mark Reuss and Alan Batey have set a very high benchmark in dedication to the people and products that define the famous Holden brand – and Mike will be no exception.”
Devereux worked in engineering in Canada in the 1980s followed by Service Parts Operations International Group, where he served until becoming the product launch manager for the 2000 Cadillac DeVille. He later worked in e-Business as well as the Global Sales, Service and Marketing Organization.
We have GM’s presser after the jump!
Alan Batey, chair and managing director of Holden, recently indicated that a hybrid Holden Commodore was not a high priority and would not be seen before 2013, although he was notably tight-lipped about development plans in the interim. Holden, a subsidiary of GM since 1931, heads The General’s vehicle operations in Australia. The announcement comes as Toyota prepares to launch its locally-made Camry Hybrid in the next couple of weeks. The news represents a reversal of previous statements by Nick Reilly, GM’s Asia Pacific division president. In May 2008, Mr. Reilly indicated,
That [Commodore] could be one of the first hybrids you see and I would put a time frame on that of a couple of years.
A few months later, Mark Reuss, Mr. Batey’s predecessor (and now president of GM North America), suggested that Mr. Reilly had overstated the timeframe of a hybrid Commodore. He hinted that Holden’s priorities lay elsewhere, and that the marque was exploring alternatives like LPG, CNG, E85, and diesel to find a strategy that made more sense from the perspective of consumers’ pocketbooks.
It appears that Mr. Batey was generally non-committal in this discussion. He could neither confirm nor deny the current hybrid technology progress or the lack thereof. Whatever the status, he suggested that GM’s bankruptcy and the Australian automaker’s own financial difficulties put a damper on hybrid development. He did, however, say that Holden was still researching the best hybrid setup, whether that included start/stop functionality or any other myriad of features.
According to Batey, a mild hybrid is out. He discussed E85 possibilities in no more certain terms: Holden was looking to fleet customers who could maintain their own re-fueling stations because so few exist in the country. The company is also working with biofuel manufacturer and GM partner Coskata to create a waste-derived E85 program. Details were scarce as plans are covered by a confidentiality agreement. However, Mr. Batey did say that E85 is convenient because lack of immediate access to the fuel does not harm consumers. Interestingly, despite these hurdles, Saab was the first company to sell an E85 compatible car in Australia.
The General’s other fuel efficiency efforts remove some of the pressure to market a hybrid. A Holden-badged Volt-plugin is set to go on sale in 2012. Moreover, current Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) implementations, GM’s label for direct injection down under, seem to be keeping the Commodore competitive. Holden’s website indicates that the V6 Commodore Omega with SIDI gets better fuel economy than the 4 cylinder Ford Mondeo, six cylinder Toyota Aurion, four cylinder Honda CR-V, and the six cylinder Ford Falcon.
We’ll keep you abreast of developments as they happen right here on GM Authority.Be sure to check out the high-res gallery of the 2010 Holden Commodore VE SV6 after the jump.
[Sources: GoAuto.com.au, CarAdvice.com]
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