While most Chevrolet vehicles are available around the world, The Bow Tie meets special market demand with vehicles specific to a geographic area. For instance, full-sized trucks, SUVs, and crossovers are predominantly exclusive to North America, while legacy vehicles such as the Chevrolet Tavera, Optra/Lacetti, last-generation Aveo, as well as the Sail are made available in certain developing markets only. This makes for a healthy combination of a global lineup while still catering to special demands (such as low cost) in non-uniform markets. The PM5/PM7 falls in the latter category.
Set to replace the the Chevrolet Meriva and Zafira in Brazil, the PM5/MP7 MPV rides on a modified Gamma II platform shared with the Chevy Agile and (second-gen) Cobalt, which is only related to the original (U.S.-market) Cobalt that preceded the Cruze by name only. When it comes to market later this year, it will wear the Spin nameplate and be available in 5- and 7-seat versions.
The Spin will most likely offer a 1.8 liter ECOTEC four-banger found in the Cruze (good for about 140 horsepower) as well as a 1.4 liter EconoFlex mill that makes nearly 100 horsepower in the Agile and Cobalt. And since it’s based on the Gamma II architecture, the Spin will be somewhat of a relative to the Opel Meriva.
Pricing is unknown at this point, but some outlets have estimated it to carry a R$ 50,000 starting price, placing it right between the Chevy Meriva (R$ 44,476) and Zafira (R$ 61,500). At current conversion rates, 50,000 Brazilian Real is worth $27,227 USD. Wondering about the Meriva and Zafira? The vehicles are the first-generation versions of Opel MPVs of the same name.
Expect the Spin to be unveiled in the next few months on the international auto show circuit.
The GM Authority Take
Even though the Spin will most likely be available in certain markets (outside North America), we’re glad that Chevrolet is finally introducing its own lineup on modern architectures rather than relying on legacy Opel designs.
Comments
Thank you very much Mr. Alex luft. The about post is very informative. When you have time please educate me about the GM platforms and especially about the Gamma II architecture. Thank you and regards