General Motors has announced the launch of seven new Chevrolet models next year in Brazil, one of the brand’s three largest markets. Following the domestic and global industry trend, the company is banking heavily on utility vehicles, which is the country’s fastest-growing segment.
“For Chevrolet, 2020 will be the year of the SUV,” said GM South American President Carlos Zarlenga in a statement. “The consumer will certainly be surprised by the design, energy efficiency and connectivity technologies of our new products. The first of them will be on sale as early as the first quarter,” he added.
Although it hasn’t been announced, we know that the first of the new Chevrolet models scheduled for 2020 in Brazil is the redesigned Chevrolet Tracker, which debuted last April in China. The new generation of the B-segment utility vehicle, based on the GM Global Emerging Markets (GEM) platform, will reach the Brazilian market in the first quarter of next year and be a strategic model to strengthen Chevrolet’s sales lead in that country.
According to official figures, the utility category has almost doubled in sales in the South American market over the last five years. In fact, for the first time, SUVs are expected to become the second-largest segment in Brazil in 2019 – just behind hatchbacks. Moreover, analysts project that its volume will continue to grow in the coming years.
Between January and November, the utility category exceeded 535,000 units in the Brazilian market, reaching a 21-percent share of the total automotive industry in the country, and GM will seek to capitalize on that growth with an onslaught of new Chevrolet models. As a reference, the hatchback segment’s share is 38 percent, while sedans represent 20 percent of the country’s sales, and pickups amount to 13 percent. The rest of the vehicle segments, including commercial vehicles, make up the remaining 8 percent.
To take advantage of this growth, GM will expand and refresh its portfolio with new Chevrolet models over the next twelve months in Brazil. In addition to the new Tracker, the company will be launching the Chevrolet Blazer, a significantly refreshed Trailblazer SUV that’s based on the Colorado/S10 pickup, and the Equinox which will receive mid-cycle updates. For now, it’s unclear if the all-new, global Chevrolet Trailblazer will reach the Brazilian market.
Subscribe to GM Authority as we bring you the latest Chevrolet news, GM Brazil news and ongoing GM news coverage.
Comment
GM ” Tracker” model for Greek Market. Is it available?