Just a month and a half after the world debut of the all-new 2023 Chevy Montana in Brazil, General Motors has just announced that it has begun series production of the next-generation pickup in the South American country.
The automaker reported that on Monday, January 16th, production of the all-new 2023 Chevy Montana officially began at the GM São Caetano do Sul plant in Brazil, which was upgraded specifically to focus on the assembly of the first unibody compact pickup in Chevrolet‘s history. The complex is the only manufacturing site confirmed to date for the new Montana, which will supply the Brazilian market and export to other countries in the American continent.
“The New Montana is considered the most anticipated launch of 2023, both for its innovative concept and for its great market potential,” said National Sales Director of GM Brazil, Kleusner Lopes. “In addition to the inaugural batch of 2,000 units that were purchased in the pre-sale phase, we have thousands more orders registered in the Chevrolet network. We will work at an accelerated pace to be able to serve everyone in the shortest possible time,” he added.
As such, the 2023 Chevy Montana not only becomes the first non-body-on-frame compact pickup made by GM in Brazil but also worldwide. This strategy is due to the constant increase in popularity of the compact pickup segment in the largest country in South America and other countries in the region, a category that has grown more than 50 percent in recent years and already boasts the third highest volume in the Brazilian market.
In addition to announcing the production start of the model, GM confirmed that the new 2023 Chevy Montana will be available with a total of four trim levels in Brazil. This includes the previously announced range-topping LTZ and Premier trims, as well as the entry-level LS and LT that will be equipped with the same turbocharged 1.2L engine, producing 133 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque, but mated exclusively to a six speed manual transmission.
The all-new 2023 Chevy Montana pickup should arrive at the official Chevrolet dealer network in Brazil in mid-February, when the launch of all versions and the first deliveries of the pre-sale units are scheduled. Like the Chevy Onix and Tracker with which it shares the GEM platform, the 2023 Montana has the potential to become the new benchmark and lead sales in its segment in Brazil.
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Comments
GM is missing a golden opportunity by not offering the Montana in the U.S.. It would take sales away from the Ford Maverick, and would sell like hotcakes.
I agree , this truck looks awesome and would not only compete with the Maverick , but also with Hyundai, KIA, Honda etc and take sales away from those manufacturers on small sedans and their entry level vehicles.
This would appeal to the same customers as the 2024 Trax
GM , Mary are you listening !!!, bring it to North America as soon as possible!!
You do realize all these truck combined are not selling 100K units total in the States as of the third quarter of this year?
It also could take away sales from the Colorado that can not afford to lose much in sales.
The Maverick was at 50,802, The Hyundai was at 28,000 and the Honda for the year may not sell much over 30K when it is over.
Also how many Trax sales will it steal?
At the end of the day it comes down to not how many they sell but how much money it makes and how much it robs from other models in the GM line.
If sales increase here in this segment it could come here but if sales do not climb then fighting over the low volume sales may not bring a return on investment worth doing it here.
While Ford pretends this is a major sell out the plant it is built at can make 300,000 vehicles. They also build the Bronco Sport there in Mexico but both account only for 200,000 units. Ford could build more but it may be limiting sales for various reasons. God know they could could more sales as their stock creeps to $10 a share again.
The other question is just how much could GM sell this for here? Ford is selling theirs cheap but it is built very cheaply. Many short cuts under the body. It lacks many things we take for granted on other models.
There is much more to bringing this here than just a emotional they should do it.
GM brought the Cruze hatch here, The Cruze and Equinox Diesel They brought the Buick Regal and Regal Wagon here. All were models that web CEO’s said they should bring them here. Well they did and no one bought them.
I would like to see this here but only if it makes money and does not damage other models in the line to do that. If this segment grows and becomes more sustainable I see coming but when Honda Sells 30K Ridgelines a year or less and the Hyundai may not even make that number it is not showing much growth. Ford is a little deceptive and time will prove their numbers.
This is not Fords first attempt here. They did the Sport trac. It was popular with a small group of buyers but it was not enough to save it.
This vehicle would not compete with the Ridgeline or other larger unibody trucks.it would compete for the same customer buying small cars, small vehicles.
Look at the Hyundai Venu . They are very popular as a small run about . They are a small crossover only available with front wheel drive. The Montana would compete for that same customer. GM has discontinued all of their small cars in NA, the original Trax , Sonic, Spark, Cruze etc. If you are a GM customer and want something small, your choice is the Trailblazer. The new Trax is larger, but along with the Montana could provide small vehicles for all of these GM customers that will now need to shop elsewhere for their next small vehicle.