Chevrolet Sets Sights On Another Strong Year

DETROIT - Chevrolet introduced its divisional Olympic advertising, and new car and truck spots, previewed new products and recapped 2001 sales success at a press conference held in Detroit.

"Chevrolet isn't resting after its 2001 record truck and SUV sales year," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. "The Olympics is a world-wide stage that allows us to start the year in a memorable way by showcasing the Chevrolet Division as well as our cars and trucks during the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games."

Nine new television spots, including three newly created Olympic ads and six new car and truck spots, will start airing on Feb. 8 during the Olympics. Chevrolet's Olympic Torch Relay and Games advertising is the largest marketing promotion ever undertaken by Chevrolet.

Chevrolet is a presenting sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay, which is a unique opportunity to bring the Olympic experience to millions of Americans in hometowns across the country. During the games, athletes, coaches, and officials will be transported to practices and competitions in the GM Olympic fleet, which is largely comprised of Chevrolet vehicles.

Chevrolet previewed several upcoming new products and enhancements for the coming model years. This spring, Chevrolet will introduce the 2002 TrailBlazer EXT, featuring the only third-row seat in the mid-size SUV class that comfortably seats two adults. The Quadrasteer 4-wheel steering system, which gives a full-size pickup the turning radius of a midsize car, will be offered on extended cab Silverado models. A newly designed 2003 Silverado, to be introduced this fall, will be previewed at the Chicago Auto Show. In addition, the new SSR goes into production at the end of the year.

"The redesigned Silverado and seven-seat TrailBlazer EXT will build on Chevrolet's success in the pickup truck and SUV markets," Ritter said.

During the next few years, Chevrolet will also move to a single gold bowtie logo to represent the division.

In 2001, Chevrolet finished the calendar year with total sales of 2,689,954 cars and trucks, a three-percent increase over 2000, in a market that was down two percent. Chevrolet had the second largest market share gain of any brand.

This performance reflected record sales by a number of core Chevrolet products.

In the SUV segment, Tahoe, Suburban and Tracker set all-time sales records, while the Chevy Silverado full-size pickup had its best sales year since 1978.

Impala had its best sales year since its introduction in 1999. Corvette sales rose eight percent, continuing its dominance of the high-sport segment. Among the top 10 best-selling cars in the U.S. for 2001, Chevrolet had three models: Cavalier, Impala and Malibu.

Also contributing to Chevrolet's strong sales was the successful launch of two all-new trucks, TrailBlazer and Avalanche.