Chevrolet Aveo is Made in Europe

The Aveo is the first modern Chevrolet "made in Europe"

• Quality products from Poland are being exported to Western Europe
• Manufacturing base in Central and Eastern Europe continues to be expanded rapidly
• A global brand is booming – not only in Eastern Europe

In June, the new three-door Chevrolet Aveo will arrive at European dealers. This will complete Chevrolet's successful family of small cars, since sale of the five-door model started earlier this year. The most significant features of both models are their striking exterior, high-class interior and even more efficient gasoline engines. Buyers will have a choice of two new gasoline engines: a 1.2-liter unit with two overhead camshafts and an output of 84 hp, and the 1.4-liter engine, which now develops 101 hp. The more powerful gasoline engine is available on request with an automatic transmission. Both engines are even more frugal than their predecessors when it comes to fuel consumption. Despite the fact that its performance has improved by 12 hp, the entry-level engine will now consume roughly 14 percent less fuel (MVEG standard).

The Aveo is the first modern Chevrolet "made in Europe". In 2008, approximately 60,000 Aveos will roll off the assembly line of the FSO plant in Warsaw, Poland, and production is expected to increase to about 100,000 in 2009. "We are proud to build Chevrolet models in the European Union for European customers," emphasizes Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. "Production of the Aveo in Poland increases Chevrolet’s global build capacity and allows us to meet growing regional demand as well as shorten delivery times and distances."

The Warsaw FSO facility builds the Chevrolet Aveo in close cooperation with GM. The Aveo is manufactured based on the GM Global Manufacturing System, which is distinguished by the highest quality in every process, continuous improvement, employee involvement, and an elevated degree of standardization. In addition to all this, GM has strict quality control requirements. By starting production of the Aveo in Warsaw, Chevrolet has re-established a link to its successful pre-war history in Poland. By 1920, shortly after the founding of the modern state of Poland, Chevrolet models were already making their way into the country, where a sales and service network was established by 1927. The first assembly plant was opened in the autumn of 1928 at 103 Wolska Street in Warsaw.

The Chevrolet plant in Warsaw is part of GM's manufacturing strategy to significantly expand its production capacity in Central and Eastern Europe in order to meet the strong demand of the booming markets in the region. Eric Stevens, GM Europe Vice President, Manufacturing: "We are using the same recipe here that has lead General Motors to the pinnacle of global success in the past 100 years – to build our products in the markets where they are sold." In Ukraine, where Chevrolet has a market share above eight percent, almost 120,000 vehicles were manufactured in 2007. The most recent example is the General Motors joint venture that was established in Uzbekistan on March 20, 2008. In the medium term, the plan is to build 250,000 Chevrolets there per year. By the end of 2008, a new GM plant with a capacity of 70,000 units will start production in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Chevrolet Captiva will be built there. The new factory will supplement the production facilities of GM-Avtovaz in Togliatti and of GM partner Avtotor in Kaliningrad. In Kazakhstan, GM partner company AziaAvto has been building Chevrolet passenger cars since June 2007.

In its commitment to the regions east of Germany, Chevrolet is investing in one of the fastest growing vehicle markets in the world. In the 29 states that were either created or that reclaimed full independence after the end of the Soviet Union, the market for new cars has grown by about 20 percent annually since 2001, from approximately 2.5 million vehicles to now just under 6 million new cars per year.

Chevrolet, the third largest automobile brand in the world with 4.5 million new registrations globally (in 2007), has been present in Europe only since 2003. Chevrolet's market share in Central and Eastern Europe has already shown a constant growth curve by climbing to four percent in only four years. In Russia, Chevrolet is doing even better, with a market share of approximately seven percent. Overall, the brand grew by 82 percent in Europe over the past four years, selling a total of 457,000 new cars in 2007. "But this is just the beginning," says Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. "In 2006, our production portfolio covered only 28 percent of all vehicle segments. By means of a thorough overhaul and expansion of the product range, we will have increased our market share to 65 percent by 2012 in those areas where we are present."