Maybe this is why GM wanted to sell Opel: The General is now saying it wants more than double the current Chevrolet sales in Europe within the next five years. With high hopes of the Bow-tie brand reaching the million-unit mark across the pond by 2015. To get there, GM is taking a page from Ford’s playbook, but with a twist. Ford is currently finding success by importing global products from Europe to the U.S. These vehicles include: the Ford Transit Connect, Ford Focus, and Ford Fiesta. Also, the General wants to export global products from the U.S. to Europe. These cars include: the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze, and Chevrolet Orlando.
A million sales set the bar pretty high, but other recent news, shows GM may be on the right track. The Cruze has been named a finalist for the World Car of the Year Award, while the Chevrolet Camaro has been short-listed for World Car Design of the Year honors. Each year, the awards are decided by a panel of international auto journalists and will be presented at the New York International Auto Show in April.
The honor would be another important recognition for the Cruze. The compact is the first passenger car to earn top marks in both front-and side-impact crash testing from the European New Car Assessment Program. It’s also received five-star and best-in-class ratings from the Australasian and Chinese programs.
The Camaro, combining a sophisticated mixture of retro cues and cutting-edge design, has been one of GM’s brightest spots this past year. It outsold the Ford Mustang for eight straight months and the demand for this modern-day muscle-car shows no signs of letting up. That means both of these vehicles could be in for big honors in the Big Apple this spring.
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