Debut of Winstorm

GM-Daewoo puts its first SUV on the market

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology unveiled its first sport utility vehicle, the Winstorm, at the resort in southwestern North Jeolla Province, aiming to beef up its passenger car lineup and increase exports.
"The crossover SUV segment is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry,"said GM Daewoo president and CEO Nick Reilly. "GM Daewoo is addressing the segment through a model that raises the bar for design, performance, fuel efficiency, emissions, comfort, convenience and safety. We have great expectations for the Winstorm both in Korea and in the global marketplace."Reilly said GM Daewoo set the domestic sales target of the new model at 30,000 units for 2007. The worldwide sales target is 120,000 vehicles next year, and if its sister SUV models - to be developed by GM in the near future - are included, the total sales for all of 2007 will reach 20,000 units worldwide, he said. The Windstorm will bear a "Captiva"nameplate in key export markets.
GM Daewoo, a unit of the U.S.-based automaker General Motors, is entering the domestic SUV market for the first time, complementing its lineup which has focused on small and midsize passenger cars for key export markets. But the SUV market here is mired in a slump, hurt by soaring diesel prices and heavier tax burdens.
Reilly acknowledged the relatively hostile market conditions, yet said the new model will carry significance as the first SUV model of GM Daewoo will feature a diesel engine for the first time. "The Windstorm will be a real winner and capture the market like a wind storm,"he said. The price has not been fixed yet, but it will be very competitive, Reilly added.
The so-called crossover SUV puts together the ruggedness of an SUV and the sporty design and comfort of a passenger car.
He said GM Daewoo worked closely with its parent company for the Windstorm development, taking advantage of the U.S. automakers'advanced technology and solutions, but the bulk of design and development has been done by GM Korea workers and engineers.
GM Daewoo offers a choice of front and four-wheel drive, five and seven seats, and five-speed automatic and manual transmissions. In export markets, the model will also be available with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a 3.2-liter V-6 engine.
"This company has come a long way,"Reilly told reporters, saying that it sold more than 1 million vehicles last year, nearly three times more than 2002. He also noted that the Windstorm development partly helped the automaker to make the decision to hire back its former employees who lost their jobs through restructuring.
"We needed two-shift operations for the Windstorm, and adding the second shift meant we needed more employees, and who is better than our former employees"? Reilly said.
GM's Korean subsidiary held a meeting of GM's officers in charge of marketing, business, and after service departments in Seoul to evaluate GM Daewoo's cars. About 100 of GM's brand managers including Chevrolet, Buick, Holden, Opel, Pontiac, Vauxhall, SAIC and GM-Wooling, among others, participated in the meeting. Chairman Lee Hee-bum of the Korea International Trade Association made a speech at the meeting entitled, "The future of exports of Korean cars."At the meeting, the participants heard GM's plans for exports of its cars, its current record, and the list of new cars to be produced later. They also took rides on a number of GM Daewoo cars including Tosca and Windstorm at the company's Hwasung plant in Gyeonggi Province, in an effort to push exports of its cars by displaying its technology and competitive quality levels for its cars to GM managers around the world. GM Daewoo has been exporting its cars to over 150 countries under its strategy to make maximum use of GM brand world sales network for such cars as Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Holden, and others. The company has been shipping cars on a complete knockdown basis to countries like China, Thailand, India, and countries in Central and South America. GM Daewoo's strategy to take advantage of GM's worldwide sales network has worked and exports of its cars have been setting new records. The overseas shipment increased to 1.05 million cars last year from 250,000 in the first year. The company expects its car exports to increase by 30 percent from last year. Vice President Rick LaBelle in charge of marketing said the company's car exports have recorded a phenomenal rise since October, 2002, when GM took over Daewoo Motor and the company plans to satisfy its customers'GM partners'needs around the world by producing quality cars. nw

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology's first sport utility vehicle, the Winstorm