GM delivered the first shipment of its new mid-size Chevrolet sedan, the Cruze, to its South African operation at the Port of Port Elizabeth last week for final testing and validation.
The Cruze, which will be launched in the country later this year, is manufactured at the Daewoo plant in Bupyong, South Korea and will be fully imported from there by car carriers CSAV and MOL, though no import figures have been released.
“At this stage we are unable to provide figures on imports. It will, however, be in line with market demand,” said GMSA spokeswoman Gishma Abrahams.
Since its re-introduction into the South African market in late 2003, GM says the Chevrolet has enjoyed significant growth there and is positioned to be GM’s largest brand offering globally.
The Cruze is also marked for production at GM’s joint venture factory in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, which was opened last December. The plant is operated by GM China and partners Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. and Shanghai GM.
The company also plans to make the Cruze at its St Petersburg plant in Russia. That plant re-opened last week at full production after a two-week partial suspension.
