Chevy upping production of Equinox and Terrain
Equinox
Two plants are joining forces with an innovative solution to increase capacity for the hot-selling Chevrolet Equinox. Under the plan, the CAMI Automotive plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, will be expanded to produce extra units beyond the plant’s existing capacity to paint and assemble them. These Equinox body assemblies will then be shipped to the Oshawa plant for paint and final assembly alongside the current Chevrolet Impala production.
With segment-leading fuel economy and the functionality of a crossover, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox has been an unmitigated success since its introduction in June. It has maintained one of the industry’s lowest inventories, and dealers have been selling them right off the delivery trucks. This is the third action to increase capacity for the Equinox since its start of production last year.
“This increased capacity for the Equinox is exactly what the doctor ordered,” said Alan Batey, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet sales. “This will help us get more vehicles on our dealers’ lots and offer customers more choice – a winning solution all the way around.”
Evidence of the success of the Chevy Equinox:
Retail sales climbed 121% over Feb. 2009, the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year retail sales increase
Approximately half of Equinox sales come from non-GM trade-ins
In February, Equinox averaged 16 days-to-turn
71,736 sales of 2010 Equinox since introduction (June through February)
Terrain
Buyers who are in the market for a GMC Terrain will find more to choose from at their local dealership, thanks to a unique plan to increase production capacity of the hot-selling small SUV. A third shift of production at GM’s Oshawa Assembly Plant will result in increased production capacity for the fuel-efficient Terrain. This is the third time that production has been increased to meet the growth in demand for the Terrain.
The GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox are currently produced at GM’s CAMI Automotive Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Under an innovative new plan, in addition to the regular plant operations, the CAMI body shop will build additional Equinox bodies and ship them to Oshawa for paint and final assembly, thus increasing overall production of the vehicle. The Terrain will benefit from production capacity formerly dedicated to Equinox at the CAMI facility. Terrains will continue to be built exclusively at CAMI.
“Our dealers told us they needed a more plentiful supply in order to provide our customers with a wider selection of Terrains to choose from,” says Brian Sweeney, U.S vice president of sales and service for Buick GMC. “Terrain is currently the hottest-selling product in the GMC lineup, and dealers have been selling every Terrain they can get their hands on as soon as they hit their lots.”
Since its debut last fall, the Terrain has continued to bring in new customers, with 52 percent of Terrain buyers coming from non-GM trade-ins
Retail sales of the Terrain are up 191 percent in the U.S. over the last three months compared to 2009
Terrain sales are on a torrid pace again for March 2010
Sales in Canada were up 78 percent during the same period
Thirteen days-to-turn average, as compared to 31 days for the overall compact SUV segment and 54 days industry average
The five-passenger Terrain offers a best-in-segment EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon in addition to a standard rear vision camera system and features such as navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, DVD rear-seat entertainment system, a programmable power rear liftgate and more. Its multi-flex sliding rear seat can be moved fore or aft nearly eight inches to provide either additional legroom or more cargo space.
