DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. said it dropped a plan to sell the seven-seat Chevrolet Orlando crossover in the U.S. and will concentrate on existing models at its biggest division.
Dealers are to be told today about the decision, Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet’s product marketing director for small cars and crossovers, said in an interview. GM in January 2009 said it would start offering the Orlando in the U.S. in 2011.
“The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we’ve already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and, soon to come, the Cruze,” Brooks said. “We feel that with those vehicles, Chevrolet has plenty of options for the modern family.”
GM is scaling back to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac in the U.S. by selling or closing Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab. GM is sharpening its focus under the U.S.-aided reorganization that allowed it to emerge from bankruptcy in July 2009.
Mark Reuss, GM’s president for North America, made the decision on the Orlando, Brooks said. The model is based on the same basic vehicle structure as the Cruze small car.
GM still plans to sell the Orlando in Canada, Europe and Asia, said Brian Goebel, a company spokesman.
Chevrolet accounts for about 70 percent of GM’s sales in the U.S. and more than 50 percent globally, he said.
In lieu of adding the Orlando in the U.S., Chevrolet will get more production capacity for the Equinox sport-utility vehicle, Traverse SUV and Malibu sedan, Brooks said.
GM has added third shifts at the plants that make those three models and also has announced plans to build the Malibu and Equinox at other factories. Production of the Cruze is set to begin in the third quarter.
