- The 2012 Chevrolet Captiva Sport will debut late this year for U.S. fleet customers, filling the gap left by the end of production of the Chevrolet HHR.
- Chevrolet HHR production will end this spring, most likely in May, a Chevrolet spokesman told Inside Line on Monday.
- The Chevrolet Captiva Sport, a small crossover built in Mexico, will not be available for purchase by individual retail customers.
DETROIT — With the Chevrolet HHR now slated to end production this spring, General Motors will attempt to fill the gap, at least with fleet customers, by introducing the Mexican-built Chevrolet Captiva Sport late this year.
HHR production will end quietly this spring, most likely in May, a Chevrolet spokesman told Inside Line on Monday. There are no plans for any special models to mark the end of HHR production and no plans to put the final HHR into a museum, despite the fact that 2011 is the centennial year for the Chevy brand, said spokesman David Caldwell in a phone conversation with Inside Line.
Slightly smaller than the Chevrolet Equinox, the Captiva Sport was designed and engineered in Korea, and is based on GM's Daewoo Winstorm. Until now, the compact crossover has been marketed around the world, including Europe and much of Asia, but never in the U.S.
The U.S.-bound Captiva will be assembled at GM's Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico.
Caldwell said the Captiva Sport will not be available to individual retail customers or rental fleets in the U.S.
"It is intended for commercial and delivery use in the U.S.," Caldwell said. "Some of our fleet customers told us we need a car about the size of the Equinox, but not quite so premium. Captiva is much less expensive than an Equinox — more stripped down and simplistic."
Caldwell was unable to provide specific pricing on the Captiva Sport. A base 2011 Chevrolet Equinox LS starts at $23,490, including a $745 destination charge.
GM said in a statement that the Captiva Sport will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2011. It will get either the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or the 3.0-liter V6 engine matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. It will be offered in LS and LT models, with four trim packages, including an all-wheel-drive model. All versions get 17-inch aluminum wheels, XM Satellite Radio, six-speaker sound system, air-conditioning, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, traction control and stability control, power locks and windows and remote keyless entry.
Inside Line says: You won't see the Captiva Sport in your driveway, unless the florist or the caterer is making a delivery. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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dmd34 says:
12:32 PM, 04/03/2012
I am really looking forward to testing out the Captiva. I realize its the old Saturn Vue in every way possible. I love the looks, I like its fuel economy, and although not the biggest vehicle out there it can carry most anything I need to most of the time 99% of the time. I am happy GM didn't kill it after the end of Saturn. I hope it will be a little less than the Vue was because Chevy is the value brand of GM and I hope the pricing is even more competitive than what the car was with the Saturn emblem on the car. I like the fact its got 4 wheel disc anti-lock brakes with traction and stability control. A friend of mine just bought last Summer a Ford Escape and it has rear drum brakes, there is no excuse for that in this day and age. I realize its less expensive to put drums on a vehicle but with putting on anti-lock brakes and many other safety features on cars nowadays its sad that a car company can't just put on disc brakes all around. I want to see GM put the hybrid version of the Vue in the Captiva. I remember reading about it a few months back that it got 600 miles to the tank on the highway and 450 city per tank. I do alot of driving for my daily commute and that would be a really nice savings for me.
everett24 says:
04:55 PM, 04/01/2012
Shows the misdirection of GM. First of all, they are getting rid of a model that stands apart from the rest of the world; looks like nothing else on the road. It's why I bought one. Some executive sat and thought, "Let's replace it with something that works great, but got discontinued as well. We'll put a bowtie on it and no one will recognize the Saturn Vue silhouette..." Chevrolet, I've been a fan since I was a kid. Will always be and am very appreciative of your legacy, your history. Someone made a bad decision. Your marketing group needs help.
basictransport says:
09:51 AM, 12/23/2011
Gee, need a delivery vehicle? If only they made a small van...
narg says:
09:38 PM, 06/07/2011
They need to make the 2.0 desiel available in the US!
bensonhodges says:
04:10 PM, 06/01/2011
My 06 HHR LT1 has been a great car ~82K miles and no issues. There is nothing out there in GM's stable that I find desireable and affordable.
camaroguy37 says:
09:08 PM, 03/31/2011
Well hey, at least it's only for rental fleets. I'm not going to sit here and complain about "GM's bad management" or any crap like that. Financially speaking, it's smart to bring an old model back for use only as a rental car. They don't have to invest in developing a new product...
theheartbeat says:
07:57 PM, 03/21/2011
why are we always trying to be like all of these slave labor countries bring back real style, i do not want to be riding around in a damn shoebox
theheartbeat says:
07:46 PM, 03/21/2011
Damnit i'm an amercian stop with these no style cars and trucks only an 10 year old has room to drive.
jrhoglund1 says:
09:33 AM, 03/16/2011
ITS A SATURN VUE WITH A CHEVY EMBLEM JUST LOOK AT IT
iskch says:
09:54 AM, 03/15/2011
Odd replacement.