
“Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment,” GM said.
General Motors and Nissan announced today that the companies signed an agreement for Nissan to produce a small cargo van in Mexico that GM will sell in the United States and Canada. GM will rebadge the Nissan NV200 as the Chevrolet City Express, which will go on sale in the fall of 2014. No further technical details or pricing was provided.
Nissan currently sells a version of the vehicle as the NV200 in numerous markets, including the United States and Canada. Nissan also sells full-size NV 1500/2500/3500 Cargo Standard Roof, a 4-row/12-person NV 3500 Passenger and larger NV 2500/3500 Cargo High Roof models. Year-to-date the NV range of vans has sold more than 4,000 units in the U.S.
The NV200 is a cargo van that just went on sale in during April with 200 delivered. It has the lowest claimed starting MSRP in the small segment of $19,990, plus $845 for delivery, and best in class 24 mpg combined EPA fuel economy rating. The front-wheel drive NV200 comes with a 131-horsepower 2-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission.
“Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment, so this addition to the Chevrolet portfolio will strengthen our position with fleets and our commercial customers,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president of GM Fleet and Commercial Sales.
Why the world’s second largest automaker needs to go outside for a small commercial van goes back to a decades old Opel decision to outsource small van production in Europe. Ford, Renault and Citroen all thrive in the segment. It is an embarrassing position for GM in AutoInformed’s view.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.