GM DIVERSITY NEWSLETTER

GM Showcased "Diversity Behind Fuel Solutions" Product Review at the Los Angeles Auto Show

Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper talking
about Chevy vehicles ranging from a gasoline-
powered subcompact to a hydrogen fuel cell
crossover, extended-range electric vehicle and
three hybrids at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

LOS ANGELES – In response to consumer demand for more fuel efficient and environmentally positive vehicles, Chevrolet rolled out a major initiative at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show – Chevrolet Fuel Solutions – to aggressively promote the fuel-saving technologies available in the brand’s current and future lineups.

Just as Chevrolet’s global portfolio includes cars and trucks designed for every need and budget, Chevrolet’s Fuel Solutions (www.chevrolet.com/fuelsolutions) initiative comprises technologies in five categories that vary in cost and complexity. They include improved fuel efficiency with internal combustion engine refinements; biofuels, such as E85 ethanol; gasoline-electric hybrids; electrically driven vehicles; and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The L.A. Auto Show also served as a springboard for the launch of the GM Next Generation diversity student outreach program. College students from each emerging market (African American, Hispanic, Asian American, GLBT), majoring in journalism, were invited to the show as guests of GM. The students were provided media credentials and access to GM spokespeople and executives, and allowed to attend press conferences and product unveilings. A total of six students representing African American, Hispanic and Asian markets attended the L.A. Auto Show.

GM Next students interviewing Denise Gray at
the Los Angeles Auto Show.

In addition, media that serve diversity markets had an opportunity to meet and interact with some of the diverse talent behind the automaker’s fuel solutions initiative.

GM’s diverse subject matter experts provided media with an in-depth look at some of GM’s fuel-solution vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt, Equinox, Silverado and Aveo 5, and the all-new 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Media will also got an up-close glimpse of the redesigned 2009 Pontiac Vibe unveiled recently at the Miami Auto Show.

GM “Diversity Behind Fuel Solutions” Product Tour at the L.A. Auto Show was geared specifically toward media serving the African American, Hispanic, Asian American, women and LGBT markets.

GM announced it will build a production car
inspired by the Chevrolet Beat concept, shown
here at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

LOS ANGELES – A vehicle based on the Chevrolet Beat concept, which swept through auto shows around the globe and the Internet earlier this year, will go into global production. Chevrolet announced the decision at 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.

An online poll that attracted more than 1.8 million voters helped influence the decision to take the concept to production. The distinctly styled A-class car will be initially targeted to markets outside of U.S. and Canada, starting in mid-2009.

“The people have spoken. The vote count tripled all previous GM online consumer surveys, telling us the Beat resonated with customers all around the world,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “Chevrolet was overwhelmed by the positive reaction to each of the ‘triplets,’ but the Beat was the clear winner.”

The production model will carry the spirit of the expressive Beat concept, offering compact, city-friendly dimensions and a small-displacement engine that delivers excellent fuel economy. It adds further depth and breadth to Chevrolet’s global lineup, which is sold in more than 90 countries, giving the brand a leadership position in the segment – the fastest-growing automotive segment in many regions around the world.

“Fuel solutions and great-looking cars are at the core of Chevrolet’s values, and this new production model aligns perfectly with those tenents,” said Peper. “It will be truly global, built around the world for a variety of diverse markets.”

The Beat and the other concepts highlighted in the online survey were developed primarily at GM’s Design Studio in Bupyeong, South Korea, with input from GM’s global network of designers and GM’s Korean partner, GM Daewoo. As South Korea is a primary market for this exciting new car, production will begin there.

Beat beginnings
Conceived to evoke the mood of a speedy micro import tuner, the Beat concept debuted at the 2007 New York Auto Show, along with two other concepts, Groove and Trax. All were designed to appeal to young car buyers in urban markets, infusing the energy, diversity and excitement of urban life into cars that deliver good-looking fun, fuel economy and value.

The Beat concept was designed and built leveraging GM’s Global Product Development process, created from best practices around the world that integrate design, engineering, powertrain and manufacturing organizations to ensure each vehicle program meets its quality, timing and business targets, yet is responsive to the needs in regional markets.

As part of its global product development process, GM is growing the skills and capabilities of its design and engineering centers around the world, using key tools and technologies, such as a global virtual design and engineering network, that allow engineers and designers to collaborate with each other worldwide.

The production car based on the Beat concept incorporates these resources, bringing to market quickly a right-sized car, with a right-sized ecological footprint at the right time.