- by Trish Whelan
Diesel important in GM's medium future
GM's Bob Lutz speaking at the Geneva Motor Show.
04 March 2003: GENEVA MOTOR SHOW The significance of diesel in the future of GM in Europe was strongly underlined at the carmaker's annual keynote press conference this afternoon at the Geneva Show, which featured some of the company's top people both globally and in European terms.
Describing it as 'an important interim step' in a path towards a hydrogen-based economy as exemplified by the Hy Wire fuel cell concept, Rick Wagoner noted that the company is introducing four new state of the art common rail diesel engines this year.
He told journalists that GM is introducing many new technologies 'with a sense of urgency and a focus on innovation'.
Carl-Peter Forster noted that the new diesels covered a range of outputs right up to 177 bhp, and among them would be a 1.7-litre CDti to be announced for the Astra in a few days' time.
"A new Opel is starting to emerge," he added. "We are making real strides in all areas, in particular with quality and design. Our customers and our dealers have recognised this, and this progress is helping us to buck the [downward] trend in the European market this year."
The immediate models flagshipping this under the generic title of 'Opel I Line' (A Statement of Individuality) are the soon-to-be-launched Opel Meriva and the Signum (below) which will follow it later in the summer.
"The Meriva sets a new benchmark in versatility," Forster predicted, and of the Signum he said its combination of styling and design on a stretched Vectra platform would open up 'an entirely new market' for the company.
In his contribution, Mike Burns said he expects high conquest sales from the Signum and Meriva, which will add to the progress made with the Vectra GTS and the Saab 9-3 sports saloon.
"We're starting to see the results in the market place, with five consecutive months of market share increases, and we're continuing to aggressively strive to achieve our targets."
On the latest iteration of the Saab 9-3 Convertible (below), which was launched at the show, Burns said the model is well placed to affirm the brand's leading role in soft-tops.
On GM Daewoo, the conference heard that work is continuing to develop a large distribution network in Europe for the brand, and 'a lot has happened very quickly'.
The commitment to Europe's market place for the GM Daewoo brand was underlined at the show by the appearance of the Pininfarina-designed new Nubira, and a new concept vehicle, the Scope (below), which signals the importance attached to having an SUV in GM Daewoo's line-up.
Globally, GM has more than 30 new or significantly changed models this year alone, and Rick Wagoner said that ultimately the company's success will be determined by its product capabilities.
Bob Lutz said GM has more resources than any other manufacturer, and this allowed the company to bring products like the Meriva and the Signum quickly to the market.
©2003 irishcar.com