Chris Perry, the vice president of marketing for the Chevrolet brand that is responsible for approximately 70 percent of GM’s sales, firmly believes the supercharged products being rolled off the assembly line will immediately resonate with urbanites nationwide.
“The Camaro, as we know, is the iconic American sports car that we all love. And now it’s going to come in a drop top convertible. The Camaro will show up in January or February as a drop top for the first time,” he says.
Chevrolet Cruise comes out in the first quarter of 2011. It gets 42 miles per gallon on the highway. That is the best fuel economy for any traditional gas-powered vehicle in the United States.
Perry reserved his greatest praise for the Chevy Volt that has sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the industry. “It is surprisingly fast and amazingly quiet. It is probably the most technologically advanced vehicle ever made. It is so intuitive and so simple,” he says before launching into what takes the Volt above and beyond anything that has been made thus far.
Certainly the Volt helps us to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. It’s battery powered. It gets 25-50 miles per hour when it’s charged. Certainly from a gas standpoint, it’s much more efficient. Plugging it into your home electricity is about $1.50 a day. So, if you are worried about the fluctuation of gas prices, then the Volt is certainly a viable option.
And, just as important, Chevrolet Volt designers and engineers did a great job of marrying practicality, state-of-the-art technology and aesthetics.
“I think the designers and the engineers did a fantastic job developing a car that is so sophisticated, so technologically advanced but great looking, [and]simple to use. It’s like it’s not fancy, it’s no rocket ship. The steering wheel is in the same place, the gas pedal is in the same place. It can actually be used as your everyday vehicle,” he says. “We think it’s a breakthrough event. The torque, because it’s an electric engine is really fantastic. It gets off the line very quickly. It’s not a secondary vehicle. Yet it is a toy. But you can drive it as a primary mode of transportation. And you can do it in a quieter, emission-free way.”
Which is why GM’s brass are excited about the possibilities with Chevrolet. “Chris brings 25 years of marketing experience — more than 20 years in the automotive industry — to the Chevrolet marketing position,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president for marketing for General Motors. “I have worked with Chris in the past and know he will use his unique ability to integrate strategic and creative marketing activities across all communications disciplines to reconnect consumers to the Chevrolet brand.”
With Perry’s illustrious pedigree and Chevrolet’s attractive portfolio, look for Chevy to increase within the urban market and America in the coming years. –terry shropshire
