Monday, February 28, 2011

GM Daewoo (GM Korea) Chevrolet Orlando

2012 GM Korea Chevrolet Orlando
When GM Daewoo is still in the process of renaming it into GM Korea Company, the Korean division of General Motors launched the first of the eight Chevrolet vehicles to the South Korean market. Six of them will be made from Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, while the two Chevrolet models are imported from the North American market. The first Korean-made Chevrolet that will mark the beginning of Chevrolet and the countdown of renaming "GM Daewoo Auto and Technology" into "GM Korea Company" is the Active Live Vehicle known as the Chevrolet Orlando (쉐보레 올란도).

Made for the global market except the United States and Japan, the Chevrolet Orlando is the first Korean Chevrolet that will help revolutionize the Korean division of General Motors and to bring out the best for Korean families. With the concept of "Active Life Vehicle", the Orlando marks the new category because of its ruggedness of an SUV, sedan riding comfort, and spaciousness of a minivan. Think of it as the Korean-American take on Mitsubishi Fuzion/Zinger MPV.

GM Korea's Chevrolet Orlando is powered with the 2.0L DOHC Turbo Diesel engine, capable of releasing a fresh power output of 163hp and the torque output of 36.7kg-m. The 2.0L 6-Speed Automatic variant has a fuel economy of 14.0km/L while the 2.0L 6-Speed Manual variant has a fuel economy of 17.4km/L. In other terms, driving a manual variant of the Orlando takes you further if you are planning a trip from Manila to Cabanatuan.

My thoughts about the Chevrolet Orlando:
The Chevrolet Orlando marks the first of the eight Chevrolet vehicles to be launched in the Korean market. As always told from GM Daewoo CEO, now GM Korea Company CEO, Mike Arcamone said that six Chevrolet models are domestic while two are North American imports. As it gets near, the GM Daewoo Lacetti Premiere and the Matiz Creative will be branded as Chevrolet Cruze and Spark, planned to rename existing models while retaining the GM Daewoo brand on vehicles such as Damas, Labo, and the Alpheon premium sedan.

The Orlando is intended for the global market and it's not coming to the United States and Japan. If The Covenant Car Company Inc. plans to launch the Korean-made Orlando to the Philippines soon, the Mitsubishi Fuzion, Toyota Avanza and Innova, and the Nissan Grand Livina might be shocked to see such a worthy Korean-American contender stepping on the competition. Also, if someone plans a Philippine commercial for the Orlando, leave it to Ryan Agoncillo because he's the brand ambassador for Chevrolet Philippines. If Ryan Agoncillo's going for a joyride in Orlando, he'll bring the whole family for an entire trip around the country with the new Orlando, Chevrolet's Active Life Vehicle created from GM Korea (formerly GM Daewoo). Sales for the Orlando starts at March 2011 in South Korea and soon worldwide except USA and Japan.

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