Chevrolet Aveo review

Chevrolet dealers are to escape their showrooms to promote their latest models at shopping centres and summer shows.

The brand’s managing director Rory Harvey, speaking at a joint launch event for the Aveo supermini and Epica large saloon, painted an upbeat picture of Chevrolet’s recent performance – claiming fourth-highest growth rates behind Vauxhall, Audi and Honda.

While throughout 2007 Chevrolet sales in western Europe grew by 10 per cent, UK figures jumped 27 per cent and have maintained the momentum with 2008 year-to-date sales up 21 per cent.

Much of this, according to Harvey, was down to a successful Local Heroes campaign which saw the brand’s retailers staging displays in shopping areas, garden centres and country shows.

“Our awareness levels are not where we want them to be – prompted awareness is at 33 per cent but unprompted much lower, so programmes like this are very important,” Harvey said.

“Two years ago we staged around 100 out-of-showroom events, last year it was 935 which with 96 retailers equates to around 10 per dealer, or one every five or six weeks – that’s a huge amount of activity.”

Harvey told Motor Trader that with several new models on the way, he intended to sustain this presence in high footfall environments in 2008.

Chevrolet typically funds half the cost of these events, and whereas two years ago two regional marketing managers primarily advised dealers on media advertising, now there are five, supporting events, making bookings and supplying the staff.

Harvey believes that correct placing of events is crucial; “We are offering significant support in co-ordinating the events and making sure they go to plan.

“If, for example, you are outside a Tesco, you need someone capturing data and booking test drives – not actually taking test drives because you won’t hold the customer’s attention long enough – they will have a trolley full of shopping and they won’t want their food to melt.

“If, however, you take a selection of cars to a garden centre at a weekend that’s a different environment. People have more time and will be interested in taking an immediate test drive.”

Harvey believes such programmes are growing in importance as general footfall in showrooms reduces.

“Today, thanks to the internet, customers tend to visit a maximum of two showrooms and arrive much better informed than ever before, so with less people coming in, we have to interfere with the purchase funnel at an earlier stage.

“We still have a long way to go in terms of awareness but when we get in front of people and they understand the package, which includes fixed price servicing, we tend to sell cars directly from these events and the resulting test drives.

“We used to convert one out of four customers coming into showrooms, now we’re converting over 50 per cent.”

Chevrolet’s last new model, the Captiva SUV launched in 2007, has exceeded expectations over the last seven months, encouraging an increase in annual sales predictions to between 3,500 and 4,000 units.

Harvey has high hopes that the Epica and the Aveo will prove similarly successful.

On sale from last month, the Epica takes Chevrolet into the large saloon market. Measuring up at 4.8 metres long it offers a 480-litre luggage space – exceeding that of the Captiva.

While only expecting to sell around 500 units a year, taking sales from Hyundai’s Sonata, the Kia Magentis and possibly the Dodge Avenger, Chevrolet product manager Matt Shaw believes the Epica will appeal on its value-for-money factor.

“The Epica starts at £13,595 and for that you get air conditioning, cruise control, part-leather upholstery and a straight-six 2-litre petrol engine offering more than 140bhp,” said Shaw.

He added that upgrading to the diesel, the same 2-litre 148bhp unit used in the Captiva , would add £1,000, while the range-topping Epica would start at £16,595. A six-speed automatic gearbox is also an option with the diesel.

Shaw expects to sell around 6,000 units a year of the Kalos replacement the Aveo, which he said offers significant advances over its predecessor, particularly in terms of styling, a higher quality interior, newer powertrains and an increased specification.

The Aveo will go on sale “some time in quarter two to three”, in three and five-door hatch form, with three trim levels and two powertrains, and at prices ranging from £7,695 to £10,645.

Both the engines are petrol, in 1.2 and 1.4 sizing, and according to Shaw greatly improved over their predecessors.

“Throughout the range we are seeing 17 per cent better mpg, CO2 levels down 15 per cent, a drop in VED bands and BIK tax down 5 per cent compared to Kalos,” he said.

There are no plans to offer a diesel Aveo, though its successor will come with one. Harvey revealed the car will be replaced before the end of 2012 as part of an aggressive expansion programme which will see the entire range renewed in the next five years.

In 2005 the Chevrolet line-up allowed the brand to compete in 28 per cent of a total parc worth 22 million units.

By the end of 2012 the plan is to have a presence in 65 per cent of a predicted parc of 24 million.

Newcomers will include the Beat city car, due in 18 months time to replace the ageing Matiz, which still accounts for 30 per cent of Chevrolet registrations.

Equally important, however, will be the launch of a much wider diesel powertrain line, Harvey pointing out that currently only the Epica and Captiva are offered in diesel-form; “We offer no diesel in the small, medium or compact segments and in some places these engines form 45 per cent of the market.”