General Motors Co., selling a majority of its Adam Opel GmbH unit, will look to add a compact sport-utility vehicle to its Chevrolet lineup in Europe where it seeks to sign up more dealers for the brand.
GM, based in Detroit, may use an existing Opel model as the basis of a new Chevrolet, Nick Reilly, the chief of the company's alliance operations globally, said today in an interview at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Other existing GM designs may also be used to fill out the brand's product range in Europe, he said.
GM needs to grow Chevy sales in Europe after selling 55 percent of Opel to Magna International Inc. and OAO Sberbank. Dealers delivered 500,000 Chevrolet vehicles for Detroit-based GM last year. This year GM began selling its Cruze small sedan, a compact that will be sold in the U.S. next year.
"We've got a couple of products we need to introduce" in Europe, said Reilly. "And also we need to strengthen our distribution network."
Chevrolet makes up the majority of GM's sales in the U.S. In Europe, Chevrolet trails Opel more than 5-to-1 in sales.
GM must add dealerships in Spain and Turkey where Chevrolet is underrepresented, Reilly said.
