The first Chevrolet built in the European Union rolled off the assembly line of the FSO (Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych) plant in Warsaw, Poland, today. The small four-door Aveo sedan will be joined by two new hatchback variants in summer 2008. As production increases to approximately 60,000 next year and 100,000 in 2009, the Aveo made-in-Poland will help meet strong demand across Europe. With sales up 32 percent compared to a year ago, Chevrolet is the fastest growing volume brand in Europe.
"The Aveo is already our European best-seller with over 79,000 registrations so far this year", said Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. "We are proud to now build Chevrolet vehicles in the European Union for European customers. Production of the Aveo in Poland will increase Chevrolet's global build capacity and allow us to satisfy growing regional demand and shorten delivery times." The Warsaw FSO facility in which the Chevrolet Aveo will be built is owned and managed by General Motors' long-standing Ukrainian partner, UkrAVTO. General Motors and UkrAVTO announced today their intention to establish a manufacturing joint venture at the plant. Under the agreement, which will be finalized in the coming months, 60 percent of the joint venture shares will be held by UkrAVTO Corporation with 40 percent in the hands of General Motors' South Korean unit, GM Daewoo.
UkrAVTO already manufactures and distributes Chevrolet vehicles in Ukraine, where the brand has a market share of more than 8 percent. GM and UkrAVTO will work together to ensure the highest standards of quality. According to Eric Stevens, GM Europe's Vice President of manufacturing, "our strong relationship with UkrAVTO to date and General Motors' own track record of producing cars in Poland gives us the confidence to take this important next step. Our experience since 1998 at the Gliwice plant in Southern Poland has been extremely positive. We are confident the workforce in Warsaw will deliver vehicles of the same world-class performance and quality."
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