Geo (automobile)
Encyclopedia : G : GE : GEO : Geo (automobile)
This page is about General Motors' short-lived compact car brand, for other uses, see GEO.
Geo was a brand of small cars and SUVs marketed by General Motors and sold through Chevrolet dealerships throughout North America beginning in 1989 in the United States, and 1992 in Canada. Originally formed by GM to compete with the growing small import market of the late 1980s, the line continued through the 1997 model year, after which the remaining models joined the Chevrolet lineup. Geo was considered a youth brand, much like Scion is today. Recent years have seen fading consumer interest in the economy compact market, and the last vehicle of the former Geo line, the Tracker, was discontinued in 2004.
Geo models were manufactured by GM in joint-ventures with Japanese import manufacturers. The Prizm was produced at the GM/Toyota joint-venture NUMMI assembly plant in Fremont, California, and the Metro and Tracker were produced at the GM/Suzuki joint-venture CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The exceptions being the Spectrum and Storm, being entirely manufactured by Isuzu in Japan.
Models
Metro
The Metro was a subcompact car based on the Suzuki Swift available as either a three or five-door hatchback, four-door sedan, or less commonly as a convertible. The Metro's primary powerplant was a 1.0 L 3-cylinder engine. There was also a larger 4-cylinder engine available. The Metro was the most fuel efficient production vehicle ever produced by GM, and stayed so for 12 of the 13 years it was in production. The Metro was produced from 1989 through 2001.
Prizm
The Prizm was a compact four-door sedan based on the Toyota Corolla. While the Prizm consistently won awards from the auto industry (including having the honor of being a Consumer's Digest Best Buy), it was always outsold by the Corolla, likely due to the perceived higher value of the Toyota brand. Additionally, the Prizm had an awkward position in Chevrolet's lineup, as it had to compete with a car it stared across the lot at: the Cavalier. Being in the same class as Cavalier, Chevrolet took the approch of marketing the Cavalier as a "premium entry level sedan" while marketing the Prizm as an "entry level compact sedan." Towards the end however, the Prizm became more or less a redundancy in Chevrolet's lineup, which likely led to its demise. The Prizm ran from 1990 through 2002.
Spectrum
The Spectrum was a short-lived compact one step up from the Metro, based on the Isuzu Gemini (also sold as the Isuzu I-Mark in North America). The Spectrum was previously sold as a Chevrolet model, and was added to the Geo lineup to offer potential buyers an option other than the Metro until the Prizm could be introduced the following year.
Storm
The Storm was a sporty car based on the Isuzu Impulse, available as either a two-door fastback or as a station wagon, which Geo oddly marketed as a hatchback. The Storm entered Geo's lineup in 1990, and made a quick departure in 1993 despite strong sales. This was due in part to Isuzu discontinuing their car lines, and refocusing on trucks and SUVs.
Tracker
The Tracker was a light SUV, based on the Suzuki Sidekick, which was a larger cousin to the highly criticized Suzuki Samurai. The Tracker was a part of the original Geo lineup from 1989, and was the longest running model, continuing under the Chevrolet brand through 2004. The Tracker was available in either a convertible or hardtop configuration, with either two or four seats. The buyer had the option of either rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive. Geo touted the Tracker as a versatile vehicle, being either an around-town runabout, or a rugged off-road vehicle. However, the Tracker's high center of gravity coupled with its tall profile made it more prone to rollover than larger SUVs.
External links
- [Category at ODP]
- [1990-1998 Chevrolet and Geo Tracker in Canadian Driver's used car review]
- [1993-1997 Geo Prizm review]
- [1995-2000 Chevrolet and Geo Metro in Canadian Driver's used car review]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.