Chevrolet Orlando Not Coming to the U.S.

GM has announced it dropped plans to sell the Chevrolet Orlando crossover in the U.S. and said it would concentrate on existing models at its biggest division, according to the Automotive News.

Dealers were announced about the decision on Friday, confirmed Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet’s product marketing director for small cars and crossovers, in an interview. In January 2009, GM said it would start offering the seven-seat Orlando in the U.S. from 2011.

“The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we’ve already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and, soon to come, the Cruze. We feel that with those vehicles, Chevrolet has plenty of options for the modern family,” Brooks was quoted as saying by the Automotive News.

By selling or closing brands as Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab, GM is scaling back to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac in the U.S. as part of the recovery plan that allowed it to emerge from bankruptcy in July 2009. The decision involving the Orlando has been made by Mark Reuss, GM’s president for North America.

Based on the same platform as the Cruze small car, the Orlando MPV will be sold in Canada, Europe and Asia, said Brian Goebel, a company spokesman. He added that Chevrolet accounted for about 70 percent of GM’s sales in the U.S. and more than 50 percent globally.

Instead of bringing the Orlando to the U.S., Chevrolet will ramp up production capacity for the Equinox and Traverse SUVs, as well as for the Malibu sedan. GM has added third shifts at the plants that make those three models and also has announced plans to build the Malibu and Equinox at other factories. Production of the Cruze is scheduled to start in the third quarter.