Chevrolet to showcase international models alongside Corvette in Detroit

Chevrolet global product development senior vice president Mary Barra said the decision to showcase the Onix, Orlando, Sail, Spin and Trax vehicles on centre stage gave it the chance to highlight the depth of the brand’s international line-up.

“The appearance of these five global vehicles further reinforces Chevrolet’s commitment to tailor vehicles to our customers’ needs around the world,” Barra said.

The compact Chevrolet Onix hatchback (top) debuted at the Sao Paulo auto show in Brazil in October. Designed specifically for South America, the small car features 1.0- and 1.4-litre engines equipped to run on 100 per cent ethanol as well as a mix of ethanol and petrol.

The Chevrolet Orlando crossover MPV (above) is produced by General Motors in South Korea. On sale in Canada since October 2011, Chevy says the seven-seater is intended to be an alternative to conventional people-moving vans while offering fuel economy bettered only by its hybrid rivals.

Designed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre, the Chevrolet Sail (above) is another small car created for developing countries. The Sail is built and sold in China and exported to Chile, Peru and Bolvia, while kits are also shipped to India, Colombia and Ecuador for assembly.

Launching in Indonesia and Thailand this year, the Chevrolet Spin (above) is a playful-looking seven-seater designed for congested Southeast Asian streets. The Spin will be manufactured at GM’s facility in Bekasi, Indonesia.

Finally, the compact Chevrolet Trax SUV (above) will also make an appearance, following its launch into Canada and Mexico during the final quarter of 2012. The rebadged and localised Holden Trax will go on sale in Australia later this year.

The global focus at Detroit is part of the brand’s new marketing slogan, ‘Find New Roads’, emphasising Chevrolet’s development of new products and technologies for customers in more than 140 markets.

The highlight of Chevrolet’s stand will undoubtedly be the new Corvette (above), however. Tipped to be the quickest and most powerful production vehicle in the brand’s history, Chevrolet says the new C7 will produce around 335kW and 610Nm and sprint from 0-60mph (0-96.6km/h) in less than four seconds.