Bring back GEO?

[Carguy]

It seems to me that the AVEO should be called a GEO NOT a CHEVY! If they were to bring back the sub Chevy brand they could make a STRIPER COBALT the base Chevy model. Then they could do the AVEO line as a GEO and bring over other GM+GM partner Asian/European small cars/SUV's/Crossovers in the restored Chevy sub brand. The new FIAT GRANDE PUNTO would make a GREAT NEW GEO METRO being that it is built on a GM of Europe platform. And with its opt Diesel power it could be VERY EFFICENT. The SUZUKI VERONA could be a NEW GEO PRIZM and there are MANY OTHERS they could choose from for the CHEVY MINI BRAND!

[z28luvr01]

I think Geo disappeared because GM realized that selling the cars under the Chevy nameplate would be more effective in moving them. The Geo name meant nothing when it was in use, and means less now.

[Carguy]

I think Geo disappeared because GM realized that selling the cars under the Chevy nameplate would be more effective in moving them. The Geo name meant nothing when it was in use, and means less now.

GEO means "around the globe" witch is a GREAT NAME for an internationally built product. I think its a MORE TRUTHFULL name then the ALL AMERICAN SOUNDING CHEVROLET! GEO WORKED and THEY SHOULD BRING IT BACK for the TOTALLY NON DOMESTIC AVEO model and MANY POSSIBLE OTHERS! Edited May 30, 2006 by Carguy

[DetroitNut90]

GM shouldn't be able to bring back Geo until they bring back Oldsmobile. I don't think that it's smart to introduce another brand-by-GM until they're on more stable financial ground.

[Sixty8panther]

I'm all for bringing back the GEO brand... right after

GM brings back Oakland, LaSalle & Oldsmobile

[Croc]

Yea, GEO is dead as doornails. It should stay that way. Anyone wanting it back wants it simply for the novelty and not for any sound, logical reason.

[regfootball]

NO!

[Dragon]

Geo is the last brand that should be brought back (not that any should or need to be brought back). Most people equate it to $h!ty little cars. While the latter association is fine, the former is not one GM wants people thinking about there cars.

[tama z71]

Are you $h!ting me? This is a serious inquiry?

no

[Camino LS6]

Are you $h!ting me? This is a serious inquiry?

no

What he said.

It was a bad idea then and a worse one now.

[the_yellow_dart]

Can we bring back Asuna while we're at it? How about Passport?

Probably about as many people remember those GM divisions...

[the_yellow_dart]

hmmm... never even realized it was canada-only... or so short lived:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asuna

[Sixty8panther]

Wow... Canadians get some weird stuff.

I thouhg tyour wheels were square?

[Drew Dowdell]

How can you call yourself "Carguy" and ask a question like this?

[Hudson]

I think its a MORE TRUTHFULL name then the ALL AMERICAN SOUNDING CHEVROLET!

Yes...the "all-American sounding," albeit with a French pronounciation of the brand's Swiss namesake. That's as "all-American sounding" as they get.

[the_yellow_dart]

68... More wiki stuff for you.

You think Canadians get some weird stuff?

Here's some wierd Japanese rebadging for you...

95 Civic we all know:

Then there was a Canada-only Acura EL:

Then they made an Isuzu Gemini:

Then they made a ROVER 400!

[ToniCipriani]

No.

[FAPTurbo]

Bring back the car Ned Flanders drives? Nah, I'll pass...

[Drew Dowdell]

The U.S. Accord is also a Hyundai something in other markets.

[regfootball]

hell bring back YUGO too then

[Newbiewar]

Geo is the last brand that should be brought back (not that any should or need to be brought back).  Most people equate it to $h!ty little cars.    While the latter association is fine, the former is not one GM wants people thinking about there cars.

so its a good thing that they are instead rebadged as Chevys?

in my opinion GM ought to have an outlet for sub-priced sub-compact cars...

and it shouldnt tarnish the chevrolet brand... if they are going to be built in korea or shanghi, and they arent going to live upto the standards of the rest of the chevrolet line up... they dont belong to drag the brand down...

Edited May 31, 2006 by Newbiewar

[Imaj]

Toyota is coming up with a subrand to go below Toyota worldwide. GM had Saturn as a brand below Chevy but that changed. It doesn't fit Chevy's image to have an Aveo and a Corvette, or even worse a Spark!

[FAPTurbo]

Toyota is coming up with a subrand to go below Toyota worldwide. GM had Saturn as a brand below Chevy but that changed. It doesn't fit Chevy's image to have an Aveo and a Corvette, or even worse a Spark!

Perhaps... but does it have to be "Geo" ?... That name sounds so... so... so... Well, most Geo's I see are purple and are Metro's...

Words fail me.

[Hudson]

The U.S. Accord is also a Hyundai something in other markets.

I don't believe so. The Accord was sold as the Isuzu Aska in Japan...after it had stopped being a rebadged Subaru Legacy.

I don't think Honda and Hyundai have any tie-ups anywhere in the world, especially with how popular the Sonata has become in so many markets.

[Chicagoland]

GM has enough names, why do some want to bring every car name back, including Edse, Yugo,l and DeSoto?

[Newbiewar]

GM has enough names, why do some want to bring every car name back, including Edse, Yugo,l and DeSoto?

well thats kind of the point... there are bad names... and currently, the vehicles that will be remembered are going to be chevrolet something...

the aveo is a decent car, but certainly not up to chevrolet standards...

whenever our trainer comes by he tells us things that apply to all chevrolet, but we have to remember not to include those in our walk arounds of aveos...

things like TPC specs on tires... (to prevent rollovers similar to firestone & fords)

things like timing chains... (made to last the life of the motor, aveo doesnt have)

there are more, but for the sake of simplicity the aveo doesnt meet the standards, so why drag chevrolet's image down with a run of the mill car?

if it were a GEO or a Deowoo, people would understand they are getting a subpar car, but if its marked as a chevrolet, people might have expectations that the aveo wont stand up to...

[Carguy]

well thats kind of the point... there are bad names... and currently, the vehicles that will be remembered are going to be chevrolet something...

the aveo is a decent car, but certainly not up to chevrolet standards...

whenever our trainer comes by he tells us things that apply to all chevrolet, but we have to remember not to include those in our walk arounds of aveos...

things like TPC specs on tires... (to prevent rollovers similar to firestone & fords)

things like timing chains... (made to last the life of the motor, aveo doesnt have)

there are more, but for the sake of simplicity the aveo doesnt meet the standards, so why drag chevrolet's image down with a run of the mill car?

if it were a GEO or a Deowoo, people would understand they are getting a subpar car, but if its marked as a chevrolet, people might have expectations that the aveo wont stand up to...

((AMEN!)) Thankyou Newbiewar! Thankyou for your support and some releaf from this ((PMS LIKE HISSYFIT!))----GUYS IT WAS ONLY A QUESTION! The AVEO IS NOT A TRUE CHEVY NOMATTER WHAT THEY CALL IT!! Edited May 31, 2006 by Carguy

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't believe so. The Accord was sold as the Isuzu Aska in Japan...after it had stopped being a rebadged Subaru Legacy.

I don't think Honda and Hyundai have any tie-ups anywhere in the world, especially with how popular the Sonata has become in so many markets.

I saw one in the Bahamas.... don't recall the name.

[PurdueGuy]

While I see the point of trying to seperate what could be sub-par products from the Chevy name, adding or reviving another brand name is a bad direction for a company that's trying to justify all the brands it already has. Still, none of the current brands could be realigned to fit the role, so it's a toughy.

My opinion:

a) Never bring back the Geo name. As others have stated, it was associated with crappy cars, and GM would be better off creating a new brand than to start out with an already tarnished image.

b) Leave the products as Chevys. Sure, they're not made in the U.S., but in the case of the Aveo, they're being sold as Chevys everywhere else in the world except Korea. That's globalization, sorry if it hurts your feelings. Don't like the car? Don't buy it.

c) Greatly improve future products so that Chevy doesn't need to be ashamed to have them.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

NO!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Quoted for emphasis.

[carstar]

good idea but, bringing back geo is a waste of money

[Hudson]

My opinion:

a) Never bring back the Geo name.  As others have stated, it was associated with crappy cars, and GM would be better off creating a new brand than to start out with an already tarnished image.

b) Leave the products as Chevys.  Sure, they're not made in the U.S., but in the case of the Aveo, they're being sold as Chevys everywhere else in the world except Korea.  That's globalization, sorry if it hurts your feelings.  Don't like the car? Don't buy it.

c) Greatly improve future products so that Chevy doesn't need to be ashamed to have them.

Geo products were not "crappy." The Metro was an excellent entry-level product, the Storm has a large following, the Tracker also has a large, devoted following, and the Prizm was one of the highest quality products sold by GM in its day.

While I don't necessarily think that Chevrolet needs to revive Geo itself, GM could use one of its existing brands for first-time buyers or youth buyers.

Chevrolet is becoming a global brand and could be extended to the US. Has anyone seen the Chevrolet India website...."An Indian Revolution."

[PurdueGuy]

I didn't say they were crappy, I said "it was associated with crappy cars". It's perception. Back during the days of Geo, friends would joke about them being "disposable cars". The perception was of low quality.

Another good example:

On a trip about a year ago, somehow we got to talking about rebadging cars. I pointed out that the Geo/Chevy Prism was just a rebadged Toyota Corolla. One of them asked, "Then why is the Geo one so much less reliable?" I explained that it's not, because it's the exact same car, but the perception is there, and it's pretty firmly established.

[CaddyXLR-V]

No more brands!!!

Toyota did not use another brand for the Yaris, Honda didn't use another brand for the Fit. GM doesn't need to with the Aveo. The next Aveo looks to be a great car, and will not drag down Chevy at all.(Like the Cavalier didn't hurt the Chevy name??)

Wouldn't it be cheaper, and smarter, to bring the Aveo up to Chevy standards than to revive and market a new brand?

[Newbiewar]

No more brands!!!

Toyota did not use another brand for the Yaris, Honda didn't use another brand for the Fit. GM doesn't need to with the Aveo. The next Aveo looks to be a great car, and will not drag down Chevy at all.(Like the Cavalier didn't hurt the Chevy name??)

Wouldn't it be cheaper, and smarter, to bring the Aveo up to Chevy standards than to revive and market a new brand?

possibly the aveo would be too expensive if it was brought up to chevys standards.. this is our problem... and with the chinese brands around the corner will chevrolet see an even cheaper model then the aveo from GM shanghi?

will toyota & GM get cought off their feet similar to GM and Ford in the 70's and 80's? with the cheaper asian vehicles?

[CaddyXLR-V]

possibly the aveo would be too expensive if it was brought up to chevys standards.. this is our problem... and with the chinese brands around the corner will chevrolet see an even cheaper model then the aveo from GM shanghi?

will toyota & GM get cought off their feet similar to GM and Ford in the 70's and 80's? with the cheaper asian vehicles?

Then how would it be any cheaper to revive and market it as a separate brand?

[Newbiewar]

Then how would it be any cheaper to revive and market it as a separate brand?

i'm not saying it would be cheaper to revive a brand, i'm saying it might be a bad idea to have a vehicle that is equated to poor quality such as many of the geo's and give the entire brand of chevrolet a bad perception... there is much at stake

my dad will never purchase a chevy product because of the bad experiance he had with a chevette...

so... where does that leave GM, one product ruined a future customer?

[CaddyXLR-V]

Thats why they need to make the product up to GM standards, and not create a sub-standard brand. The Fit and Yaris will be as reliable as the rest of Honda's and Toyota's cars, and the Aveo should be no different.

[Hudson]

No more brands!!!

Toyota did not use another brand for the Yaris, Honda didn't use another brand for the Fit.

Toyota did use another brand name for the ist and the bB. Honda was thinking about doing the same thing with other models...and I'm not sure if the Fit wasn't part of that plan.

[CaddyXLR-V]

Toyota did use another brand name for the ist and the bB. Honda was thinking about doing the same thing with other models...and I'm not sure if the Fit wasn't part of that plan.

Yes, but for the opposite reason that this thread was started for. Toyota felt they needed a new brand to market to the younger generation, and not because they thought it would drag down the Toyota name. But the situation is still different between GM and Toyota or Honda. GM already has enough brands(some would say more than enough) and doesn't have the cash to burn on reviving brands. The money would be better spent repairing the brands GM already has. Also, the Aveo will sell alot better as a Chevy than it would as a Geo. IMO it would be a waste of time and resources.

[Newbiewar]

Thats why they need to make the product up to GM standards, and not create a sub-standard brand. The Fit and Yaris will be as reliable as the rest of Honda's and Toyota's cars, and the Aveo should be no different.

toyota changes the name of its lowest car every 4-5 years because it has a bad following...

[Hudson]

Yes, but for the opposite reason that this thread was started for. Toyota felt they needed a new brand to market to the younger generation, and not because they thought it would drag down the Toyota name. But the situation is still different between GM and Toyota or Honda. GM already has enough brands(some would say more than enough) and doesn't have the cash to burn on reviving brands. The money would be better spent repairing the brands GM already has. Also, the Aveo will sell alot better as a Chevy than it would as a Geo. IMO it would be a waste of time and resources.

Geo was founded not to remove "lesser" products from the Chevrolet lineup but to lure younger, import-intenders to the Chevrolet dealerships. This the same reason why Scion was created.

As a former car salesperson, I noticed that import buyers rarely step foot on a domestic dealer's lot. Geo was a good step toward luring these buyers to a Chevrolet dealership. i don't think Geo was successful in doing this, but the concept was good.

[Bandit 1]

Don't bring back geo's they're horrible.

[Chicagoland]

Geo is long forgotten by 95% of the real world. Some only remember the Storm or Metro. And even at that, they say "Chevy Geo..."

Edsel and Oakland brands have a better chance of coming back then Geo.

Edited June 11, 2006 by Chicagoland