Chevrolet Geo facts for kids
Geo was a brand of small, affordable cars sold by Chevrolet dealerships in the United States. It was created in 1989 by General Motors (GM) to offer cars that could compete with popular Japanese car brands.
GM had a history of working with other car companies, especially Japanese ones, to sell vehicles. For example, even before Geo, GM sold cars made by companies like Isuzu and Daewoo Motors. Geo continued this idea, being a special partnership between GM and its Japanese partners: Toyota, Suzuki, and Isuzu.
Geo Models and Their Origins
The Geo brand brought together several cars that were already being sold by Chevrolet, but under new names. These cars were actually built by GM's Japanese partners.
- The Metro was based on the Suzuki Cultus.
- The Prizm was based on the Toyota Corolla.
- The Spectrum was based on the Isuzu Gemini.
- The Storm was also an Isuzu model.
- The Tracker was a small SUV, also built by Suzuki.
These cars were rebranded as Geo models in 1989.
Where Geo Cars Were Made
The Geo cars were built in different places, often through joint ventures:
- The Geo Prizm was made at a factory called New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI). This factory was a partnership between Toyota and General Motors.
- The Geo Metro and Geo Tracker were built at CAMI Automotive. This was another joint venture, this time between GM and Suzuki in Canada.
- The Geo Storm and Geo Spectrum were made entirely in Japan by Isuzu. These models didn't last as long because Isuzu's car sales in the U.S. started to decline.
The End of Geo
The Geo brand was stopped in 1997. After that, the Geo models were simply merged into the Chevrolet brand. This meant cars like the Geo Prizm became the Chevrolet Prizm. Over time, these models were replaced by new cars designed and built more directly by Chevrolet or other GM divisions, including some from GM Daewoo in Korea.
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