GM steps up fight for luxury cars market with new Chevrolet model

Corporate News

Capital Markets Authority acting CEO Paul Muthaura with Catherine Musakali, CMA corporate governance steering committee chairperson, during a workshop at the InterContinental Hotel, Nairobi, June 25, 2014. Photo/DIANA NGILA 

 

By Lynet Igadwah

In Summary

• General Motors (GM) already sells the Hummer and Chevrolet Captiva models in Kenya, making Chevrolet Trailblazer its third sports utility vehicle in the local market.
• Priced at Sh4.9 million for the manual and Sh5.1 million for the automatic model, the Chevrolet Trailblazer is slightly cheaper than a new Toyota Fortuner which costs about Sh6 million.

General Motors East Africa has stepped up competition in the luxury car market with the introduction of Chevrolet Trailblazer, which is set to compete against models offered by Toyota, CMC Motors and RMA Kenya.

 

Share This Story

0
inShare

The Chevrolet Trailblazer is comparable to models such as Toyota Fortuner, Prado, the Land Rover Discovery (sold by RMA Kenya) and Ford Everest (CMC Motors) in terms of pricing, carrying capacity and engine power.

General Motors (GM) already sells the Hummer and Chevrolet Captiva models in Kenya, making Chevrolet Trailblazer its third sports utility vehicle in the local market.

Priced at Sh4.9 million for the manual and Sh5.1 million for the automatic model, the Chevrolet Trailblazer is slightly cheaper than a new Toyota Fortuner which costs about Sh6 million.

Rising demand

Auto dealers are seeking to tap rising demand for SUVs by Kenya’s middle class which prefers them for their high ground clearance that allows for easier navigation on rough roads.

READ: Demand for luxury cars soars in Kenya

“The need in the market is evident and General Motors has seen it fit to introduce the Chevrolet Trailblazer into the developing luxury market which values quality, comfort and peace of mind in its motoring endeavours,” said Rita Kavashe, GM East Africa managing director.

Car enthusiasts also prefer SUVs due to their relatively higher cargo carrying capacity compared to saloon cars.

“The Trailblazer will work hard to beat the competition and we expect it to find similar success as in other key global markets,” said Ms Kavashe in Nairobi on Tuesday during the unveiling of the car in the Kenyan market.