Chevrolet Update with Brent Dewar

[Z28.com News]

15:55 Annalisa Esposito-Bluhm: Greetings! We are setting up the computers and will be ready to go promptly at 4:00 PM - so get those questions ready! 15:58 Annalisa Esposito-Bluhm: Brent just got in, getting settled. Keep the questions coming! 15:58 [Comment From AARON AARON : ] FORD HAS A SOCIAL MEDIA GURU DOING GREAT ! HAVE YOU SET IN PLACE A SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING PROGRAM? 15:59 Brent Dewar: We have a slightly different strategy. Each of us need to by savy in social media. For Chevy, I personally am involved in blogging, twitter, facebook and the like. 16:00 [Comment From Mark Bono Mark Bono : ] With the Caprice Police vehicle( being based on another Holden, the Statesmen) will we see it ever for public sale to slot above the Impala? 16:01 The announcement for the Caprice is currently only as a police patrol cruiser. It will be RWD with a 6.0L V8. We have not made any firm plans yet on a retail version of the Caprice. That said, we are working on a nextgen Impala that come in abover the Malibu. More to come?. 16:01 [Comment From Jim Grundstrom Jim Grundstrom : ] Could we please have an update on Volt? Watched Jay last evening and the Ford Electric Car challenge caught my eye. 16:03 Brent Dewar: I saw Jay Leno as well, it was an interesting event. As for Volt we are on track with our plans. I was driving early builds last week. Very cool. Unlike the other EV?s coming out, we have a unique position with our extended range which will tackle the range anxiety of early EV?s. It is very cool?. 16:03 [Comment From Don Shilling Don Shilling : ] What are you expectations in general for the Chevy Cruze and do you expect it to sell better than the Cobalt? 16:04 Bent Dewar: I am just coming from Europe where we launched the Cruze this year. Great vehicle. We designed it as a global compact. We expect big things from it and to take our current positioning up further in styling, features and fuel economy?. 16:05 [Comment From Börger Börger : ] Hi Brent this is Börger , why does North America have to wait for the Cruze, while the rest of the world has it now? 16:06 Brent Dewar: Not really waiting, just the timing of the roll out around the world. Part of my job as Global Chevy is to bring vehicles to market quickly. I have been a big advocate of smaller fuel efficient cars and the time is right for America. 16:06 [Comment From pat james pat james : ] are you still making hhrs . 16:07 Brent Dewar: Yes, we are. We are working on a cool new vehicle for this segment with the upcoming launch of Chevy Orlando, which will be revealed early next year. 16:07 [Comment From Joe Matera Joe Matera : ] The production of the new Equinox is really behind schedule. What is being done to speed the process along? . I ordered mine in July and have still not received it :( 16:09 Brent Dewar: Sorry to her you are waiting for your Equinox. Actually the demand has been so high that we are ramping up production. We just announced a third shift at the plant to increase production. Send me a note to brent.dewar@gm.com with your dealer and order number and I will personally look at where your order is in the system. It is a great vehicle and confident you will like it. 16:09 [Comment From Sheth Sheth : ] any hints about what will be shown in upcoming auto show season from Chevy? 16:10 Brent Dewar: We are finalizing our plan right now. Look for Cruze in LA, more news on our cool small and compact cars throughout the year. 16:10 Thanks for joining our chat! just curious? do you currently own a Chevy? Yes ( 67% ) No ( 19% ) Considering ( 15% ) 16:10 [Comment From Richard Richard : ] When can we expect to see a Camaro convertible? 16:12 Brent Dewar: We gave a sneak peak of the Camaro convertible privately to our dealers this week. We are working on the specific timing but it will come out soon. We have a tremendous sold order bank for the coupes that we are working on building. 16:12 [Comment From Mark Bono Mark Bono : ] With losing majority control of Opel, does Chevy have any plans to further improve its lineup in Europe to help keep GM competitive? 16:14 Brent Dewar: As I mentioned, I am just coming from Europe and was responsible for Chevy, Opel and Saab for Europe. Indpendent of the recent decision to spin off Opel and Saab, we were working each of the brands independently. We have been developing Chevy?s from the ground up around the world and we have big growth plans for Europe with Cruze, Aveo, Spark, Camaro and more?. 16:14 [Comment From Yongqiang Li Yongqiang Li : ] Since the launch of Malibu since about two years ago, GM has worked very hard to push it to the market. But still, the most popular Chevy car is Impala and Malibu is way behind Camry, Accord and Fusion. Could you explain why? 16:15 Brent Dewar: I would not agree that Impala is behind Malibu in popularity. We have taken a two model strategy to address the market vs one alpha car for the others. Our goal going forward will be to separate further Malibu from Impala. It is about timing. Stay tuned. 16:15 [Comment From Adam Adam : ] What are the plans for the Orlando and do you know when this vehicle is set for production. I like the look of this vehicle and I am very interested in it. 16:17 [Comment From jenner chev buick gmc jenner chev buick gmc : ] speaking of the social media - blogs, twitters, facebooks etc?are there any suggestions you can give the local dealers to help them spread the word and get the great news out about the chevrolet prodcut? 16:17 Brent Dewar: Glad to hear you like it. I am pretty excited. Great packaging with 3 row seating. We recently announced it will come to our market Q4 2011 16:18 Brent Dewar: Exactly what I have been talking to our Chevrolet dealers about. We have great content at the product, brand and dealer level. We will use the social media and teach them how to leverage this further. 16:18 [Comment From Ryan Ryan : ] I was wondering if you could tell us any details about the Volt, is GM still on schedule production wise? Has there been a price determined? Any details would be great! 16:20 Brent Dewar: Yes, we are on schedule. As I mentioned, I was driving the early builds with my vehicle line chief Tony P. last week. Look to start up in Q4 of 2010. Nothing on price yet?.. we will announce closer to launch. 16:20 [Comment From Adam Adam : ] I feel that dealerships should all join and maintain facebook and twitter pages. If your target market is the 18-30 year olds, they pretty much all use twitter or facebook. Everyone knows someone and the word of Chevrolet would spread like wildfire if the lines of communication are opened at a dealership level. 16:21 Brent Dewar: Music to my ears. Exactly my thinking as well. We will connect them. We will start a twitter Chevy_network for the dealers to communicate directly with our marketing, design and product folks at Chevy. more to come?. 16:21 [Comment From Joe Castello Joe Castello : ] Good to talk to you. Now that the quality is very good, what can be done to close the perception gap? I know too many people that won?t even think about cars other than Toyota or Honda. 16:23 Brent Dewar: The market is very competitive on all fronts. We are pleased with our products, quality and fuel economy. The only way to change perception is to continue to execute. We will tell our story in multiple media including the social media. 16:23 [Comment From Isaac Isaac : ] With Pontiac and Saturn going away are there any plans to take some of the car designs 16:25 Brent Dewar: We have no plans to take others products. We have been designing and developing the Chevrolet products for the last several years from our Global studios around the world. We are a global brand and before the bowtie goes on, it must be a Chevy. We are thinking about new entries in the market such as cool affordable convertibles. More to come 16:25 [Comment From Mark Nienow Mark Nienow : ] What will we see from Chevrolet at SEMA this year? 16:26 Brent Dewar: SEMA is a cool venue for great vehicles. We have a tweet up coming on SEMA, so don?t want to ruin the surprise, but you can imagine some cool Camaros?. 16:26 [Comment From Matt Matt : ] It seems many other automakers are recently focusing on improving emotional attachment with their dealership experience? What are you doing to drive improvement in customer?s emotional engagement at the dealership level? 16:27 Brent Dewar: Another great question. We need to continue to improve the retail experience from a facility, people, technology point of vehicle to make the ownership experience all it can be. We are asking our dealers to work with us and invest in essential brand elements for Chevrolet. This is a big one and not done overnight. 16:27 [Comment From McLean McLean : ] Ford is out saying how they will be introducing so many more new models / redesigns compared to competitors over the next few years, and that will mean they gain a greater share. I was curious what you think about Chevy?s position in terms of coming out with new models and how that will impact your market share? 16:30 Brent Dewar: We intend to grow with Chevrolet. Clearly with 4 brands going away GM, the role of Chevrolet is much greater. We have a terrific cadence of products over the next couple of years from Camaro, Equinox, Cruze to Silverado HD to Volt, to Camaro Conv to Spark to Orlando and nextgen Aveo. All products designed to be Chevy?s from the ground up. Can?t speak for Ford but we will have a very nice lineup. 16:30 [Comment From Mchael Sheedy Mchael Sheedy : ] I just got my new camaro ABM with white stripes(9/18). What a fantastic car to drive I am so thrilled with it.I wish to thank GM for doing a wonderful job with this car and also the men and women in Oshawa 16:31 Brent Dewar: Thanks for the comments. Glad to hear you love your Camaro. Thanks for your confidence?. 16:31 [Comment From Guest Guest : ] Do you wear custom suits? 16:31 Brent Dewar: Nope?.I have some cool suits but lucky to be off the rack. I am simple eco enthusiast, car guy?..love to wear jeans too?.also a runner? 16:32 [Comment From von drashek von drashek : ] Is VOLT Ever going to sell large Numbers of Units? Is VOLT Risky? 16:34 [Comment From Ryan Ryan : ] I just read your comment about the Q4 2010 release of the Volt, weren?t these originally supposed to be released in the spring of 2010? 16:34 Brent Dewar: Volt is not risky. It is an amazing breakthrough in technology. We think the volume will be right for our first generation units. We think the world will be excited about the product once they realize that it is not a hybrid or an EV with range anxiety?..so Voltec technology has great volume potential for the future. We have some teaching to do? 16:35 Brent Dewar: No that was never the intent. What you probably heard was that we take some of the early production Volts on the road early next year to demonstrate the Volt technology. We are still on track to do that and make production towards the end of 2010. 16:36 [Comment From Vick Vick : ] Custom suits are the way to go though! It?s the greenest way to shop. Think about it, no wasted materials. 16:36 Brent Dewar: I am green guy, so if that is the case, I will definitely go there. I am literally off the rack?.no adjustments at all?.. 16:36 [Comment From Mike Bagley Mike Bagley : ] My 2006 Lease is almost up on my sierra 2500 HD, anything new on 2010? 16:38 [Comment From Mark Bono Mark Bono : ] Could you shed any details on the new Aveo? There has been spyshots of it doing laps around the Nurburgring which has me intrigued. Will there be a SS or Sport model of the Aveo? 16:38 Brent Dewar: Yes, we are coming with a next gen Silverado and Sierra HD next year. It will have a completely new chassis and a new Duramax diesel with 2010 emissions. 16:39 Brent Dewar: We are totally geeked about the nextgen Aveo. It will be well positioned in the segment. Performance, packing and fuel economy will be impressive. Great design for accessories and some performance models. We think there should be a little bit of Corvette in every Chevy we make. It is in our DNA. 16:39 [Comment From Adam Adam : ] Based on the Volt?s technology, should we expect more of this type of technology from Chevrolet? This should help the carbon footprint to a minimum if that is the case. 16:42 Brent Dewar: Now you approaching my life passion. It is about building Chevy?s that are gas friendly to gas free. It will go from more fuel economy in the traditional engines to biofuels to hybrids to fuel cells and electric. So it is not one answer to reduce our carbon footprint but many. Volt is one of the key ingredients to get there as are biofuels and hydrogen. 16:42 [Comment From Guest Guest : ] how does chevrolet see the emerging markets? is it an opportunity for the smaller cars? 16:43 Brent Dewar: Actually it is the opposite. We already have a strong position with Chevy in the emerging markets with small cars. I have worked South America, Eastern Europe and we are well positioned. They are now growing their portfolio. In the USA it is the opposite. The growth in small cars is here. 16:43 [Comment From Jack Taddeo Jack Taddeo : ] Is there a corporate or dealer waiting list for the Volt? I really want one and am located in the Chicago metro. 16:44 Brent Dewar: We have not started a waiting list, because we don?t want anyone waiting at this time. Once we get closer to production, roll out across the States and regions, we will start taking a list. We do not have our roll out plans decided yet. More to come. In the meantime, stay connected with me?. 16:44 [Comment From Mark Mark : ] The Corvette seems to be getting better and better, with the ZR1 being a truly incredible performance value. In an eco-friendly climate that isn?t always friendly to raw performance, what plans does Chevy have to keep the Corvette a symbol of American horsepower? 16:46 Brent Dewar: We are proud of the Corvette. Not only its performance but also its fuel economy. I believe Corvette is a strong beacon for doing both. Also, we green race the Corvette in the American LeMans series against the best the world has to offer and win. We do it with cellulosic ethanol, even from wood chips. 16:46 [Comment From Mike Bagley Mike Bagley : ] We have a 2006 Chev Impala LT, that has been just awesome,110,000 mi. and not even a warranty issue or no problems what so ever. Keep up the good work! 16:47 Brent Dewar: Thanks for being an Impala enthusiast. It was one of the best values in America. Appreciate you sharing your experience. 16:48 [Comment From Charles Charles : ] How long does it take for the new Equinox to from 0-60mph. 16:49 Brent Dewar: Actually I don?t know. It is one of those statistics that was created for the industry that doesn?t make a lot of sense. It is about launch feel and performance. I can tell you we are compeitive. What is really cool is the design, interior and fuel economy with a 600 mile range?..from LA to the Grand Canyon on one tank?.cool 16:49 [Comment From Adam Adam : ] What are the chances of the Corvette Stingray from the Transformer movie being put into production? Such a sweet concept. 16:51 Brent Dewar: I agree it is sweet. When we met Michael Bay year?s ago, we hired him to direct our commercial American Revolution car carrier. Since then he came to us to do cool cars for transformers. So the Stingray is a concept, just like the first Bumblebee was a concept for Camaro?..so who knows?.. 16:51 [Comment From Bill Bill : ] My son just got a solstice. What will the parts availability be beyond five years. Realize this is not a chevy question. 16:52 Brent Dewar: I am happy to hear he bought a Solstice. Such a beautiful car. Tell him not to be concerned. He will be able to take his Solstice to any of the fine GM dealerships. We at Chevy would be happy to help out. Enjoy the car? 16:53 [Comment From Unni Unni : ] Was reading customer report eval on quinox: they say its now competative, when it will be class leading ( i am not taking GM saying class leading in economy ) I am asking all round 16:54 Annalisa Esposito-Bluhm: ***Five minutes remain - please submit your final questions!*** 16:55 Brent Dewar: As for Consumer reports, you might need to blog with them. It is one of many publications that provide evaluations, but they are not the only one. We just received yesterday 5 Star crash rating, great reviews from around the country, the top Safety pick. It is a great crossover, but the ultimate decision is for you to feel confident. If you are concerned, blog with some of the early owners?.they are excited. 16:55 [Comment From Unni Unni : ] Why GM is not making aerodynamics as major player in normal auto design than just volt ( i read Volt got 7 miles range extra from aerodynamics) . Wondering if the same game was played on a malibu or equinox , it would have been 35-37 mpg 16:57 Brent Dewar: Not sure where you heard this. We are tackling aerodynamics on all our vehicles. We have an incredible wind tunnel and then combined with 6 speed transmissions, low rolling resistance tires etc. In fact it is a major contributor to fuel economy. We are on it? 16:57 [Comment From James L. James L. : ] I have a 2009 Chevy HHR 2LT. I like my car except for two things and one I know can be remedied. (1) My car did not come with the dome override switch on my interior lights or the dash. I can dim the intstrument panel and cut on and off the lights but when the doors are opened, I cannot override the lights and (2) there should be a shift indicator on the instrument cluster. Number one I know can be (and should be) remedied not a problem. I have been told by customer service at Chevy that so far there is nothing that they can do to put the feature that should have been on my car in the first place. 3-17 of the manual say that the feature should be on all of the HHRs. Number two should be an item to consider. When it?s dark, you can?t keep looking down at the floor shift to make sure that you?re actually in drive. I think a recall should be issued for both items especially number two since that can cause a wreck from taking your eyes from the road and focusing on the floor shifter. Thanks 16:59 Brent Dewar: Thanks for sending. Too much for me to type so quickly. Let me follow up directly with you and I will get our team to work with you. 16:59 Annalisa Esposito-Bluhm: We?ve got time for one more? 17:01 [Comment From Terry Terry : ] Is it true Brent , that Chevy is bringing back the Camaro Z28 in 2011 and will it have the same engine and drivetrain as the Cadillac CTS-V? 17:02 Brent Dewar: We have not officially decided to bring back the Camaro Z28?.lots of excitement to do it?.so stay tuned. 17:03 Brent Dewar: Thanks for all your questions?..sorry I could not get to them all?.need to practice my speed typing. If you see value in this, let me know and we will do it again real soon. brent 17:03 Annalisa Esposito-Bluhm: Thanks again! Visit us on twitter: @chevrolet or facebook.com/chevrolet to continue the conversation? see you there!

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