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Old 10th March 2004, 11:50   #1
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Daewoo Nubira=Chevy Optra=Suzuki Forenza

First it was the Daewoo Nubira. Then GM took over Daewoo and rechristened it the Chevy Optra. Suzuki is introducing the Optra=Nubira as the Forenza in the US markets. The same car is sold as the Daewoo Nubira in the UK. Why is GM Suzuki doin this. Why cant they have one parent company using this car instead of havin Suzuki Optra, Daeoo Forenza and Chevy Nubira [oh sorry.........i am confused]. US owner says I have a Japanese car, UK owner says I have a Korean car and the Indian owner says I have a American car. Imagine Suzuki launching the Optra [oops....Forenza] here with the Esteem 1.3L engine. Or with the Baleno 1.6L engine. They'll be able to price it lower than the 1.6 Optra, what say?? Goodbye Chevy.





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Old 10th March 2004, 12:29   #2
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Hey V12, I have the same beef with most of the car companies, dont they lose money like this, how difficult would it be to make the same car with the same name everywhere rather than confusing people..

it goes for honda, nissan, toyota and many more..i fail to understand..

Anyhow..this is how it is..and as for baleno it is esteem in the US

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Old 10th March 2004, 13:37   #3
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Hey CFS I guess the Esteem is the Swift out in the US cause thats what it was in Dubai. Btw guys have you noticed the Forester comes whith a Chevy badge in India but the steering has the Subaru logo

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Old 10th March 2004, 19:56   #4
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even the glasses have Subaru on them
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Old 11th March 2004, 00:10   #5
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Basically, lets just say, hey have you noticed how the subaru has a chevy badge in the front?!
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Old 11th March 2004, 00:14   #6
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Thats hilarious..anyhow..what can you expect from car companies like these..I dont have much respect for any of the american car companies as such...(Exceptions being some of the var they have come out of with eg. mustang, viper, crossfire, corvett etc..)

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Old 11th March 2004, 04:44   #7
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Everybody does it these days.

VW Touareg = Porsche Cayenne = Audi A7
All would ride on the same platform.
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Old 11th March 2004, 09:13   #8
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yeah there is a difference in sharing platform and there is difference in using everything the same..eg mercury and ford..now this..platform sharing is fine..but you need to give the customer something different not just add leather and say this is a different car brand..there has to be some sense of differentiation i think..

touareg and cayenne look different and so does the A7..so the customer are really getting 3 different cars..

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Old 11th March 2004, 12:22   #9
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Hahaha Rehaan that was was good one

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Old 11th March 2004, 15:39   #10
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GM shud start sellin "Suzuki" and "Daewoo" monograms. So that Optra owners can change the monograms everyday.
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Old 11th March 2004, 16:14   #11
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Hahaha I just hope no one will put a Daewoo badge on the Forester.. That would be murder...

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Old 11th March 2004, 22:24   #12
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Its simply a matter of effective marketing (Revvmaster hear me out). The same brand can mean different things to different people, all depending on their exposure, perceptions and expectations. One of the main influences on these motivations is your environment - as also the country you were brought up in. Some of you may be surprised as to how differently a simple brand such as Coke and McDonalds is considered between the east and the west. Forget coke, even Mitsubishi which enjoys a certain level of luxurious taste in our country (thanks to the Pajero and the Lancer) is considered horse crap in the States. Ditto for Suzuki, which Indians associate as the first one to bring technology into our country. Suzuki's (Marutis) enjoy strong resale values in our country, try looking up a kellys blue book value in the states and you will know what I am talking about.

Chevrolet was always the best known from the entire umbrella of General Motors brands in India. Opel has lost its sheen in the market due to unfavorable experiences from previous Astra and current Corsa owners. Do you seriously think that the Optra would have sold even a single piece in India, if it was launched as a Daewoo? Or a 8 lac Suzuki? Look what happened to the Baleno...no one wanted to pay a premium price for a product that shared its name plate with the cheapest and most common car on Indian roads?

Thats exactly why Toyota came with the Lexus, Honda with the Acura and Nissan with the Infiniti...Not too many people in the worlds largest car market would have paid $35000 for a toyota! What they wanted was snob value...status...class. They wanted something that was as reliable as a Corolla, as luxurious as a Merc and a distinctly fresh brand. When Lexus and Acura were launched in the US market, BMW and Merc bosses were sh**ting bricks!! Their sales went down by almost 50% in the period from the end 80's to the early 90's. Lexus and Acura offered 98% of what the german cars offered, at 70% of the price. And a luxurious brand to go with that.

One thing that you cant argue with are sales figures...and looking at them, GM does appear to have made the right move, correct?

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Old 11th March 2004, 22:49   #13
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GTO - well said !

It's all about brand positioning. All is fair in love and selling cars.


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Old 21st March 2004, 19:49   #14
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A grille change for the Daewoo Nubira : Looks good.

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Old 3rd January 2005, 17:24   #15
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hey just for the book.....the optra is also sold as a buick (in china) and a holden (in oz)
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