Geo was a brand of small cars and SUVs marketed by
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
as a subdivision of their
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
division, introduced in 1989. Their original slogan was "Get to know Geo." Originally formed by
GMGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
to compete with the growing small import market of the late 1980s, the line continued through the 1998 model year, after which the remaining models joined the Chevrolet lineup. The 1990s saw fading consumer interest in the economy compact market, and the last vehicle of the former Geo line, the
TrackerThe Chevrolet Tracker, formerly the Geo Tracker, is a mini SUV produced by Chevrolet and Geo.-First generation:The Geo Tracker was a mini SUV introduced in late 1988 as a 1989 model. It was developed by CAMI which was a joint venture between General Motors of Canada and Suzuki...
, was discontinued in 2004.
Geo was a brand of small cars and SUVs marketed by
General MotorsGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
as a subdivision of their
ChevroletChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
division, introduced in 1989. Their original slogan was "Get to know Geo." Originally formed by
GMGeneral Motors Company, often known as simply GM, is a United States based automaker with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. GM was the world's 18th largest corporate entity and third largest automaker as ranked by 2008 revenues on the Fortune Global 500. Ranked by global unit sales for 2008, it...
to compete with the growing small import market of the late 1980s, the line continued through the 1998 model year, after which the remaining models joined the Chevrolet lineup. The 1990s saw fading consumer interest in the economy compact market, and the last vehicle of the former Geo line, the
TrackerThe Chevrolet Tracker, formerly the Geo Tracker, is a mini SUV produced by Chevrolet and Geo.-First generation:The Geo Tracker was a mini SUV introduced in late 1988 as a 1989 model. It was developed by CAMI which was a joint venture between General Motors of Canada and Suzuki...
, was discontinued in 2004. In Canada, another import marque,
AsünaAsüna was a captive import automobile brand created in 1992 for the Canadian market by General Motors as a counterpart to Geo. It was one of two successors to the Passport brand, which had a similar intent....
, was introduced in 1993 to provide
PontiacPontiac is a brand of automobiles first produced in 1926, and sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by General Motors . Pontiac has been marketed as an "athletic" brand, specializing in mainstream performance vehicles....
-
BuickBuick is a marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Israel by General Motors Company...
-
GMCGMC is a brand name used on trucks, vans, and SUVs marketed in North America and the Middle East by General Motors Company...
dealers access to a similar range of import vehicles.
Geo models were manufactured by GM in joint-ventures with Japanese import manufacturers. The
PrizmThe Geo/Chevrolet Prizm was a United States-market entry-level compact car from model years 1989 through 2002. Like the 1985–1988 Chevrolet Nova it replaced, the Prizm was a rebadged version of the Toyota Sprinter, an upmarket version of the Toyota Corolla sold in Japan...
was produced at the GM/Toyota joint-venture
NUMMINew United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. is an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, California. The factory was originally a General Motors plant opened in 1962 and shut down in 1982....
assembly plant in
Fremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs. The city is named after John Charles Frémont, "the Great Pathfinder."Fremont is located in the...
, and the Metro and
TrackerThe Chevrolet Tracker, formerly the Geo Tracker, is a mini SUV produced by Chevrolet and Geo.-First generation:The Geo Tracker was a mini SUV introduced in late 1988 as a 1989 model. It was developed by CAMI which was a joint venture between General Motors of Canada and Suzuki...
were produced at the GM/
Suzukiis a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
joint-venture
CAMICAMI Automotive, originally known as Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc., is an independently incorporated joint venture of automobile manufacturing in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and formed the third step of GM's three-pronged initiative of the mid-1980s to capture and practice the Japanese...
assembly plant in
Ingersoll, OntarioIngersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest city is Woodstock, Ontario to the east, with Tillsonburg, Ontario to the south and London to the west....
. The exceptions, the Spectrum and
StormThe Geo Storm was a sport compact car manufactured by Isuzu and sold in the United States by General Motors from 1990 through 1993 as part of GM's Geo line of inexpensive automobiles. The same vehicles, with minor variations, were sold in Canada in the 1992 & 1993 model years only. The Storm was...
, were entirely manufactured by
Isuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Geo Metro convertibles and early Geo Trackers were built by Suzuki in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Metro
The Geo Metro man was introduced in 1987 it was offered in two and four door hatchback models. In 1990 a convertible was also available but was phased out after 1999. Metros came in three trim levels XFi, Base or LSi. The XFi's engine has less horsepower than the base and LSi and achieved startling gas mileage 53 (city) 58 (hwy). However all of the Metro's at this time all had three cylinder engines with a 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic. The convertible is also the only first generation Metro to offer an airbag. In 1995 the Metro was redesigned with a more modern appearance the 1995 edition also offered a new four cylinder engine and standard dual airbags and optional anti-lock brakes. The XFi didn't return for 1995 and only the base and LSi models were offered. The three cylinder engined remained in the base hatchback. In 1998 the Metro was revamped one last time when it was merged into the Chevrolet division it was given a face lift and the four cylinder engine was tweaked to produce 79 horsepower. 2005 was the last year for the Metro hatchback and the three cylinder engine all 2001 models were four door sedan models that were sold to fleets only. That was the last year for the tiny Metro.
- Vehicle was based on the Suzuki Swift
Prizm
The
PrizmThe Geo/Chevrolet Prizm was a United States-market entry-level compact car from model years 1989 through 2002. Like the 1985–1988 Chevrolet Nova it replaced, the Prizm was a rebadged version of the Toyota Sprinter, an upmarket version of the Toyota Corolla sold in Japan...
was a compact four-door sedan based on the
Toyota CorollaThe Corolla is a line of subcompact/compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million sold as of...
and
Toyota SprinterThe Toyota Sprinter was a compact car manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota as a variation of the Toyota Corolla. Each generation of the Corolla had a corresponding version of the Sprinter....
. It is the successor to the
Chevrolet NovaThe Chevrolet Nova is an automobile produced in the United States from 1962 to 1979 by the Chevrolet division of General Motors and from 1985 to 1988 by the NUMMI, a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota...
and
Isuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
-built Geo Spectrum. While the Prizm consistently won awards from the auto industry (including having the honor of being a Consumer's Digest Best Buy), it was always outsold by the
Toyota CorollaThe Corolla is a line of subcompact/compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million sold as of...
. Additionally, the Prizm had an awkward position in
Chevrolet'sChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
lineup since it competed with
Chevrolet'sChevrolet is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant in 1911, Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917...
own
CavalierThe Chevrolet Cavalier, also known as the Savvy Cavy, was a compact automobile produced from 1982 to 2005 by General Motors. Built on the company's J platform, the Cavalier was one of the best-selling cars in the United States throughout its life....
for market share and dealer floor space. The Prizm was sold from 1989 through 2002 and was produced at
NUMMINew United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. is an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, California. The factory was originally a General Motors plant opened in 1962 and shut down in 1982....
in
Fremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs. The city is named after John Charles Frémont, "the Great Pathfinder."Fremont is located in the...
. The Prizm came in either a base model or a more upscale LSi version which had an optional 1.8 engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Leather interior was also optional on the LSi model. 1990-1992 the Prizm had a sporty GSi model it was the most powerful Prizm with 130 horse power. The GSi had red and black badges.
Spectrum
The Spectrum was a short-lived compact based on the
Isuzu I-MarkThe Isuzu Gemini was a compact car built, in several generations, by Isuzu and sold from 1974 to 2000. The same basic product was built and/or sold under several other names, sometimes by other General Motors brands, in various markets around the world.-1974:...
and one size up from the Metro. The Spectrum was sold as a Chevrolet model from 1985 to 1988 With the launch of the Geo brand in 1989 the Spectrum was rebranded as a Geo. Although the Grill stayed the same (including the Chevrolet "bowtie" emblem) the rear "Chevrolet" emblem was replaced with a "Geo" emblem. The Spectrum offered potential buyers an option other than the Geo Metro. The Geo Spectrum was only sold in 1989 until being replaced by the
Isuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
-produced
Geo StormThe Geo Storm was a sport compact car manufactured by Isuzu and sold in the United States by General Motors from 1990 through 1993 as part of GM's Geo line of inexpensive automobiles. The same vehicles, with minor variations, were sold in Canada in the 1992 & 1993 model years only. The Storm was...
hatchbackHatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window...
.
Storm
The
StormThe Geo Storm was a sport compact car manufactured by Isuzu and sold in the United States by General Motors from 1990 through 1993 as part of GM's Geo line of inexpensive automobiles. The same vehicles, with minor variations, were sold in Canada in the 1992 & 1993 model years only. The Storm was...
was a
sporty carThe term sports car has been defined as "an open, low-built, fast motor car." The term describes a class of automobile with two seats, two doors, precise handling, brisk acceleration, and sharp braking — trading practical considerations such as passenger space, comfort, and cargo capacity...
based on the
Isuzu ImpulseThe Isuzu Piazza is a small sporty 3-door liftback coupé that was manufactured by Isuzu from 1981 to 1992 in two generations...
, available as either a two-door
fastbackA fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...
or a hatchback. The Storm entered Geo's lineup in 1990, replacing the related Geo Spectrum, and made a quick departure in 1993 despite strong sales. This was due in part to Isuzu discontinuing their car lines, and refocusing on trucks and SUVs. The Geo Storm was the performance oriented vehicle of the Geo Brand. The storm was produced in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by
Isuzu, is a Japanese car, commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. In 2005, Isuzu became the world's largest manufacturer of medium to heavy duty trucks. It has assembly and manufacturing plants in the Japanese city of Fujisawa, as well as in the prefectures...
alongside the Geo Spectrum.
Tracker
The Geo Tracker was introduced in 1989 and based on the Suzuki Sidekick. It was originally offered in a convertible or a two door hard top. It was offered in base and upscale LSi versions. In 1996 the two door hard top was dropped in favor of the four door wagon model. The four door offered a 95hp engine and an optional four speed automatic transmission. The Tracker was the longest running Geo model offered from 1989-2004. However in 1999 the Tracker was completely redesigned and was a vast improvement over the 1989-1998 models. It was replaced by the Chevrolet Eqinox in 2005.
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