Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil - GM do Brasil (GMB) launched on September 2 the
newly designed Chevrolet Celta, a subeconomy car targeted to a segment
that represents more than 65% of the Brazilian automotive market. It is
being introduced as the best value within the subeconomy segment. The
Celta is produced at the recently inaugurated Gravatai Automotive
Complex where suppliers and General Motors developed a new, low-cost
manufacturing model that reaches unprecedented levels of efficiency.
Continuing this same spirit of innovation, GM do Brasil and its dealers
announced that they plan to sell the Celta at both showroom floors and
through a completely new internet sales channel.
"Our
team's innovative spirit is fueled by a new Brazilian consumer that
motivates us to break ground in every aspect of our business. By
reinventing processes and by harnessing the potential of technology, we
are able to bring to market the Chevrolet Celta, the best value in
Brazil" said Walter Wieland, president, GM do Brasil.
The
New Chevrolet Celta...Pride of GM do Brasil
The
Chevrolet Celta was developed at GM do Brasil's Technical Center in Sao
Caetano do Sul, Sao Paulo by the expert team that designed the
successful line of Chevrolet small and economy passenger cars including
the Corsa sedan, pickup and station wagon.
The
Celta was conceived as a subceconomy popular car with ideal
characteristics for emerging markets. In Brazil, popular car status
requires a 1.0 liter engine and entails a preferential tax structure
that promotes its affordability.
Engineers
at GMB's Cruz Alta Proving Ground conducted intensive laboratory and
performance tests measuring every aspect including crash worthiness - to
ensure that the Celta embodied the best value in the market, not only in
terms of price and content, but in terms of quality and safety as well.
The Celta is available in two versions, base and with an optional
package, and in five exterior colors.
The
Celta Sales & Distribution Strategy...A New Economy Model
The
Celta will be sold starting the third week of September. Simultaneously,
GM do Brasil and its dealer partners are preparing to rollout in stages
over the next several months a new internet sales channel based on four
key strategies: (1) e-commerce, (2) one price, (3) direct invoicing and
(4) fast delivery to the customer.
"Together
with our dealer partners, we have stepped out of our comfort zone and
broken ground so that Brazilian consumers can have the right car, at the
right place, at the right time and at the right price," said Joseph
DaMour, General Director, Sales & Marketing, GM do Brasil.
Fast-Delivery...Of
the vehicle I want
The
Celta internet sales channel will allow customers to begin their
relationship with the car of their choice even before having physically
seen it for the first time. When the system is fully implemented (late
2000), customers will be able to buy the car they want via internet 24
hours a day. They could also locate and track it at the dealership, at
the distribution center or at the Gravatai plant. In other words, for
the first time, the client is empowered to the extent that even when the
showroom is closed, the company and dealer can close a sale. Five
distribution centers strategically located throughout Brazil will
fulfill internet orders for a specific vehicle.
A
detailed analysis of market preferences, regional purchase patterns and
logistics requirements have prepared GMB to break ground. The targeted
delivery times are between 4-to-7 days in 99% of the vast country. It is
important to note that despite the immense and diverse geography of
Brazil, short delivery times will be possible thanks to the Celta's
unique design and assembly process at Gravatai, both conceived from the
get-go to produce two versions of the Celta with a maximum of 20-build
combinations.
One-Price...Direct
Invoicing...No Mystery
The
Celta website (www.celta.com.br) will offer the vehicle at only one
price including taxes and delivery by freight to anywhere in the
country. GMB expects that the "one-price" feature will be a
very attractive sales point for Brazilian customers.
First,
a blanket price can facilitate the e-commerce process by bringing a
greater level of perceived transparency, safety and comfort to the
purchase experience - especially during the earlier stages of
implementation.
Second,
the unprecedented level of efficiency from vehicle design, to
manufacturing, to distribution, to the ordering and delivery process,
has enabled GM to offer a set internet price that makes the Celta the
best value for its customers. A fully-integrated, seamless process
allowed for a variety of savings, in -- for example-- taxes and
inventory costs for GM and dealers.
Also,
learnings from around the world including GM's Saturn Division in the
United States contributed to the Celta's one-price policy. Having
deleted price negotiation from the purchasing experience, Brazilian
dealers will focus on the service aspects of the transaction, including
accessories, trade-ins, GM Card bonuses, or third-party financing --
adding significant value to the convenience of an internet transaction.
Moreover,
the simplicity of a Celta internet purchase can be personalized further
with the support of a dealer. Celta accessories, such as an alarm system
or sporty body accessories, will be sold separately and installed only
at dealerships. in yet another first, GMB designed a process through
which suppliers deliver accessories straight to dealer, saving freight,
handling and inventory costs while reducing tax charges to the customer.
The
Chevrolet Celta Internet Experience
GMB's
cybercustomer can purchase a Celta simply by accessing the
www.celta.com.br webstite. As of September 18, purchases can be
completed from dealer kiosks and by late 2000, the full experience will
be available from home or the customer's preferred location.
The
Celta website allows the customer to:
- Configure
the Celta of their choice - Select options, create and view a
graphic model
- Locate
dealership - Using a dealer locator, the customer can link to the
dealer closest to the invoice address. From the kiosk, the dealer
host is automatically selected.
- Select
Payment Option - Financed or cash. GM Bank offers online credit
approval.
- Purchase
direct from GMB - The specific Celta can be reserved with $1000
Reais paid with a credit card or through the dealer.
- Direct
Invoice from GMB - Outstanding balance paid through credit card or
printable payment order form (boleto bancario).
- Follow
Up - Customer can check status of credit pre-approval, order,
payments, and the location of the vehicle.
- Confirm
delivery information - Upon reserving the car, customers will be
provided an estimated date of delivery. The dealer contact the
customer to confirm this information. Delivery will take anywhere
from 4 to 7 days (or 4-21 days during initial phase of
implementation, until 2000).
- Customize
- Photos of car accessories available through the dealership can be
added to the customers graphic model of their Celta. These can be
ordered online and purchased separately at time of delivery.
The
Groundbreaking Gravatai Automotive Complex, Home of the Chevrolet Celta
The
Celta is manufactured at the Gravatai Automotive Complex, inaugurated
last July by the president of Brazil, Ferndando Henrique Cardoso and
Jack Smith, Chairman of General Motors Corporation. The complex was
designed to be among the most efficient in the world.
The
Gravatai Automotive Complex entails two main concepts: an extremely lean
and efficient vehicle production system and a newly-built industrial
site referred to as an "industrial condominium."
General
Motors and sixteen world-class suppliers joined forces and shared a
wealth of global experiences to create an extremely efficient automotive
complex that functions as one single plant. The GMB supplier team that
makes up the Gravatai Automotive Industrial Complex represents 60% fewer
suppliers and 50% fewer parts that would be necessary in a traditional
manufacturing system.
At
Gravatai, the traditional component development cycle was replaced by a
codevelopment process between GM and its system suppliers. The most
notably different element of production is that the GM vehicle assembly
plant receives pre-assembled modules delivered just-in-time by
neighboring suppliers that share space at strategic entry locations to
the production line.
Among
the advantages enabled by the Gravatai production model are increased
speed by shortening routes, low inventories, the reduction of
bottlenecks, quick correction of problems, lower costs, and most
importantly, the ability to build a high-quality, competitively priced
small car, the Chevrolet Celta.
GM
do Brasil , established in 1925, is comprised of manufacturing complexes
at Sao Caetano do Sul, San Jose dos Campos, Mogi das Cruces and Gravatai:
two parts distribution centers at Sorocaba and Mogi das Cruces; a
Proving Ground at Indaiatuba, administrative offices at several
locations and Banco General Motors in Sao Paolo. The company markets
vehicles under the Chevrolet and GMC brands.
(September
2, 2000)
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