DETROIT, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- General Motors plans to open as many as 1,800 new Chevrolet dealerships in Europe in a bid to make the brand a global force.
The head of GM Europe said the new dealerships should push Chevrolet's European sales to 500,000 vehicles a year "in the not-too-distant future," the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.
The Michigan corporation's goal is to use its Chevrolet brand as an umbrella to sell cars and trucks around the world, following a pattern set by Ford, Honda and Toyota.
Analysts praised the move.
"This is a good move," said Jim Hall, vice president for industry analysis in the Southfield office of consultant AutoPacific. "It would cost billions to create a new brand. The Chevrolet name has equity in big parts of the world already."
GM plans to give Chevrolet-branded models styling and features appropriate to mass-market models in the countries where they sell.
