General Motors has announced plans to phase out manufacturing and sales of Chevrolet vehicles in South Africa (here’s the reasoning behind the decision).
Local operations will be “transitioned” to Isuzu, with the latter purchasing GM SA’s light commercial manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth and GM’s minority shareholding in Isuzu Truck South Africa.
But what does this mean for you, the Chevrolet owner?
Well, GM SA says that if you are an Isuzu or Chevrolet owner, aftersales and parts support “will continue through the existing GM dealer network to the end of 2017”. The same applies if you’re an Opel owner, although GM SA adds that this will go on only “until the details of our discussions with PSA [which is in the process of buying the German brand] have been finalised”.
The company emphasises that all existing warranties and service plans will remain in place and “will be honoured beyond 2017”. From 2018, however, Isuzu dealers will provide aftersales and service support to Chevrolet customers.
And if you wish to sell your Chevrolet back to the dealer? Well, GM SA had the following to say:
“We stand by our products and don’t believe there will be a need for customers to sell their vehicles back to the dealers, especially as each vehicle’s warranties and after-sales service will be honoured.
“However, should a customer want to sell their vehicle back, normal business practices will be followed, whereby the value transfer will be a negotiation between the dealer and customer,” the automaker said.
And if you’re looking for parts for your Chevrolet in the years to come? GM SA has pledged to “continue to ensure parts are available for Chevrolet vehicles for up to 10 years after production of your model has ceased”.
