Geo

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Defunct

Geo was a brand of small cars and SUVs marketed by General Motors and sold through Chevrolet dealerships throughout North America beginning in 1989 in the United States, and 1992 in Canada. Originally formed by GM to compete with the growing small import market of the late 1980s, the line continued through the 1997 model year, after which the remaining models joined the Chevrolet lineup. Geo was considered a youth brand, much like Scion is today. Recent years have seen fading consumer interest in the economy compact market, and production of the last vehicle of the former Geo line, the Tracker, was discontinued in 2004.

Geo models were manufactured by GM in joint-ventures with Japanese import manufacturers. The Prizm was produced at the GM/Toyota joint-venture NUMMI assembly plant in Fremont, California, and the Metro and Tracker were produced at the GM/Suzuki joint-venture CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The exceptions being the Spectrum and Storm, being entirely manufactured by Isuzu in Japan.

Models

Metro

1994 Geo Metro

Metro was a subcompact car based on the Suzuki Swift available as either a three or five door hatchback, four door notchback, or less commonly as a convertible. The Metro's primary powerplant was a 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder engine.their was also a larger 4-cylinder engene available. Metro was the most fuel efficient production vehicle ever produced by GM, and it wore the gas mileage crown for 12 of the 13 years it was in production. Produced from 1989 through 2001.

Prizm

1996 Geo Prizm

Prizm was a compact four door sedan based on the Toyota Corolla. While the Prizm consistantly won awards from the auto industry (including having the honor of being a Consumer's Digest Best Buy), it was always outsold by the Corolla, likely due to the perceived higer value of the Toyota brand. Additionally, Prizm had an akward position in Chevrolet's lineup, as it had to compete with a car it stared across the lot at: the Cavalier. Being in the same class as Cavalier, Chevrolet took the approch of marketing Cavalier as a "premium entry level sedan" while marketing Prizm as an "entry level compact sedan." Towards the end however, Prizm became more or less a redundancy in Chevrolet's lineup, which likely led to its demise. The Prizm ran from 1990 through 2003.

Spectrum

1989 Geo Spectrum

Spectrum was a short-lived compact one step up from the Metro, based on the Isuzu Gemini. The Spectrum previously sold as a Chevrolet model, and was added to the Geo lineup to offer potential buyers an option other than the Metro until the Prizm could be introduced the following year.

Storm

1990 Geo Storm

Storm was a sporty coupe, based on the Isuzu Gemini Coupe, available in either a two door fastback configuration, or as a station wagon, which Geo oddly marketed as a hatchback. Storm entered Geo's lineup in 1990, 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.

Tracker

1997 Geo Tracker

Tracker was a light SUV, based on the Suzuki Sidekick, which itself was a replacement for the highly critisized Suzuki Samurai. The Tracker was a part of the original Geo lineup from 1989, and was the longest running model, continuing under the Chevrolet brand through 2004. Tracker was available in either a convertible or hardtop configuration, with either two or four seats. The buyer had the option of either a 2x2 drive setup, or optional 4-wheel drive. Geo touted Tracker as a versitile vehicle, being either an around town runabout, or a rugged off road vehicle. However, Tracker's high center of gravity coupled with its tall profile made it particularly prone to rollover, especially in earlier years.

In Popular Culture

The Simpsons - Ned Flanders drives a red Metro

Big Trouble - Elliot Arnold (played by Tim Allen) drives a yellow Metro. His son makes many wise cracks about it during the film, and it's small size was parodied when the whole family is crammed into it when they chase a stolen cop car.

External links

• Category at ODP
• 1990-1998 Chevrolet and Geo Tracker in Canadian Driver's used car review
• 1993-1997 Geo Prizm review
• 1995-2000 Chevrolet and Geo Metro in Canadian Driver's used car review