Tim Mahoney, GM’s global chief marketing officer for Chevrolet, says it is hard to develop any new vehicle from the ground up for less than $500 million.
The City Express “was a smart business decision,” Mahoney said. GM is aiming to take sales away from Ford Motor Co.’s popular Transit Connect.
Ed Peper, GM’s U.S. vice president, fleet and commercial sales, said, “We’re always looking for good opportunities, but the situation has to be right for both companies.” He said the Nissan deal makes sense because “at a very low cost we’re getting into a segment we really need to be in that’s growing.”
GM designed the front end to make it look like a Chevy. It added an in-dash infotainment system and windows that the Nissan NV200 doesn’t have.
