By Redação AutoIndústria | Translated by Jorge Meditsch
With its launch at the dealer net scheduled for next month, the new Montana pickup is already being manufactured at the General Motors plant in São Caetano do Sul, in the ABC region. In a note released this Monday, 1/16, the manufacturer says that the initial 2 thousand units will be delivered to buyers enrolled during the pre-sales period at the end of 2022.
“The new Montana is the most expected launch for 2023, both for its innovative concept and great market potential,” says Kleusner Lopes, GM’s national sales director. “Besides the opening batch sold in the pre-sales, we have thousands of orders registered at Chevrolet dealer net. We will work quickly to be able to assist everyone in the shortest time possible,” assured the executive, without revealing the queue numbers.
GM is claiming the main differential of the model is uniting the comfort and handling of an SUV with the roughness and versatility of a true pickup. The new Montana has the Multi-Flex smart cargo bay, developed to be a giant luggage trunk. It has an advanced cover sealing system, reducing the water leak risk.
The new Montana will compete against the Fiat Toro and other segment models and should contribute to improve Chevrolet brand’s market share in the country.
The new pickup will have four versions – two automatic (Premier and LTZ) and two with manual transmission (LTmotor and LS) – all with turbo engine, six airbags, Wi-Fi and OnStar system, among other standard items.
Refurbished plant
To launch the new Montana, GM invested in updating the São Caetano do Sul plant to improve quality, productivity and efficiency. The renewal took more than one year without harming the Tracker and Spin assembly lines, which kept the normal pace. The unit got 4 thousand square meters of new facilities and 274 new robots, increasing the automation level and operators’ safety.
Among other novelties, the manufacturer highlights America’s faster GM stamping machine. It is 96 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 18 meters high – seven meters underground. The new press can stamp up to 30 thousand parts a day, such as engine hoods, fenders, doors and rear lids. This volume is more than twice the obtained by previous generation models, consuming half electricity.
