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Vauxhall 4x4 is born in Brazil

There's a long road ahead, but you are about to witness the birth of Vauxhall's baby SUV!

Samba star
Chevrolet’s new Prism Y, unveiled at the Sao Paulo Motor Show, will pave the way for a Vauxhall SUV set to debut in three years’ time.

By Chris Thorp

31st October 2006

Auto Express has uncovered secret plans for General Motors to enter the compact 4x4 market with a small off-roader to take on Volkswagen's Tiguan and Ford's forthcoming allroad Focus.
 
And Vauxhall won't be coming into this market half-heartedly. The new car's launch will be a carefully constructed path to production that begins with the Chevrolet-badged model seen here

And Vauxhall won't be coming into this market half-heartedly. The new car's launch will be a carefully constructed path to production that begins with the Chevrolet-badged model seen here. Revealed at last week's Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil, this is the Prisma Y, a compact SUV that points the way to several future GM variants.

The newcomer is based on the Astra and will only be sold in South America, but design cues will be adopted for European models. Pay close attention to the front, as the shrunken Captiva styling and Antara-style headlights show what we have to look forward to. The first European car will be a 4WD Chevy SUV, set to appear in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show. It will spawn a roadgoing MPV to replace the Tacuma.

Next to debut will be the Vauxhall version of this baby 4x4 in 2009. It will have its own unique styling inside and out, but share its basic underpinnings with the Chevrolet.

And Vauxhall fans had better get used to this platform-sharing approach. Now that the US firm is establishing itself as a brand in the UK, bosses are taking the bold step of launching the majority of compact models as Chevrolets before their platforms go on to underpin cars wearing Griffin badges.

It's a strategy first employed with the Captiva and Antara, and will continue with the SUV pictured here, as well as the next Astra. This will be seen first underpinning the Lacetti in 2008, before appearing as a Vauxhall in 2009.

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