GMSA's top selling half-tonner, the Corsa Utility, will join the Chevrolet product line-up from the beginning of May 2010 to stand alongside the brand's muscular Chevrolet Lumina Ute leisure-orientated bakkie in the Chevrolet light commercial vehicle range.
The Corsa Utility was released in South Africa late in 2004 and almost immediately became the class leader in the sub-one ton bakkie segment. It still is, notching up its 60th month at the top of the sales charts in March 2010, with nearly 150 00 sales since 2004.
It now has a market share of 45 percent - nearly one in every two half-tonners sold in South Africa is a Corsa Utility.
It has redefined the sector with its car-like interior, load-carrying ability, style, specification and safety, appealing to business users as well as private buyers looking for a second car with a half-ton boot!
GMSA coined the name Maxicab to highlight the spacious cabin, able to accommodate the tallest driver and with plenty of storage behind the seats.
GMSA marketing vice-president Malcolm Gould said: "The Corsa Utility has become the benchmark in the B segment of the light commercial vehicle sector and has pushed the half-ton category to the point where it accounts for more than 25 percent of bakkie sales in South Africa."
All of which will be transferred to the Bowtie Brand as it changes its badge but not its mechanical specification or "can do" persona.
Bakkies typically have longer life cycles than cars so there's still a lot to come from the Corsa Utility as it enters the Chevrolet family.
Chevrolet Corsa Utility model range and prices
Corsa Utility 1.4i - R107 600
Corsa Utility 1.4i a/c - R117 600
Corsa Utility 1.4i Club - R135 100
Corsa Utility 1.4i Sport - R155 400
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI - R151 300
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI Club - R175 700
Corsa Utility 1.7 DTI Sport - R189 200
Corsa Utility 1.8i - R132 400
Corsa Utility 1.8i Club - R154 000
Corsa Utility 1.8i Sport - R188 000