In 1994, General Motors’ Mexican range was in transition, much like the Mexican car market itself.
The Mexican government was finally opening up the domestic market. A partial reversal of the anti-import decree first came into effect in 1991 and by the commencement of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, imported cars were pouring into Mexico. General Motors had long manufactured cars in Mexico but took this opportunity to import luxury vehicles like the Cadillac lineup, as well as sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Pontiac Firebird and more humble offerings like the Buick Regal and Pontiac Bonneville.
Of the cars in the above advertisement, roughly half were manufactured in Mexico. This included the Chevy, a locally-assembled Opel Corsa that GM intended to replace the VW Beetle as the best-selling vehicle in Mexico. You’ll also note the Mexican-built Eurosport, a sporty Cutlass Ciera derivative. The Mexican GM lineup was very quickly expanding after the ratification of NAFTA. Many Curbsiders find the 1990s to have been a thoroughly undesirable time period for General Motors vehicles but if you had to pick one of the cars in this advertisement, which would you pick? Personally, I’d aspire for the Seville but would be more comfortable handing over money for a Bonneville. Considering my first car was a ’97 Holden (Opel) Astra, I would also probably feel at home with a Chevrolet Chevy.
I would take a loaded (that is, with a radio, tach and A/C) Chevy (Corsa) 2-door, please.
I wouldn’t want any of the Mexican Chevys from 1994.
Now a G-body Monte Carlo SS with 350 V8, 4 barrel carb, and 4 speed manual that was Mexico only in the 1980s. That would be desirable.
No, gracias.
is the 400 SS the same as our 454 SS with less displacement? I guess that, begrudgingly
The P-30 is tempting though, by far the most aesthetically pleasing GM of the era.
The 400 SS was just an appearance package. Most had stepside beds and all were 350s as far as I know. Later trucks had the 5.3 or 6.0.
The 400 SS name seems silly. I see a lot of 90’s Chevys with cheap aftermarket “SS 350” decals, most being “customized” pickups from conversion van companies like Choo-Choo Customs (My mom had a ’92 S-10 Blazer “SS” from that same company… it was, uh, different).The 400 SS moniker just doesn’t make sense unless there are some marketing or trademark factors we don’t know about.
The Mexican Chevy wheel choices weren’t the best either – standard 1500 alloy wheels on the “SS 400” instead of the nice mag-style wheels. The standard C1500 and C2500 look like they have Pep Boy bullet hole wheels. The rally wheels on the Cheyenne look good though and appear to be a little wider than the ones on the American market C/Ks from the 90’s… they look more like the rallys available on the 73-87 trucks.
GT 350 allegedly was the number of steps from Shel’s factory to the outhouse or something. That worked out pretty well.
Chevy iNada se le compara! What a weird name for an Opel Corsa B.
What about this one?
….
Laughing hard. Where is that from?
Vita (life) vs. Death.
I saw it on the windshield of a beater Opel Kadett D, years ago. It turned out to be the name of a rather obscure metal band of yore too.
Sounds more like a punk band.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrhG4JZW3_w
Opel Vita, it’s from Japan I guess, maybe because of the Toyota Corsa (Tercel) was there first.
Exactly. It is indeed from the JDM model.
At first when I saw the badge I was like “What the…” but then, I reacted the same way when I watched TV Globo soaps and realized their Vectras were not Opels… I actually find the “Chevropel” badge funny looking
Update:
Wait a minute.. PSA is really that close to seal the deal??? Wow…
I think I’m fearing for Citroën…
According to several car-related websites (today’s articles) it’s a deal and it will be officially confirmed next monday.
That just says Chevy nothing compares! in Spanish
It is just a slogan from Chevrolet de Mexico. Chevy USA’s slogan at that same time was “The Heartbeat Of America”
No question, base C1500 pickup, second from the right and second row from the top.
My ex-wife, an Auto Technician for GM (at a Pontiac/Olds and later Buick dealer before closing in the ‘Great Dealer Consolidation’) had this to say…
She said, “Never buy a car that has a VIN starting with a 3”. So with that in mind, I’d have to say, “No, Gracias” as well.
But, if I had to pick based on the pictures above? I’d choose one of these (listed in order of preference):
Pontiac Bonneville SSEi*
Corvette Convertible
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe
* Sorry, I had to add the “i” – I had that engine in my ’97 Grand Prix GTP and loved it!)
I’m sorry, is there anything else in that picture besides the Suburban?
Sorry if this sounds stupid… but were they sold as 1994 Chevrolet Cadillac Deville, or 1994 Chevrolet Geo Tracker, like the article mentioning the Chevrolet Cutlass Eurosport (IIRC wasn’t it the Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cutlass Eurosport?).
Here in Canada the Tracker was sold as both a Chevrolet and a GMC; in the U.S. you guys got it as a Geo, and in Mexico it was a Chevrolet Geo (if I’m understanding the picture above OK).
Was the Pontiac Bonneville sold as a Pontiac or as the Chevrolet Pontiac Bonneville?
Did General Motors always market these as Chevrolets, regardless of the badge on the front?
Was the Century Limited a Chevrolet, or badged as a GM
I’m a Canadian and here we got all the brands the U.S. did, but we never got the Geo Prizm sedan or the Oldsmobile Silhouette (AFAIK we had the Chevrolet Lumina APV and Pontiac Trans Sport but no Olds equivalent), and we had the Asuna brand (anyone remember that?? I nearly bought a Sunrunner once!!).
Back in 1994, I was 21, and was driving a Nissan Micra (we had them here in British Columbia), then a year later, I replaced it… bought a Buick Regal sedan, it was a good car. Bit big for a 22-year-old to drive, but my mum thought I needed a bigger sedan.
I would take the following
Chevy C1500
Chevy C2500
Chevy Cheyenne
Tracker
I’ll take that sweet 2 tone Cheyenne!
Cheyenne was the base trim level in the US that year. That two-tone with chrome trim would have been Scottsdale or Silverado north of the border.
“Chasis P-30” and a folding chair.
You beat me to it!
“Enjoy the ultimate ‘feeling of the open road’ in your new Chasis P-30! Best-in-class headroom and unbeatable maintenance access! Literally unlimited* cargo capacity!”
*Laws of physics still apply. Do not violate Newtonian or local ordinances in your new P-30.
Definitely the Chasis p-30. Reliable transportation without the typical 90’s-GM paint problems/body rust/interior rattles/electronic failures/etc.. There’s only so much that can go wrong with that vehicle.
Ha, you guys are awesome.
Double-badged Seville Touring Sedan STS?
I’d go with
1) Century Limited for highway trips
2) Tracker 4×4 for off-road exploring
Both are decently reliable and the Tracker has a good aftermarket following. There’s even a shop or two that will put a 4.3 Chevy V-6 in one if you want to get some tirespinning jollies.
That Geo Tracker would be pretty nice for weekends in Rocky Point.
Interesting-
The Z-25 appears to combine the Cavalier hood with the Sunbird’s (half) pop-up headlights. Don’t really want one (I’ve already owned the US version), but it makes for an interesting look.
Tough question! No quick answer here. At first I thought Suburban, then Cadillac de Ville (sp?), then a V6 4 door Sunbird in blue with automatic. Bonneville and its cousins are tempting too, but I still can’t get around (literally, perhaps) that front quarter window pillar. Then I saw the holy grail W body (in my eyes, anyway) Regal. Always liked the design of these cars for some reason even though it probably wasn’t GMs best effort (wasn’t there a DS on this platform somewhere….oh well). A simple 3.1 mated to one of GMs time-tested autoboxes and I’m sure it’d be a reliable runner. And oh that cruise-missile, direct, freeway GM tracking as the dashes whizz by, brought to you by a soft suspension…. That’s what I’m talking about! Eat your heart out (and that sandwich) Jeremy Clarkson.
Also, glad to see you’re back on the air with Grand Tour… I missed you! (God, I missed you)
The C1500, the 5 door Corsa and the C4 coupe for me
I’d take a Geo Tracker 4X4 convertible. 5 speed and a/c. This choice comes from family experience, as coincidentally my mother bought a ’94 Tracker as her “divorcemobile” and it proved itself amazingly, giving flawless service to her for 18 years (as a spare car for the last 8 years or so), then as a first car for a neighborhood teen up until last year when an altercation with a deer took it out of service. It was slow, it was crude, it was uncomfortable, and due to its color scheme (that awful fuschia “Barbie Car” color) it was embarrassing, but it was nearly indestructible, and kind of fun in its own way.
C-1500, gracias.
“This included the Chevy, a locally-assembled Opel Corsa that GM intended to replace the VW Beetle as the best-selling vehicle in Mexico”
It got close to achieving that. As the Mexicans told me, the Chevy gave it a hard hit and then the Tsuru finished it.
I’d go for the Seville, Northstar problems be damned. Today, we can fix them. We have the technology. I’ve always loved the style of those cars and they’re reputedly good to drive as well.
Bonneville SSE is a (somewhat distant) second.
Fun is easy: Corvette. Blue coupe with the 6-speed manual and Z51 suspension.
Practical: truck. C1500 W/T pickup with a 4.3/5-speed, no options except A/C and cruise control.
Everything else available is wrong wheel drive.
I would love to go back to 1994 for some of these beauties…
Trans Am
Bonneville SSEi
Cavfire Z24
Corvette
STS