The Chevrolet badge that is taking over from Daewoo may be unfamiliar to most Irish motorists but it was around before on Irish registered cars.
The announcement last week was not a surprise: Motors said it was happening in the July 21st issue. From November Ireland will be the first country to sell Daewoo cars under the new Chevrolet name through the 30-strong dealer network.
Chevrolet Ireland becomes part of a consortium headed by its executive chairman, Gerard O'Toole, whose automotive interests and brands include Nissan Ireland, Ssangyong Ireland and the Windsor motor group.
The Korean-built Chevrolets are seen as an affordable entry brand into the GM family which also includes Opel/Vauxhall, Saab, Corvette and Cadillac. North American built Chevrolets like the Trailblazer, Trans Sport and Tahoe, are already sold in EU countries and Norway and Switzerland, although few if any have been marketed in Ireland
Older Irish motorists will remember that American Chevrolets sold on the Irish market in the 1940s and 1950s, a time when American models were very much in vogue. One such Chevrolet model was the Bel Air.