ZURICH, 23 September 2004 – Chevrolet Europe will participate in the 2005 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). It is the first time in its history that Chevrolet, GM’s largest global brand, is entering a full factory team in an official FIA world championship.

The announcement comes less than a week after the news that Chevrolet would begin to market in Western Europe a range of cars built primarily by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) in Korea, a strategy already successfully deployed in North and South America, Asia Pacific, South Africa and, most recently, Central and Eastern Europe.

Three Chevrolet Nubiras (called Lacetti in some markets) will be developed, built and entered into the 2005 championship series by the renowned British racing team RML (Ray Mallock Limited).

The WTCC replaces the current European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). For the first time, it will be run in 10 countries in Europe and Latin America as well as in China.

The rollout of the first prototype is scheduled for December. The first actual race-going Chevrolet Touring Car will then hit the track for an extensive test programme throughout Europe. The drivers will be announced at a later stage.

The ETCCs decision to grow beyond Europe coincides with Chevrolet’s plans to become GM’s global entry-level brand. The new WTCC will offer a comprehensive package of media coverage, reaching out to sports enthusiasts all over the world.

The WTCC is tentatively scheduled to start in Italy (Monza, 10 April), then to go to France (Magny-Cours, 1 May), the United Kingdom (Silverstone, 15 May), the Czech Republic (Brno, 29 May), Mexico (26 June), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps, 22 July), Germany (Oschersleben, 28 August), Turkey (Istanbul, 18 September) and Spain (Valencia, 2 October). The seasons finale is scheduled for the city circuit of Macau in the Peoples Republic of China on 20 November.

Story by General Motors Corp