DETROIT — General Motors Co. is discontinuing the Chevrolet City Express small work van, which GM had been sourcing from Nissan Motor Co. since 2014 through a purchasing agreement.
Dealers, according to a GM spokesman, were told of the plans last summer. Final orders were taken in September, followed by production of the Chevy vans — based on the Nissan NV200 — ending in February. The last model year is 2018.
The GM-Nissan pact was a quick way for Chevrolet to enter the small-van segment, which Ford Motor Co. has dominated since essentially creating the domestic market with the Transit Connect in 2009.
When unveiling the City Express van in February 2014, Ed Peper, U.S. vice president of GM fleet and commercial sales, said the company saw "tons of opportunity" in the small commercial van segment.
But Chevrolet gained little traction in the emerging market. Fewer than 30,000 City Express units have been sold in the U.S. since its debut in November 2014. That's less than one year of Ford Transit Connect sales, which have averaged more than 42,500 annually since 2013.
City Express sales peaked at 10,283 in 2015 — its first full year on the market. That same year, Ford sold more than 52,200 Transit Connects and Nissan sold more than 17,300 NV200s. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sold more than 11,000 Ram ProMaster City vans that year — its first year of sales.
The City Express' maximum cargo capacity was 122.7 cubic feet, with a maximum payload of 1,500 pounds. The OE tire fitment was an all-season spec, size 185/60R T.
A GM spokesman declined to comment on reasons for the move or if the vehicle is expected to be replaced.
The discontinuation of the small van will not impact the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans, which remain under GM as the only major body-on-frame offerings in the segment.
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Michael Wayland is a reporter with Automotive News, a Tire Business sister publication.