Chevrolet Partners with SAIC on New Joint-Venture Plant for International Markets

The all-new Chevrolet Captiva starts production at a new joint-venture plant in Thailand that will serve both the Thai domestic market and other international markets, likely including the Philippines as well.

The new plant is a joint-venture between Chevrolet and SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), enabling the Captiva to return to global markets. It will also enable Chevrolet to grow its product portfolio, increasing the potential for China market products such as the second-generation Orlando and Tracker to be built in Thailand, and exported from there.

The Captiva will be built with the same “Built-In Quality” or BIQ principle already seen with the Colorado and Trailblazer.

According to Chevrolet, BIQ is fundamentally different compared to the way other automakers operate. Typically, quality inspections are done before vehicles leave the line or plant. This containment approach, known as “quality inspected in,” has several weaknesses. It depends on the ability of quality inspectors to spot problems and requires undoing faults by dismantling and refitting vehicles. To do it that way is time-consuming and costly.

The decision to partner with SAIC-GM-Wuling for the all-new Captiva signals a new era for Chevrolet and will enable both parties to share products, technologies, and manufacturing processes.

The all-new Captiva first originated in Mainland China as the Baojun 530. It is packed with one of the roomiest interiors in the compact crossover segment, enabling engineers to fit seven seats. It also comes with LED headlights and a panoramic sunroof.

Under the hood is a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with 148 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. Thanks to a low-inertia turbo that comes into play as low as 1,000 rpm, the peak torque is actually achieved at just 1,600 rpm. Mated to the engine is a CVT with multiple modes. It’s also offered in some markets with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine borrowed from the Jeep Compass.