About Geo Metro
The Geo Metro is a marketing and production variant of the Suzuki Cultus. It was offered in North America between 1989 and 2001 as a joint project of General Motors and Suzuki. Along with its relatives, it was developed over the course of 13 years into three generations and four body styles. It was eventually replaced by the General Motors range. Between 1985 and 1989, Suzuki's Japanese factories supplied the Cultus models sold in North America. Since 1990, all M models in North America have been produced by CAMI Automotive. It is a 50/50 joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. Japanese manufacturing continues to supply sedan models to Canada.
At one time, GM did not want to label imported products or products produced in a joint venture with a foreign manufacturer. Instead, they created the Geo brand and sold many cars under that brand, primarily through Chevrolet dealers. Eventually, a business model was developed called Geo Metro. It was produced under the Geo brand from 1989 to 1997 and under the Chevrolet Metro name for several years. The Geo Metro was based on the second-generation Suzuki Cultus model offered for the Japanese market and was produced by a joint venture between GM and Suzuki in Canada. A similar car was also sold in the United States as the Suzuki Swift. The Geo Metro was offered as a two-door, a four-door sedan, and a convertible for most of its existence. At the time, it was the cheapest convertible you could buy in the United States.
Geo Metro parts online
Although all metros are quite poorly equipped, one was completely stripped down to run as economically as possible. The Geo Metro XFi, launched in 1990, had excellent fuel economy. The EPA originally gave the Geo Metro XFi a rate of 53 mpg in the city and 58 mpg on the highway on regular gasoline. The test results were later changed. And the rating was lowered to 43 mpg in city traffic and 52 mpg on the highway. The XFi model was discontinued when the Metro model was revamped in 1995. This model was powered by a small 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with only 55 hp at its inception. In later years, the Geo Metro was powered by a single-cylinder engine. A slightly smaller 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine with 70 hp.
In 1995, the second-generation Geo Metro was introduced in North America as a three-door hatchback and a four-door sedan. Both bodies used a longer wheelbase inherited from the second-generation Cultus. It was also developed at GM's design center. It was built on the Suzuki-developed M platform with Suzuki engines. These models were sold exclusively in North America and bore the Geo Metro badge. This version was never sold under the Cultus name. And production ceased after 2001. The Metro was used in the 17th Biennale of Sydney as part of an experiment by Fujian-born Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Nine models were lifted into the air by animation.