Passport
Another GM brand failure.
Briefly sold in Canada under the Passport name, Passport dealers sold mostly Isuzu cars and trucks, along Daewoo imports. This became another GM brand failure.
When Saturn was released in Canada for the 1992 model year season, the Passport name disapeared along with the Optima.
The dealership network was now known as Saturn-Saab-Isuzu outlets.
Geos were sold as Chevrolets in Canada until 1992 and Pontiac wanted a taste of the action so the "Asuna" brand was started up to compete with Chevy's Geo models.
The Storm was sold as the "Asuna Sunfire" and the Tracker as the "Asuna Sunrunner". The departed Optima was resurrected as the "Asuna SE & GT". The Asuna nameplate was only around for the 1992-1993 season.
When the 1994 models were announced, the Asuna nameplate was gone and the Sunrunner was now marketed as a Pontiac. The Sunfire and SE/GT models were replaced with a Geo Metro clone called the Firefly.
The Pontiac Sunrunner lasted until the 1997 model year, and the Firefly managed to stay alive to see the year 2000 but was no longer available after the fact. Weird but wonderful the Canadian car market is. With the demise of Pontiac all together, the uniquely Canadian cars will forever be gone.
(source: John Lloyd with text by mhaw2001)
Briefly sold in Canada under the Passport name, Passport dealers sold mostly Isuzu cars and trucks, along Daewoo imports. This became another GM brand failure.
Passport logo. (source: John Lloyd)
"Passport" was GM Canada's third dealership network from 1988-1991 selling Isuzu cars and trucks, Saab and the Daewoo sourced "Optima" (which was sold in the U.S. as the Pontiac LeMans).When Saturn was released in Canada for the 1992 model year season, the Passport name disapeared along with the Optima.
The dealership network was now known as Saturn-Saab-Isuzu outlets.
Geos were sold as Chevrolets in Canada until 1992 and Pontiac wanted a taste of the action so the "Asuna" brand was started up to compete with Chevy's Geo models.
The Storm was sold as the "Asuna Sunfire" and the Tracker as the "Asuna Sunrunner". The departed Optima was resurrected as the "Asuna SE & GT". The Asuna nameplate was only around for the 1992-1993 season.
When the 1994 models were announced, the Asuna nameplate was gone and the Sunrunner was now marketed as a Pontiac. The Sunfire and SE/GT models were replaced with a Geo Metro clone called the Firefly.
The Pontiac Sunrunner lasted until the 1997 model year, and the Firefly managed to stay alive to see the year 2000 but was no longer available after the fact. Weird but wonderful the Canadian car market is. With the demise of Pontiac all together, the uniquely Canadian cars will forever be gone.
(source: John Lloyd with text by mhaw2001)
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