Chevrolet sets the Captiva Sport free

Published October 10, 2016

(Chevrolet)

Don’t worry, you probably couldn’t have bought one anyway.

Chevrolet is ending U.S. sales of the Captiva Sport, a rental car special that it’s offered as a fleet-only vehicle since the 2012 model year. The compact crossover was a reboot of the Saturn Vue, which had been discontinued with that brand in 2010.

Production of the vehicle under the Chevrolet Captiva name continued in Mexico for sale there and in other markets, however, so when Chevy faced the happy problem of high retail demand for the Equinox, it brought the old car back to the U.S. for commercial buyers.

It’s a strategy aimed at keeping the value-sapping stigma of rental car or municipal motor pool duty off of a new, popular vehicle, while still being able to supply tens of thousands of cars to willing customers. A similar plan is currently in place for the Chevrolet Impala, which was redesigned for 2014. The last generation of the model has been rebranded as the Impala Limited and will offered through Chevy’s fleet division until 2016.

In the case of the Captiva Sport, nearly 120,000 were sold over the past two and a half years, but just 42 were delivered in September as sales winded down. A GM spokesperson tells FoxNews.com that “with new entries like the Chevrolet Trax and current products; Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and the Buick Encore, we are confident that GM’s Fleet and Commercial Customers have sufficient product choices to meet their needs and demands.”

International travelers can rejoice, however, as the Captiva will continue to live on outside of the USA.

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https://www.foxnews.com/auto/chevrolet-sets-the-captiva-sport-free