Al-Mansour Automotive—official distributor of Chevrolet in Egypt—conducted a test drive of the new Chevrolet Equinox, which belongs to the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) category, after releasing it in Egypt in April.
The test took place in Hurghada, and the company chose two different categories of the car, hence that participants could closely identify their capabilities.
The event was attended by a high-level representatives from the company, including Ziad Al Refai, head of the marketing sector in Al Mansour Group, Mohamed Shiha, general manager of Chevrolet,.
The event began with a warm reception of the participating journalists specialised in the automotive sector, followed by a press conference. In his speech, Al Rifai welcomed the journalists, saying that his company released this car at the end of April, and it succeeded in achieving sales of over 24 cars so far, asserting that it was a very suitable sales rate during such a short period, especially since the car is imported. He added that his company aims to sell about 1,000 cars of this model during the first year of its launch.
The new car model has many competitors in its criteria, and if Al-Mansour managed to achieve his aim, the new model’s sales will represent about 25% of the total sales of the SUV in Egypt.
For his part, Shiha said that the company introduced this model to revive the SUV category in Chevrolet and restore its position in Egypt after a long absence, noting that his company plans to introduce more new models in the coming period.
He explained that the idea of assembling this car or continue to import it, is still under discussion, and the company has not yet made its final decision. Shiha added that the company’s decision depends on the government’s announcement of its position on the new automotive industry strategy, whereby it can make its decision to increase investment in this regard.
Chevrolet Equinox is available in two categories: LS and LT, with a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The Equinox LT drives well, with good isolation from the road and is a comfortable ride. Optional only on Equinox LT is a suite of high-tech safety gear including low-speed automatic emergency breaking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive cruise control. Regardless of engine, the Equinox is a quiet, composed ride and its steering is light but accurate. In the testing, we found that Equinox LT’s 18-inch tires deliver crisper handling without any noticeable detriment to the way the crossover rides.
The two categories are equipped with Chevrolet MyLink, a colour touchscreen display that provides everything at your fingertips. Whether you are looking for directions, contacts, applications, or entertainment, Chevrolet MyLink offers an array of amenities for driving convenience, entertainment, and safety. You can also connect your smartphone to the applications through a USB port or by using Bluetooth, which allows you to access your music files and smartphone applications for greater connectivity. And for compatible iPhone users, you can even use Siri Eyes Free, which allows you to access Chevrolet MyLink with your voice. The Chevrolet Equinox also features a driver eight-way power seat with a two-way lumbar support, a six-speaker audio system, a full suite of connectivity technology with a 4G LTE Wi-fi hotspot, satellite radio, OnStar, rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, and a blind spot alert.
Among other privileges is the spaciousness interior. The car can be used for travel without any difficulty in storage, the number of passengers, not to mention the safety of the car, which makes the driver feels comfortable. Also, the powerful engine makes it suitable to travel for longer distances on different roads.
