Chevrolet has a new sponsorship deal with Manchester United, and there are perks for everyone involved. Chevy gets to associate itself with one of the biggest names in sports, and Manchester United’s players and staff get free cars. A few of those players chose to go green, grabbing the keys to Chevy’s Volt plug-in hybrid.
“It feels different, it’s a lot quieter… It feels futuristic, especially with regards to saving energy,” midfielder Nick Powell said of his new ride. He and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone both chose the Volt.
Other Manchester United players went for flashier cars, like the Corvette and Camaro, while other chose the more practical Captiva, an SUV that occupies roughly the sam place as the Equinox in Chevy’s overseas lineup.
“Our Chevrolet portfolio has given the Manchester staff and players a wide choice to suit their lifestyle, be it a Captiva, the extended range electric Volt or the iconic Camaro and Corvette,” said Alan Batey, General Motors vice president, sales, service and global marketing. “It is great to see that Manchester United is now in the driving seat, both in terms of the league and our cars.”
Despite that horrific pun, Chevy looks to gain plenty of public relations points from this sponsorship deal. Manchester United’s team jersey will feature the Chevy logo during the 2014-2015 season, and an association with football’s legendary “Reds” could help the equally legendary American brand find traction (puns must be contagious) in England.
Overseas, Chevy’s lineup consists primarily of performance cars like the Corvette and Camaro, rebadged Daewoos, and the Volt. The former are too big and thirsty to make most European buyers’ shopping lists, the Volt has to compete with the identical Opel and Vauxhall Amperas, and no one wants to buy a Daewoo.
Partnering with Manchester United probably won’t solve all of those problems, but it will raise Chevy’s, and the Volt’s visibility.
