Passport (automobile dealership)
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| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | Asüna |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Parent | General Motors |
Passport was a Canadian car dealership network owned by General Motors. It sold vehicles from Isuzu and Saab as well as its own branded Passport Optima, a Korean (Daewoo) made badge engineered Opel Kadett E, starting in model year 1988. General Motors' Geo import brand was introduced in the United States at the same time.
The Optima was offered in either hatchback or sedan and achieved 52mpg on the highway. It was designed by European Opel and had a slew of standard features for a relatively low price. The Optima sedan made the minority of the sales, while the hatchback remains more common, however, fewer than 500 Optimas were registered for road use as of 2012. Sales of the Optima were extremely slow and with relatively low survival rates, the Optima is a rare sight today. Very few pictures document the existence of the Optima.
General Motors Canada changed its branding strategy in 1991, disbanding Passport (the Optima was rebadged as the Asüna SE and Asüna GT). Isuzu was grouped together with Saab and GM's new, import-fighting Saturn division to form Saturn-Saab-Isuzu dealerships.
Passport's sibling, Geo, carried on until 1998 while another GM import brand, Asüna, debuted for model year 1992 but lasted only one year.
Passport Optima GSi in a junkyard
Passport Optima GSi wheel
Passport Optima
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