Chevrolet City Express Takes The Express Lane To The Afterlife

If you’re in the market for a compact commercial van, your choices are a little more limited as Automotive News is reporting the Chevrolet City Express went out of production in February.

Originally announced in May of 2013, the City Express was a rebadged version of the Nissan NV200. The model was unveiled at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show and went on sale that fall.

Chevrolet had high hopes for the model as GM’s US vice president of fleet and commercial vehicles described it as a “smaller, more efficient choice for businesses that don’t need the cargo volume or other capabilities of a full-size van.” The van was also affordably priced and featured a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 131 hp (98 kW / 132 PS) and 139 lb-ft (188 Nm) of torque.

Despite having a number of positive attributes, the market effectively shrugged and forgot the City Express even existed. A quick peek at the sales chart paints a grim picture as Carsalebase data shows Chevrolet only managed to sell 8,348 units in the United States last year. For comparison, Nissan moved 18,602 units of the nearly identical NV200. The bad new doesn’t stop there, as the Ram ProMaster City nearly outsold the City Express 2:1 and the Ford Transit Connect bested everyone by selling 34,473 units.

When reached for comment by Automotive News, a Chevrolet spokesperson declined to confirm slow sales were to blame for the model’s death. The spokesperson also declined to mention if there were any plans for a successor.

That seems doubtful given the slow sales, but the City Express has been added to the company’s list of discontinued vehicles. The site also steers potential customers to the Colorado pickup and the full-size Express Cargo Van.