Motor Authority - blog Category: Aveo

The Chevrolet Beat has been paraded around the last several auto shows as the forerunner to the production Spark hatchback revealed at March’s Geneva Motor Show, which will sit just below the Aveo as Chevy's smallest car. In the past couple of months, spy photos of a Spark-styled but slightly larger vehicle have been captured as it undergoes testing at Germany’s notorious Nurburgring circuit and it is thought to be the next-generation Aveo.

The 2009 Aveo just began North American production in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in August of last year, but GM is already be working on a replacement.
It won’t be on sale for until... The Chevrolet Beat has been paraded around the last several auto shows as the forerunner to the production Spark hatchback revealed at March’s Geneva Motor Show, which will sit just below the Aveo as Chevy's smallest car. In the past couple of months, spy photos of a Spark-styled but slightly larger vehicle have been captured as it undergoes testing at Germany’s notorious Nurburgring circuit and it is thought to be the next-generation Aveo. The 2009 Aveo just began North American production in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in August of last year, but GM is already be working on a replacement. It won’t be on sale for until January 2011, however, due to GM’s current financial turmoil, which has also affected its Daewoo Auto and Technology South Korean subsidiary. The information was revealed in GM product development plans obtained by Reuters from an auto parts supplier. The car spotted in the spy shots definitely shares traits with the Spark, possibly reflecting a next-generation styling direction for Chevrolet's small global cars. The stacked double-circle tail lights, rear hatch/spoiler area and sloping roof line are all very similar between the two. Chevrolet badges are also clearly seen underneath stickers on the wheels, leaving little doubt as to its brand identity, and given Chevrolet's lineup, the place for a car slightly bigger than the Spark is where the Aveo currently sits. Character lines along the side of the car in the spy shots are different from the spark, however, indicating its size difference and possibly helping to differentiate the two stylistically. The headlights are also different, with two side-by-side circular lamps instead of the Spark's giant tear-drop shaped unit. The interior of the car spotted is very nearly identical to the Spark, however, especially around the instrument panel and center stack area, again possibly reflecting a new interior brand identity.2011 Chevrolet Spark minicarSpy shots: Possible next-gen Chevrolet Aveo Read More

Just a few days ago we brought you a story about General Motors considering bringing small cars from China to the U.S. in order to bolster its sales in the segment. Currently, the carmaker is looking to sell around 17,300 Chinese-made vehicles in the U.S. by 2011 and over 50,000 units by 2014. Until now, however, it was uncertain just what type of vehicles the carmaker would be bringing to local showrooms.

Speaking with the Detroit Free Press, a senior Global Insight market analyst in Shanghai predicted that GM would likely bring Chinese-built versions of the Chevrolet Spark and next-generation Aveo, as well as another small car called the... Just a few days ago we brought you a story about General Motors considering bringing small cars from China to the U.S. in order to bolster its sales in the segment. Currently, the carmaker is looking to sell around 17,300 Chinese-made vehicles in the U.S. by 2011 and over 50,000 units by 2014. Until now, however, it was uncertain just what type of vehicles the carmaker would be bringing to local showrooms. Speaking with the Detroit Free Press, a senior Global Insight market analyst in Shanghai predicted that GM would likely bring Chinese-built versions of the Chevrolet Spark and next-generation Aveo, as well as another small car called the Lova. Under such a plan, the cars would be produced by GM’s partners in China, Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation (SAIC) and Liuzhou Wuling Auto. While the predictions about these cars comes from a reputed market intelligence company, other analysts are not quite so sure about GM's overall plans to import cars from China, however. One analyst from a Shanghai based company stated that GM's "export aspirations are a marketing tactic, not a real solid opportunity", but that they were "certainly a possibility in the future." Furthermore, the news has angered local unions which believe that taking government support but then outsourcing jobs to China is an underhanded move. However, remaining competitive is GM's ultimate long term goal, and should it pursue Chinese imports then it will likely be the first major carmaker in the U.S to do so.2011 Chevrolet Spark minicarSpy shots: Possible next-gen Chevrolet Aveo Read More

The short-sightedness of the car-buying public is breathtaking. It was just months ago that fears over $4 gas prices had people scurrying about, dumping loaded SUVs for a fraction of their purchase price and replacing them with smaller, more efficient vehicles. But today, with fuel well under $2 per gallon in most places, Americans are returning to their big-car ways.

Hybrids have taken it on the chin as well, even leading small cars back into oblivion. Sales of the Toyota Prius are off 30.8% in February when compared to 2007 figures, and hybrids were down 10% across the industry throughout 2008, despite record demand in the summer, reports... The short-sightedness of the car-buying public is breathtaking. It was just months ago that fears over $4 gas prices had people scurrying about, dumping loaded SUVs for a fraction of their purchase price and replacing them with smaller, more efficient vehicles. But today, with fuel well under $2 per gallon in most places, Americans are returning to their big-car ways. Hybrids have taken it on the chin as well, even leading small cars back into oblivion. Sales of the Toyota Prius are off 30.8% in February when compared to 2007 figures, and hybrids were down 10% across the industry throughout 2008, despite record demand in the summer, reports The Detroit News. The cost of buying the technology makes owning one only marginally cheaper than owning a larger, less efficient car - and even then only when fuel prices are high. With stricter CAFE regulations looming in the background and a weak economy in the fore, carmakers are not precisely happy with the reversal of tastes among those that are still buying cars either. The backlog in small cars like Toyota's Yaris, which has a 175-day supply in the U.S., and the Dodge Caliber, with 205 days worth of inventory on hand, threatens to put the assembly lines on hold indefinitely. Chevrolet's Aveo (pictured) is even worse off, with 427 days of overstock - enough to sell until May 24, 2010 even if the factory stopped making them today, reports The Wall Street Journal. So what happens when the carmakers readjust yet again to this fluctuation in consumer preference only to have the price of fuel skyrocket along with demand for small cars and hybrids? Can the industry withstand another such setback? There are those among the major auto companies that think fuel prices were only the catalyst in the reaction, and that other forces, including political and moral influences, will keep the ball rolling toward a smaller, more efficient American fleet. With the government backing the industry's play, President Obama's call for 1 million plug-in electrics by 2015 and a popular culture that tends toward demonization of what is perceived as anti-environmental action, they may be right. On the other side of the issue, there are people like Kelley Blue Book's Jack Nerad, who told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I think what you hear out of the government these days is almost antithetical to what you hear in the marketplace, at least in the short term." So will the short-term dissonance in consumer demand and government-mandated supply resolve in favor of the carmakers? Or will the consumers continue to snatch up SUVs, pickup trucks and larger sedans until they are forced to once again dump them on the used market only to seek hybrids and smaller cars - perhaps to find them unavailable? Only time will tell, but it's a game being played with millions of jobs in the balance. Read More

General Motors has always been reluctant to bring the Pontiac G3 compact to the United States despite the car selling well in Canada and Mexico, but that has all changed as the car is due U.S. showrooms in the first half of next year. The decision to bring the Pontiac G3 was influenced by the explosion in the small car segment in recent months, growing a staggering 33% in the first six months of this year alone, according to Pontiac chief Susan Docherty.

Generating 106hp (79 kW), the G3’s 1.6L Ecotec four-cylinder engine is mated to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. Some of its attributes include an... General Motors has always been reluctant to bring the Pontiac G3 compact to the United States despite the car selling well in Canada and Mexico, but that has all changed as the car is due U.S. showrooms in the first half of next year. The decision to bring the Pontiac G3 was influenced by the explosion in the small car segment in recent months, growing a staggering 33% in the first six months of this year alone, according to Pontiac chief Susan Docherty. Generating 106hp (79 kW), the G3’s 1.6L Ecotec four-cylinder engine is mated to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. Some of its attributes include an EPA estimated 27mpg fuel economy rating in the city and 34mpg on the highway, plus the best shoulder and hip room in the segment for up to five adults. The rear seats also feature a 60/40 split to offer up to 42 cubic feet of cargo space. The G3 also comes with air conditioning, a CD/MP3 audio system with an auxiliary input jack, fog lamps, rear spoiler, optional OnStar, and a host of standard safety features. These include four airbags, allowing the car to score a five-star safety rating in frontal crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Pricing is yet to be announced but the car will come with GM’s five-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.2009 Pontiac G3 five-door Read More

In an effort to ramp up availability of its small cars for the North American market, General Motors has officially started production at its San Luis Potosi complex in Mexico. The plant will be building the Daewoo-based Aveo (Aveo5 model pictured)for sale throughout the continent.

The plant employs 2,500 workers and occupies 1,657,040 square feet (154,000 square meters). It is constructed with a focus on low environmental impact, recycling 90% of the water at the plant on-site, discharging none into the ground. The remaining 10% is lost to evaporation, according to Automotive World.

About 30 cars will roll off the assembly line per hour... In an effort to ramp up availability of its small cars for the North American market, General Motors has officially started production at its San Luis Potosi complex in Mexico. The plant will be building the Daewoo-based Aveo (Aveo5 model pictured)for sale throughout the continent. The plant employs 2,500 workers and occupies 1,657,040 square feet (154,000 square meters). It is constructed with a focus on low environmental impact, recycling 90% of the water at the plant on-site, discharging none into the ground. The remaining 10% is lost to evaporation, according to Automotive World. About 30 cars will roll off the assembly line per hour the plant is in operation, so functioning at a full three-shift workload, the plant could put out over 700 cars per day, or about a quarter of a million cars per year, assuming no down time. Pricing of the 2009 Aveo was recently released by GM, and starts at $14,255. The Aveo is due for replacement soon, however, likely by one of the concepts that accompanied the Beat's reveal. The new car, based on the Groove or the Trax, both somewhat larger than the Beat, could be on the streets by 2011. It too is expected to be produced at the San Luis Potosi plant once the Aveo is retired.2009 Chevy Aveo Read More

General Motors has confirmed that the Chevrolet Aveo will be replaced in the U.S. by 2011 with a new compact car based on either the Groove or Trax concepts from last year’s New York Auto Show. The production version of the third concept, the Beat, will be sold solely as a global model and is not planned for North America.

The Beat, which is currently being developed by GM Daewoo in South Korea, was ruled out for the U.S. because it would not be able to meet federal safety requirements without a significant investment. Speaking with Automotive News, Chevrolet vice president Ed Peper said one of the concepts will be produced for the... General Motors has confirmed that the Chevrolet Aveo will be replaced in the U.S. by 2011 with a new compact car based on either the Groove or Trax concepts from last year’s New York Auto Show. The production version of the third concept, the Beat, will be sold solely as a global model and is not planned for North America. The Beat, which is currently being developed by GM Daewoo in South Korea, was ruled out for the U.S. because it would not be able to meet federal safety requirements without a significant investment. Speaking with Automotive News, Chevrolet vice president Ed Peper said one of the concepts will be produced for the U.S. market but it will be bigger than the show car. The car will come to Chevrolet "in the next couple of years," Peper confirmed. Polls taken at the New York Auto Show revealed the Trax to be largely unpopular with the public, and its compact SUV-like appearance may also turn off customers seeking fuel efficiency. GM will build the Beat on a new minicar platform in Shanghai. The unnamed subcompact intended for the U.S. will be built on GM's Gamma global small-car platform, and will most likely be sourced from a plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 2007 Chevrolet Groove concept 2007 Chevrolet Trax concept 2007 Chevrolet Beat concept2007 Chevrolet Groove concept2007 Chevrolet Trax concept2007 Chevrolet Beat concept Read More