If you’re fixing to buy a Ford Fiesta, hold off for just a little bit. By next year, you could be driving the all-new Chevrolet Aveo instead. The all-new hatch, which will be The General’s second truly global vehicle following the Cruze, will be on display at the Paris Motor Show, joining the Chevy Orlando MPV and Cruze hatch. The trifecta of hatchbacks (along with a possible wildcard entry from the Chevy Spark) will surely help to quench Europe’s thirst for wagon/hatchback vehicles. Today, General Motors released the first official photos of the tiny hatch – here’s what we’ve gleamed so far.
The styling of the all-new Gamma II-based subcompact stays fairly true to the Aveo RS show car seen at the beginning of the year at the Detroit Auto Show. In fact, it’s nearly identical to the leaked photo of the production-spec 2012 Aveo sedan.
As you can see in the photo above, the front headlamps still dominate much of the car’s face, as seen with the Aveo RS model. The protruding wheel wells also made their way over from the concept, giving the car a broad and sporty look. A few noticeable changes, however, have been made between the Paris-bound Aveo and the one seen at Detroit.
For example, the concept’s twin exhaust ports that sat right in the center of the rear bumper are noticeably absent, as are the colored brake calipers. And though the rear and front lights retain a similar shape seen on the Aveo RS concept, the assumed production version looks much less menacing.
The interior still remains a mystery, but we’re predicting that the colored stitching woven around the leather seats and through the dash will be a concept-only feature. What’s more, the presser failed to mention the turbocharged 138 hp ECOTEC four cylinder powerplant for the bow tie subcompact.
The Aveo will offer four gasoline engine options ranging from a lowly 1.2 L engine, capable of only 70 and 86 hp, to a 100 hp 1.4L plant, and finally to a 1.6L engine delivering 115 hp. The Aveo will also see diesel for the first time, as the Euro-spec. models will see a 1.3 L engine that is capable of either 75 hp or 95 hp and will feature start/stop technology.
There are still a few things that give us hope in seeing a mighter Aveo: the presser didn’t mention an RS model and photos of the car make us assume what we see here is the middle-of-the-road Aveo. Perhaps we will still see a proper Aveo RS in the future (fingers crossed). One thing’s for sure: this is much better than the outgoing model.
New Chevrolet Aveo brings ‘hot-hatch’ style to small car segment
2010-09-08
* Aveo is one of four Chevrolet world premieres at the Paris Motor Show
* Dynamic design stays true to Aveo RS show car
* European engine lineup includes 1.3-lliter diesel engine and 6-speed transmissions
There is no shortage of world firsts for Chevrolet at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, and joining the Orlando MPV and Cruze hatchback show car will be the all-new Chevrolet Aveo 5-door.
The car will go on sale in the United States and Canada in 2011.
The Aveo RS show car was displayed at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows earlier in 2010, and the final production-ready car looks every bit as compelling as the show car.
Entering the highly competitive global small car segment, striking design elements of the new Chevrolet Aveo include the dynamic looking front with its exposed twin-headlamps and Chevrolet’s signature dual port grille, compact taut body panels with a rising shoulder line and short rear overhangs, rear door handles “hidden’ in the c-pillar and a ‘body in, wheels out’ profile.
Reminiscent of the recently introduced Spark in Europe, the new Aveo is designed to appeal to younger customers with its sporty hot-hatch look. A four-door sedan variant will launch in Europe alongside the hatch next summer. Both hatch and sedan are practical small cars providing ample interior space.
Final specifications of the new Aveo will be carefully tailored to each market in which it’s offered.
Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe says: “It’s just such an exciting time to be at Chevrolet; in Aveo we have a car which is ready to compete against the best in the small-car segment.”
The new Aveo is longer and wider than the current model, giving it a spacious interior and cargo volume that is among best in class. The interior design perhaps holds even more surprises than the outside, in particular the motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster which features an analog tachometer combined with a digital speedometer.
Blue backlighting is featured on the center console, while the whole of the front cabin is enveloped in a wraparound fascia. This can be color-coded and flows from the dash into both the driver’s and front passenger’s doors. Aveo’s interior provides consumers with high quality materials as well as multiple storage spaces in the center stack and a modern audio system with USB, auxiliary-in and Bluetooth functionality.
Reflecting its sporty personality, Aveo has been engineered to provide communicative handling, a characteristic which stems partly from its tight body frame integral (BFI) structure where highest levels of torsional rigidity have been achieved.
The new Aveo’s chassis has been fine tuned to satisfy discerning tastes with a ride and handling ratio that combines comfort with responsiveness. Electronic power steering (EPS), Electronic stability control (ESC) and ABS brakes will be standard.
In Europe, a comprehensive range of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines will be available in the new Chevrolet Aveo, incorporating the latest technologies such as variable valve timing, double continuous variable cam phasing and common rail fuel injection for the diesels.
The gasoline engine range includes two 1.2 liter versions (at 70 hp and at 86hp), a 1.4 liter unit (100 hp) and a 1.6 liter (115hp). For the first time, Aveo will be offered with two versions of a 1.3 liter diesel engine (at 75 hp and at 95 hp) featuring Start/Stop technology.
Chevrolet’s first 6-speed automatic transmission on a small car will be featured on the Aveo 1.4 and 1.6 as an option in most European markets; manual transmissions are of 5 or 6 speed depending on engine choice.
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