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The Chevy Aveo has never been a car to set one's heart racing, but the restyled 2007 edition in sedan form is a decent-looking economy car with a visually appealing interior. Here in the US, the Aveo5 hatchback retained its old looks, which were nothing special, and we all assumed that at some point it would take on the same freshened appearance of the sedan.

Well, we were wrong. Chevy will introduce a revised Aveo 5-door next month in Frankfurt for the European market, but those looking for a hatchback version of the sedan that all markets share will be disappointed. And possibly even frightened. That's because the Aveo hatchback's new face has taken the Chevy split-grille to the extreme, adopting an oversized, angry maw bissected by a substantial Bowtie-adorned crossbar. The upturned headlights give the car an angry look, but all that visual aggression backed only by a pair of docile four-bangers putting out 84 hp (1.2L ) or 98 hp (1.4L). The Aveo even gets a trendy side extractor vent on the front fender, leading us to believe that it's probably time to put that styling cue to bed. On the upside, Aveo now has something in common with Cadillac.

GM also says the hatchback sports a new interior, but has not yet released photos. We're guessing it's the same one found in the sedan. The European models will launch in March of next year. Will the new Aveo 5-door come to the U.S.? We certainly hope not looking like that.

[Source: GM]

Gallery: 2008 Chevy Aveo 5-door (EU)