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Filed under: Spy Photos , Economy , Chevrolet Click above for image gallery of the Chevy Beat prototype AB reader Kyle Swift just sent us a few cellphone pics he took of a Chevrolet Beat prototype lounging around at New York's Rochester Institute of Technology. The camouflaged runabout was spotted in a parking lot on the university's grounds, possibly visiting from nearby Delphi. As you may recall, the Chevy Beat was the most popular of a trio of concepts Chevy showed to the world at the 2007 New York Auto Show . Based on General Motors' new global mini-car platform, the Beat was designed as the sportiest of the triplets with a 1.2L turbocharged gas engine mated to an automatic transmission. At the 2007 L.A. Auto Show , Bob Lutz announced that the Beat will go into global production outside of North America in mid-2009. Production is set to begin in South Korea where the car was originally created at GM's design studio in Bupyeong. Since its concept unveiling, the Beat has...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Green , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM The Chevy Beat will hopefully succeed as GM's high-volume entry into the micro-car market, and the General's Korean design team has been tasked with making the little hatch look more expensive than it is. We were able to take a look at spy photos of the Beat on the outside back in August, and learned that a four-door version is in the pipeline. Now we're getting our first look at the production interior, and the pic is completely undisguised. The first thing we noticed was a very unique gauge cluster. The GM design team put the main displays in two completely separate pods. On the left is a typical round speedometer, while a square display -- possibly used for testing purposes -- is on the right. The look is definitely different, and almost aftermarket in appearance. The dash as a whole carries the exterior design theme of the concept, with flowing lines drawing our attention to the Beat's center stack. The console...
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Filed under: Economy , Crossovers/CUVs , Chevrolet , GM Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevy Orlando concept When GM and the UAW agreed to a new contract in 2007, several new models and the plants in which they would be built were agreed on. Drastic shifts in customer tastes are changing those plans rapidly, and the General is scrambling to deliver. GM was planning to build a seven-seat crossover based off its global Delta small car platform at the Detroit Hamtramck plant next year, but the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the vehicle will no longer be produced for the US market. The small MPV, which is being unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in concept form as the Chevy Orlando , will still be available in Europe where small seven-seaters are much more popular than here in the States. The small crossover will instead be replaced by a compact vehicle from Asia, possibly the Chevy Beat . However, GM never designed the Beat to meet U.S. crash-test standards, but hopefully...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Economy , Euro , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet Testing of the Chevy Beat is officially underway, and our friends at NextAutos have procured the first set of spy shots. The camo'd mule is still sporting the short overhangs and upright silhouette of the concept, but GM decided to equip the squat city car with another set of doors to make ingress and egress easier for rear-seat passengers. Initial reports suggest that power will be provided by a 1.2-liter 16-valve DOHC inline-four, mated to either a manual or automatic gearbox. The Beat will make its production debut sometime in 2010 and will go on sale in Europe in early 2011. As previously reported , the Beat won't be making the trek to the U.S. until it meets the fed's crash-test standards, so we won't get a shot at the Beat until the next generation arrives - whenever that is. Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Beat Concept [Source: NextAutos ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM , Opinion/Editorial In the wake of the Chevy Beat news that started pounding the wires before the 4th of July weekend, the Wall Street Journal reached out to Bob Lutz for some commentary on the topic. Lutz, in an email to the Journal, said, "We always thought we'd do it at some point, but now it obviously enjoys a much higher priority." Based on what the Journal says, this loosely translates to "the 2012 timeframe." Unfortunately for GM, this is a car that its U.S. operation needs approximately yesterday. It would behoove the brain trust in the RenCen to stop debating this and simply end all the speculation by formally announcing a U.S. Beat and attaching a timetable, already (as in, now). We think that the car's appearance as an Autobot in next summer's Transformers follow-up will help create enough public interest for that GM will be forced to make some sort declaration if they haven't...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM Click image for a high res gallery of the Beat GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE , but that car's about as exciting as an episode of Antiques Roadshow . Corsa? Not engineering the current one to be U.S.-compliant probably wasn't the greatest idea. The answer? MarketWatch says The General has summoned its inner Janet and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but word is, the Chevy Beat is indeed coming to the U.S. market. The broader public will get a really good look at it next Summer in the Transformers sequel , and as was the case with the Camaro, they'll be looking at a car they'll (apparently) be able to buy. If GM is smart, the screen-to-showroom transition won't take two years as it has with Camaro....
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Filed under: Economy , Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM You know how there was a question of whether or not we'd ever see the Chevy Beat for sale in North America? The answer to that question is looking more like a big fat yes. Of course, a subcompact like the Beat makes perfect sense in a landscape where gas is selling for well over $4 a gallon in many areas. Our quasi-confirmation comes not from El Generalissimo, however, but from the set of Transformers 2 , which was recently given its tagline: Revenge of the Fallen . In the photo above, next to Bumblebee, is the Chevy Beat -- partially covered, but the Beat nonetheless. You know what putting it in the movie does, right? It makes people want it. Last summer, it was the Camaro. Next summer, it looks like GM's gonna make the Beat a big star. You can see the above photo and more from the set at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog . Thanks for the tip, Cory! Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Beat...
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Filed under: Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GM Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevrolet Beat Concept. Aside from possibly offering a hybrid version of the Camaro , Chevrolet is looking to do everything it can to meet new fuel economy regulations. Despite Bob Lutz' assertion that diesels are not the answer to increase fuel mileage, Ed Peper, Chevy's general manager, pointed out that GM's European diesel technology could find its way here to the States. The 2.9-liter turbodiesel V6 soon to be equipped in Euro-bound Cadillac CTSs is one possibility, as is the utilization of Opel's 1.3-, 1.7- and 1.9-liter oil burners. Chevrolet execs are also looking to see how the public responds to the smart fortwo. If the reception is good, there's a possibility that Chevy might introduce a vehicle that would slot in below the Aveo both in size and price. A version of the Beat would be an obvious choice, even though GM only plans to sell it...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , LA Auto Show , Economy , Chevrolet After GM's introduction of three compact cars at the 2007 New York Auto Show - the Beat, Groove, and Trax - they left it up to the public to decide which one would be produced. Well, more than 1.8 million people worldwide voted on GM's online survey, and one has beaten down the competition. At the 2007 LA Auto Show, Bob Lutz announced that a vehicle based on the Chevy Beat concept will go into global production outside the North America in mid-2009. Production will begin in South Korea where the car was originally created at GM's design studio in Bupyeong. GM is still undecided as to whether the Beat will be eventually sold in the United States. Gallery: Chevy Beat Concept Continue reading LA 2007: Chevy Beat concept tops public polls and will go into production Permalink | Email this | Comments
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