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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: Economy , Paris Motor Show , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet Chevrolet has big... well... smallish plans for Paris, where the automaker will unveil an "all-new" compact vehicle dubbed the Cruze. Born from Chevy's global design and engineering team, the Cruze will sport many of the exterior elements we've seen on recent concepts, so expect lots of angular lines, a high belt-line and a squat greenhouse. The Cruze will supposedly be able to handle a parcel of five passengers, along with whatever junk they can fit in the trunk, and will measure in at 4.6 meters (181 inches), or a bit longer than the new Toyota Corolla. After its world premier in the City of Lights this October, the Cruze will go on sale across Europe in the spring of 2009, and, according to the press release below the fold, will be available in "other global regions" afterwards. Continue reading All-new Chevrolet Cruze coming to Paris, sales begin Spring 2009 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: Car Buying , Economy , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , Carsumer Advocacy Consumer Reports isn't known for completely trashing cars in its reviews. In fact, the publication is more often criticized for going too easy on them and finding something to like in everything that passes through the CR garage. But dang if they didn't just tear apart the 2008 Chevy Aveo sedan, going so far as to say its big-bro Cobalt is an all-around better car and better deal for bargain shoppers. They cite Cobalt's comparable fuel economy, better handling, quieter more refined interior and, after discounts, better price. The magazine calls the Aveo a "miserable little car" and, since they couldn't find the name "Aveo" anywhere in the car's interior, thinks GM might think so, too. CR says it readers certainly thought the Aveo was miserable, rating the hatchback and sedan variants at the very bottom of their classes. Worse than the Cobalt? Ouch. We tested the 2007 model...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet Click above for more high-res shots of the Chevy Aveo5 While the outward appearance of the Chevy Aveo5 could charitably be described as "polarizing", its recently announced pricing will likely polarize a few people, as well. Currently, the Aveo sedan and Aveo5 hatchback boast the lowest average transaction price in the United States of $12,258 according to J.D. Power and Associates, but the 2009 model might end that trend with a big price bump for the redesigned 2009 Aveo5. The new five-door Aveo5 hatchback comes in with a starting price of $12,120, which is $1,125 more than the 2008 Aveo5 that starts at just $10,895. This increase is partly due to the fact that the Special Value edition has been dropped. We should also note that the Aveo5 is redesigned for 2009 and features a number of upgrades, but the price bump will still be felt hard by those looking for the cheapest Point A-to-Point B transportation. The sedan version...
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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: Coupes , Economy , Plants/Manufacturing , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM The industry-wide shrinking of US automobiles is in its infant stages, but new products are coming in a big fat hurry. GM is preparing a new compact model based on the Delta platform, and it will feature the General's new 1.4-liter turbo powerplant. GM isn't spilling the beans on the identity of the new vehicle, which will not be named Cobalt. We don't know if it will replace the Cobalt , either, but we do know that the direct injected, force-fed 1.4-liter four-pot could achieve a remarkable 40 mpg or more. The new engine isn't only efficient, but it's got plenty of pep, too. The turbocharged four-banger will produce between 120 and 140 ponies, and it'll likely have an attractive torque curve to boot. The as-of-yet unnamed vehicle will be built in GM's Lordstown plant, which currently produces the Pontiac G5 and Chevy Cobalt. The new Chevy may also necessitate an additional shift...
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Filed under: Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , Dodge , Mazda , Pontiac , Subaru , Toyota , Volkswagen If Consumer Reports is right, Volkswagen is well on its way to attaining its dream of outselling Toyota by 2015. In the magazine's June 2008 issue, CR threw a handful of hatchbacks into the ring and the VW Rabbit hopped out the winner. The magazine cited the Rabbit's "very well finished" interior for its class, agility, braking and transmission as reasons to choose it over a growing field of small hatchbacks. CR also expects the Rabbit to have an "above average" reliability record. The biggest negative the staff found in the VW was "mediocre" fuel economy for a car its size, though many SUV drivers looking to downsize will love seeing its 24 mpg figure. Staffers also complained about the large C-pillars blocking their view and engine lag after stops. Consumer Reports has routinely praised the Mazda3 as one of its favorite hatches, but in overall scoring, the...
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Filed under: Euro , Marketing/Advertising , Videos , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet Oh dear. It seems the marketing team for Chevrolet in Greece has just one thing on its collective mind, and suffice it to say, it's not the Matiz. Granted, the girls in these ads we've been seeing on the 'net lately are infinitely more enticing than the budget hatchback, but still... enough is enough. That won't keep us from watching the commercial, though, or from minding that we can't understand what's being said. Hey, it's all Greek to us, and it's all good. Check out the video after the jump , and the one that came before it , which we think better bridges the language gap. [Source: CarScoop ] Continue reading Greek booty strikes again in Chevy Matiz commercial (NSFW) Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chevrolet Aveo Three-Door. What more can be said about the Euro-market Chevy Aveo three-door? Fortunately, not much. The new Aveo gets the reworked front fascia, complete with Anime eyes and gaping maw, while the shallow accent lines that flank the doors angle slightly higher to conform to the three-door's shorter shape. Aside from the much-despised fake fender vents, it's not a bad looking runabout. And with a choice of either an 84 hp, 1.2-liter or a 101 hp 1.4-liter four driving the front wheels, what it lacks in style it makes up for in fuel economy. Hit the jump to read Chevy's press release on the new Aveo three-door. Gallery: 2008 Chevy Aveo 3-Door (Europe) Continue reading Geneva 2008: Chevrolet Aveo 3-Door Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Car Buying , Podcasts , Economy , Hatchbacks , BMW , Chevrolet , Chrysler , Ford , Jaguar , Jeep , MINI , Toys , Australia , FPV , Tata UPDATE: Back by popular demand, direct download of the podcast has been added as a link below. The biggest news of the past week: the suckfest that was the Knight Rider movie. Alex liveblogged it so that we didn't have to watch. Sure it was crap, but was it really that bad? The original was a clunker, too, remember. There's car stuff going on, too, and we move on to covering what's in our respective Autoblog Garages . Keep an eye out for some new reviews, and John has a podcast-exclusive announcement, too. We spin off into a small car smackdown, postulate on who should buy Jaguar if Tata flips them , and boomerang back to our MINI vs. Aveo sales number deathmatch. In this week's installment of "Fords We Don't Get," there's a new Austrailian Falcon that is available in full-on sinister. It's badass in FPV...
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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM Click image for photo gallery Chevy has completed the Aveo facelifts and will introduce the updated Euro-market 3-door at the Geneva Motor Show next month. You can sum it up like this: it's like the Aveo5 , minus the doors for second-row passengers. The rear windows pop open for ventilation and power is supplied by an 84-horse 1.2L or a step-up 1.4L that generates 101 hp. The interior styling carries over, of course, as do the exterior visuals that share the Aveo 5-door's gigantic grille, fake fender vents , and the like. If this were offered in the US, it might make a nice alternative to the Yaris Liftback -- also a 3-door. Keep one eye on the sky to watch for those flying pigs. [Source: GM] Gallery: 2008 Chevy Aveo 3-Door (Europe) Continue reading Geneva '08 Preview: Chevy Aveo 3-door Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet click above for high-res gallery of the E85 Chevy HHR Apparently, the movement toward smaller cars in the US market also includes the Chevrolet HHR. According to GM, HHR sales jumped 73% last month compared to 2007 with a total of 9,650 being shipped out the door. At the Chicago Auto Show today, the automaker announced further enhancements to the retro wagon for the 2009 model year. The smaller 2.2L four cylinder will inherit the variable valve timing that's already installed on the optional 2.4L engine. To celebrate the improved sales, both engines will also be able to drink ethanol as well. The HHR will be the first American-market GM model to have a flex-fuel four cylinder engine, something that Saabs have offered for several years now. [Source: General Motors] Gallery: Chicago 2008: Chevrolet HHR flex-fuel Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , Driving The General has been on a roll as of late with new vehicles like the Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu and its line of redesigned trucks and SUVs that have been garnering good reviews and the attention of customers. We were invited to test drive the new Chevrolet HHR SS to see if they've knocked one out of the park, hit a foul or, ahem, missed the ball completely when transforming the little retro-mobile into a Super Sport. Our driving and vehicle impressions can be found after the jump, but for starters, remember these two key phrases: launch control and no-lift shifting. Intrigued? We were. Gallery: 2008 Chevy HHR SS: First Drive Continue reading First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS Permalink | Email this | Comments
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