Carscoops: Chevrolet Aveo

Showing posts with label Chevrolet Aveo. Show all posts

VIDEO: Chevrolet's Designers Talk About the 2012 Sonic

Revealed for the first time here in North America at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will replace the Aveo as GM's new subcompact model, while retaining the Aveo nameplate in Europe and other international markets. In this latest video, the firm's designers discuss the styling features of the Sonic, highlighting the motorcycle elements featured in both the sedan and hatchback. According to Design Director John Mack, the aim was to create "a youthful, spirited car, one that stands out in the market". For the complete walk-around check out the video after the break. Read more »

Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec Concept Bows in Detroit

Making its world premiere alongside the regular variants of the all-new Chevrolet Sonic sub-compact at the Detroit Show today is a Z-Spec-badged concept study of the five-door hatchback model.

General Motors will be showing off the Aveo's North American market replacement in the form of the all-new Sonic sub-compact at the Detroit Show later today. We've already seen the Sonic five-door hatchback, which will continue to use the Aveo moniker in Europe and other international markets, but the US automaker also released the first photos of the four-door sedan model.

“The all-new Chevrolet Sonic blends the practicality of a small car with the passion for driving that Chevrolet vehicles like the Corvette are known for,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Its combination of great design, fun driving experience and the latest connectivity features create a serious competitor with a fun spirit.”

[Updated] It appears that the wait for Chevrolet's Aveo replacement is almost over as we have the first official photos of the North American-spec model. Confirming previous rumors, General Motors ditched the Aveo moniker in favor of a new name as the small car will be called the Chevrolet Sonic on this side of the Atlantic. The company noted that the model for markets outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which was first seen at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, will retain the Aveo name.

"The Sonic represents a new beginning for Chevrolet in the small car segment and so we felt it was time to give it a new name,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet U.S. Marketing. “The new car is roomy, stylish and fun to drive, and Sonic is a youthful, energetic name that helps convey what this vehicle is about."

General Motor's South Korean Daewoo unit announced today that it will handle initial production of the new Chevrolet Aveo at its local Bupyeong plant in Incheon. The new Aveo will make its debut under the Daewoo brandname in the South Korean market in the first half of 2011 before a global rollout as a Chevrolet.

The Aveo is finally here and in the metal, and Chevy says it's aimed at younger buyers interested in a hot-hatch "looking every bit as good as the Aveo RS show car concept". Points for trying, guys, but not really...

As promised, here are the respective promotional videos of Chevrolet's Paris Motor Show-bound Aveo sub-compact, Captiva 7-seater SUV, Orlando 7-seater MPV and the Cruze five-door hatchback. From these four cars, only the Aveo has been confirmed for the U.S market with sales of both the five-door variant and the yet-to-be-revealed sedan model to start sometime in 2011.

When General Motors lifted the wraps off the production 2011 Chevrolet Aveo hatchback on September 8, it only gave us a couple of pictures of the subcompact's exterior. But today, we came across a promotional video (to be added soon) and took some snapshots of the cabin.

Hot off the introduction of the Orlando MPV and Cruze hatchback show car, Chevrolet today released the first photos of the production Aveo five-door hatchback, which will make its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show at the end of the month.

Most of the styling, including details such as the 'hidden' rear door handles and the 'angry' looking front with the exposed twin-headlamps and dual port grille, has been carried over from the Aveo RS show car that was displayed at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows earlier this year.

What you see here are official design patent drawings of the all-new 2012 Chevrolet Aveo four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models, filed by General Motors. The next generation of GM's Ford Fiesta rival was teased in concept form with the sporty Aveo RS hatchback study at 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January while shortly after we also got a sneak peak of the sedan variant through some leaked illustrations.

The drawings of the five-door model suggest that the production version follows pretty closely to the RS concept minus of course some snazzy details like the shaved door handles, big alloy wheels and the more pronounced side sills that made the concept model really stand out.

The first images of the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo econbox sneaked out on the web today following an earlier presentation by Bob Lutz. General Motors had previewed the next generation Aveo subcompact model with the sporty RS concept at the Detroit Show this past January.

The four-door saloon version keeps the same front-end design with the 'angry-looking' twin headlamps as well as the big grille and pronounced fenders of the conceptual five-door RS hatchback. Same goes for the interior, albeit with more production like and less fancy materials and decorative trim.

The 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week will host the world premiere of the Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept car handing us our first look at the next-generation Aveo that will be sold on both sides of the pond competing with superminis like the Ford Fiesta and Toyota Yaris.

Longer, wider and more spacious than the current production Aveo, the five-door concept adopts several styling cues including the dual element grille, round tail lamps and fender flares from other Chevrolet models such as the Spark and Cruze.

Being an RS version, the concept model sports several unique features like the 19-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels that cover the large Boracay Blue brake calipers, a roof spoiler, a specific front bumper with large air vents, exposed motorcycle-inspired rear taillamps that feature tinted aluminum housings and a rear diffuser with a center-mounted exhaust and chrome exhaust tips.

Though virtually production ready, the concept model's interior has been adorned in leather with contrasting blue stitching, special decorative trim and a pair of sport front seats.

Under the hood, the Aveo RS houses the same 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four Ecotec engine that will be available in the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. Power is transfered to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

Needless to say, the series production model will be far less aggressive in the details inside and out, though there is a chance that we might see a similarly styled and powered sporty RS model added in the Aveo's range.

GM said that the production Aveo will be manufactured at its Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Michigan starting from 2011.

Chevrolet Europe Presents Special Edition Cruze Irmscher, Aveo Sport and Captiva Family

Chevrolet's European arm is expanding its German lineup with the introduction of three special edition packages for the Aveo supermini, Cruze sedan and Captiva SUV.

Priced at €1,990, the Sport package for the Aveo is available on both the 3- and 5-door models with the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter engines. It adds a sport suspension that lowers the Aveo's ride height by 30mm, 15-inch black alloy wheels shod in 195/45 R15 tires, a stainless steel exhaust system and a roof spoiler.

The Cruze, which was revealed in U.S.-spec form at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is offered with a sport package developed by long-time GM tuner, Irmscher.

Available with either a 1.8-liter petrol unit that makes 141HP or a 2.0-liter diesel with 150HP, the kit is priced at €1,990 and it includes a lowered suspension, 18-inch alloys wrapped in 225/45 R18 rubber, stainless steel scuff plates, sport exhaust tips and Irmscher logos.

Finally, the Captiva Family Edition adds more standard equipment to the SUV including cruise control, parking sensors, air-conditioning, leather seats, steering wheel and gearbox knob and a higher grade audio system.

Prices for the Captiva Family Edition start from €26,590 for the petrol model and from €28,190 for the diesel.

Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle: A Chevy Aveo of the Third Kind

The Extra-Terrestrial Vehicle or ETV -we're not even kidding, that's the car's official name- is a futuristic-looking custom build created by Mike Vetter and his Florida-based company, 'The Car Factory'. It's hard to believe it just by looking at the ETV, but underneath that sci-fi outfit you'll find a Chevrolet Aveo stripped out of its body but not its heart.

Mike, who also works on Carrera GT replica bodies for the Porsche Boxster, claims on his website that buyers can opt either for an Aveo or a Boxster donor car. Somehow though, we find it hard to believe that anyone would give up a Porsche, no matter how many thousands of time they've seen Captain Kirk and Spock fighting off intruders from other planets.

But even in the case that the Chevy Aveo is the donor car, the ETV will most likely alienate you with its 'out of this world' price. We discovered that the Florida-based company has listed a completed ETV on eBay with a 'Buy it Now' price of just... $86,000. Cool but not $86k cool.

Links: The Car Factory & eBay