November15
General Motors today announced the next-generation Chevrolet city car for Europe will be based on the popular Beat concept, after 1.9 million online voters elected it their favorite of a trio of minicar styling studies shown at the 2007 New York Auto Show.
Speaking at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the production announcement was made, Chevrolet General Manager, Ed Peper, said: “The people have spoken. The vote count tripled all previous GM online consumer surveys, telling us Beat resonated with customers all around the world. Chevrolet was overwhelmed by the positive reaction to each of the three mini concept cars, but Beat was a sound winner.” GM vice chairman, Bob Lutz, also revealed that the Beat was the automaker’s front runner since the introduction of the trio.
Recent rumors indicate GM is mulling a plan to import the car to the United States. According to a BusinessWeek report this summer, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner wouldn’t give a firm answer as to whether the vehicle would make it to the U.S. market, but he hinted that he’s keen on selling one here.
“I just looked at them the other day,” Wagoner said, “and not just because I wanted to look at them.”
The new city car will debut for the 2010 model year. GM says it will incorporate the Beat Concept’s “core values.”
GM officials also indicated that they had not ruled out a production version of the Chevrolet Groove — placing a close second to the Chevy Beat in online voting. If given the green light, look for the Groove to follow a year or two after the Beat’s initial U.S. introduction.
Chevrolet Beat
Chevrolet Groove
Official Images
PISS OFF LUTZ
I always liked this concept despite it having one of those idiotic will-never-make-production-in-the-next-30-years interiors.
GM needs to do 3 things:
1. Either make this a next-gen Aveo or kill the Aveo entirely. GM is too good at cannabalizing its own sales.
2. Don’t badge this thing out. It does NOT need to be a Chevy, Pontiac, and Saturn all at once.
3. Follow through. Give it a European-sourced 3-cylinder, not an Ecotec 4-cylinder which are great engines on their own but not meant for true subcompact fuel-sipping. Build it well so it can’t be torn apart. Implement an inexpensive hybrid system if possible. And for the love of god, give it a 6 speed automatic, and maybe a 5-speed manual. Don’t saddle the poor thing with 4 inefficient gears.
And do this all within a reasonable price, but don’t make it so cheap you have to compromise integrity.
Why won’t mazda make a small displacement (< 1 litre) renesis rotary engine to CREAM this class.
“The people have spoken”
Im so glad we (USA) voted for something we will never get. Your welcome everyone outside North America. Your Beat will be at your local chevrolet dealers near you soon. Dont feel bad, we get the The Aveo5 Ha Ha Ha
Richt, as much as I try to stay optimistic, I would not be surprised if that’s how it turned out.
“Why won’t mazda make a small displacement (< 1 litre) renesis rotary engine to CREAM this class.”
That’s because that motor isn’t as reliable as a 4 bangers. Have you heard of it using oil? People buying in this segment wants economy and reliability, not performance. If Mazda would have produce a mini-RX8 (or RX7) it would have been the MX5-Miata. What Mazda needs is the Mazda2 that looks a light year better than its competitor.
Back to GM, I like it, but it probably should replace the Aveo5 hatchback.
sharpie, good point about the mx5, but i’m talking within 8 years and something more like a mazda1.
The renesis engine does not consume oil as much as the typical rotary stereotype permits. I think a small displacement, high-revving engine and mini-mazda style would appeal to many more than a 3-cylinder or 4 cylinder diesel would. Mazda has been working with ceramic components for future generation rotaries which would greatly increase its reliability.
This makes sense as a poor mans volt, good move GM, bring it to North America
Just replace Aveo with the Beat already, and let’s call it a day.
This would be the best looking little runt of a car out there - they’d better bring it here.
Before I make any attempt at a relevant opinion on this vehicle I have to look deep into my heart- the darkest reaches of my very soul perhaps- and answer the question: would I be caught f*cking dead driving something like this.
HA HA. LP640 finally realized GM is making great progress and he’s all pissed off now.
All you need now are Pokemon stickers!!
Seriously C6Racer. He has NOTHING left to say but “piss off”
Yup, what a sore loser. Good job, GM.
It’s really funny that, deutschetouring1337 mentioned Pokemon stickers. My 56 year old dad has said that for the last three years some of the cars that Chevy has been coming out look just like Pokemon, and I don’t think my dad knows what Pokemon really are…. Haha Anyways yeah they need to kill the Aveo and replace it with this.
Zipped mouth.
There was another car called the Honda Beat.
About the rotary engine… they are supposedly more expensive to produce. An interesting footnote: Mazda is reportedly working on a hydrogen-powered Renesis engine.
Give Europe the Beat, and give the USA the Groove.
PLEASE!
IT’s a cool car….I think the Mazda2 will destroy it, but for GM that’s a great car…
Nah, I think groove has too many styling cues of PT, the beat is better, xA-ish.
If the Mazda2 has the same content value as the Mazda3, it will definitely be hard to compete against. Never say never though, Chevy is making some good improvements.
It’s an interesting market for the ultra compact. Similar to crossovers, GM is a bit fashionably late. My guess is there is still time to carve out a niche here and make it profitable. I can see why people think this would be a cool car, it definitely has some ’style’ designed into it. I could see a highschool parking lot filled with these.
The problem is, is the public that SERIOUS about saving gas? I hear a lot of groaning and moaning about prices again, but since the last gas hike I don’t know too many who traded their gas pigs in for a better mileage vehicle. Americans are just too accustomed to their big cushy vehicles. We’ve moved from big land yacht Road Masters and Devilles to Enclaves and Escalades.
Piablo, trading in vs. cutting back are two different things (although I don’t see the whiners cutting back much either).
For me, trading in for a fuel sipper doesn’t make financial sense even at $15/gallon or so. But I can save by cutting back on driving or consolidating trips. Problem is I have always consolidated trips so there is not a lot of room to save in that way either.
But still, when I see the soccer moms at work go out to their SUVs and drive, one by one, to the Starbucks 2 blocks away to get their overpriced coffee, all the while complaining about the price of gas, I really think they need a kick in their fat butts.
Why didn’t they use some of these styling cues on the Aveo? Since GM is re-styling the Aveo every 2 years, maybe by 2010?
CA36GTP: Right on.
We’ve all grown so accustomed to gas that I think we’re taking it for granted. It’s pretty amazing to consider that for merely dollars I can go 20 miles or more in only a few minutes. Even 100 years ago, people would kill for that kind of luxury. RicardoHead got it right: we’ve got our priorities all jacked up.
The comments in the article are a little confusing. First, GM talks as if the Beat concept clobbered the Groove and Trax concepts in the survey results. They then proclaim that they might produce the Groove because it came in a close second to the Beat. Whatever.
I think GM should produce both the Beat and Groove. Offering 3-door and 5-door vehicles allows GM to completely cover this segment. As far as these cars replacing the Aveo, I believe they fall in the minicar class which is below the Aveo’s subcompact class. As much as I agree with many of you that the Aveo needs a fresh looking, attractive redesign (instead of the restyling it recently received), these cars will not serve that purpose.
Looks like a cool car. Of course GM had to rely on another automaker to build this for them. I would rather it have the Daewoo symbol than the Chevy emblem. The Bowtie emblem has too much of an unsophisticated and redneck image associated with it. I know I’m not the only one that thinks the bowtie cheapens the look of the car.
Ricardo - I agree and that was my point. This market is a bit tough to get into because people are not serious about modifying their habits and certainly not about trading in. Given that, and our affinity towards larger vehicles, it’s pretty risky. I am sure they will sell a few of these, but it will be the same crowd that buys the Scions, Yaris, and Fit.
GM shouldn’t be damning the Beat by painting it a Vega color. This car will do well as gas climbs, and remains at $4/gallon.
Dear Lutz and Wagoner:
Wasn’t the Cobalt supposed to save GM ??
Weren’t the redesigned full size trucks to save GM ?
You guys are so incompenent, just looking for the next new thing to keep your jobs.
Good. Now kill the Aveo
That’s too bad. I liked the Trax the best.
Honda hada kei car called the beat