Chevy calls their AVEO RS show car “a wake-up call for the small-car segment”. Whether it is that remains to be seen, but they also point out, right off the top as a matter of fact, that the Aveo RS is ” designed to appeal to young enthusiasts,” has “personalization is built into the design,” and a “1.4L I-4 Ecotec turbo delivers exceptional fuel economy with performance when needed.”
Hmmm, who does that remind me of?
Scion?
Chevrolet will be showing Aveo RS at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in a few days. They say that it ” … features a European-inspired hot hatch look designed to appeal to young enthusiasts, and hints at the next-generation Aveo.” It might as well be the next-gen Aero, but that only pointing out what you can already tell.
What the Aveo RS is, is yet another stab by General Motors to make a type of car, “a European-inspired hot hatch”, that seemingly every other carmaker out side of North America can knock out with out even breathing hard (i.e. Volkswagen, Toyota et al).
How far has Chevy come since the days of the Vega?
Well, on the one hand, the Aveo RS is not that bad a car. But on the other hand, the standards, the goalposts if you will, keep moving upward.
“We hope the Aveo RS show car will demonstrate that we are as serious about redefining the Aveo and its place in the small-car segment as we were about reinventing the Malibu,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet general manager.
OK, right … but does anybody have the sales figures for the Malibu handy? Is Toyota or Honda worried about the Malibu? Yeah, my point exactly.
The Aveo RS does take a stab at least at looking the part. Chevy has always done very nice shades of blue, and in this case, the color is called electric Boracay Blue. The company points out that the car “wears global Chevrolet design cues” like a dual element grille, round tail lamps and fender flares. There are also bits and pieces that are in brushed and polished aluminum, which always looks nice if you handle the design details right.
The Aveo RS also has outboard fog lamps, which, if you ask me, every car on the road should have. The fog lamps are integrated into an exaggerated brake-cooling inlet “creating an aggressive-looking face.” Boy, they’re trying hard, ain’t they?
“The Aveo RS show car demonstrates how progressive design can inject personality into a small car,” said Michael Simcoe, executive director, North American Exterior Design. “We want customers to see it and have an emotional reaction to it.”
The Aveo RS rides on 19-inch, five-spoke wheels with a gun metal metallic finish Chevrolet logo. There are Boracay Blue brake calipers too because, as Chevy puts it “No performance-minded car earns its street cred without large wheels and tires.” Out back there are such niceties as an integrated spoiler, a center-mounted exhaust with chrome exhaust tips, and exposed motorcycle-inspired rear tail lamps.
Inside you’ll see things like a matte black interior with gloss black highlights, metallic and blue accents, Boracay Blue accent stitching across the dual cockpit instrument panel, front and rear door insert, steering wheel rim, gear shift boot, parking brake, leather seat bolster and floor mats. The integrated center stack holds the gearshift, HVAC controls and the sound system, including a USB port. Ice-blue backlighting on the audio display, telltale indicator screen and knobs augment the blue stitching.
The Aveo RS is motivated by the same 138-horsepower 1.4L Ecotec turbocharged four-banger that will be available in the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. Power gets to the tarmac via a six-speed manual transmission.
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