AutoblogGreen

I completely agree! I just bought a Mini Cooper five months ago but I would gladly sell it to buy one of these. The Chevy Beat is just what the General needs to turn itself around!! They need to fix the 'safety problems' that they claim is keeping them from selling it here in the US and just get it on dealer lots already!!!

If only that could do that (other than while their workers are on strike that is), they might be in better shape now.

There's a lot of GM-bashing in this thread, but those who do it so seem to be missing the point of why the cars won't be sold here: our federal government won't allow them.

I can think of whole slew of cars produced for other markets that don't meet our "safety standards". The Ford Ka, VW Polo and Lupo, and Mazda 2 are a few off the top of my head. I'd love to at least have the option of importing the Fiat 500, but if I can't title and register it for the road, what's the point? Are we so Ameri-centric as to bash all of these automakers for not designing those cars to meet our standards? Or are we going to accept the fact that many automakers design products that don't meet our regulations, and the best way to get those products here is to convince our legislators to change the regulations?

The "safety" standards set forth by DOT negatively affect everything from performance, appearance, and efficiency. Remember kids, safety features = weight. Bumper height mandates have affected affect everything from 30 year old MG's to brand new GTI's. Then there's our archiac and flawed headlight beam pattern standard I'd love to see updated. And all the side and rear and frontal impact and crumple zone standards add weight.

Our government insists on protecting citizens from their own stupidity. I say screw it. Stick drivers, especially the lousy ones, in cars that aren't over-engineered to protect the occupants from harm or death. If people were more in tune with the frailty of life and their own mortality while driving 'less safe' world cars, perhaps they'd practice a little more situational awareness and exercise better judgement when among other traffic. Plus, we'd get some awesome overseas products to boot.

Some people are too quick to bash GM and don't see the larger issues and possible solutions at hand.

+1 , or at least it would be a very high on the list candidate.

This is so dissapointing.

I'll set my crack research team to digging up and answer for you: (seconds pass)
A-HA!

"It seems that fuel's meteoric rise didn't come soon enough for GM to engineer the Beat to meet U.S. safety or crash standards."

Whew... we don't call them "crack" for nothin.

They claim it would take nearly TWO YEARS to modify the Beat to pass U.S. crash standards. So apparently Europe allows cars to be made from tin foil.

No, that wouldn't change a thing. What GM should do is to design cars that meet the US standards... they haven't changed that much the last few years.. so if other companies can do it, why not GM?

definitely not.

US crash and emissions standards are the toughest in the world, which is why you don't get a lot of japanese turbo cars etc here.

the US needs to design these vehicles to meet US standards and sell them all over the world like that so they can offer them here. a lot of other companies (ford) are waking up to this, GM should too.

i don't want to drive a death trap just because it's american, cute, and gets good mpg.