Click on the photo for a high res gallery of the Trax

Although we were deeply saddened by the notion that General Motors would not be bringing its Beat subcompact car to the Unites States, the General is apparently planning to send a new minicar to America to replace the Aveo that we are currently saddled blessed with. We don't yet know what the car will be named, but rumor has it that it will be built in Mexico atop the General's Gamma platform and will share plenty of design cues from either the Trax or Groove concept from last year. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that GM would choose to offer a four or five door hatch in the States, as consumers have generally gravitated away from coupes here. Still, the Beat was apparently the best received of the three small car triplets that GM showed last year in New York.

U.S. safety standards will enlarge the car somewhat, which is one major reason why GM won't be offering the Beat here. Somehow, smart and Toyota have figured out how to engineer small vehicles which can pass Federal crash tests, so we know it's not impossible. Regardless, the new vehicle is expected to be in showrooms no sooner than 2011, so there is plenty of time to stew over the decision.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

The General, along with the rest of the American automakers, has a long established history of making the most profits from the largest vehicles. Small cars from the Detroit 3 have therefore fallen way behind the imports when it comes to desirability. GM Global Design Chief Ed Welburn went so far as to say, "In North America, we never did a good small car." Ouch. Instead, all the best designs come from overseas, which GM has plenty of experience in. "Today, we are able to draw on resources of design centers in Korea, Brazil and Europe who really know how to do small cars," says Welburn. Like the ones who designed the Aveo?

So, if the Cobalt and Aveo are not good small cars, at least they'd better be cheap, right? Sure, but expect that to change too as upcoming replacements for its aging small cars will be more expensive than current models. The Chevrolet Cruze, not expected in the U.S. for at least a few more years, will cost an extra few thousand dollars compared to the Cobalt. Hopefully by then, the Beat will be properly engineered for the American market as well.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Click above for more live shots of the Chevy Beat concept

We called the apparent decision by the General to bring the Beat to the U.S. a "no brainer". Unfortunately, that premature news wasn't quite based in fact, as the cool little mini-car will not be coming to American shores. Too bad, 'cause our commeners definitely agreed that the Beat would fit perfectly into Chevrolet's American lineup now that gas prices have risen to the point that they are significantly impacting the new car buying decisions by much of the U.S. population. 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.

We have hopes that the next-generation of GM's minicar will be engineered with the U.S. market in mind. Raging successes like the Mini Cooper and, so far at least, the smart brand, have shown that a premium small car with an emphasis on fuel mileage and distinctive styling can do well, even with our exceedingly fickle buying public.


[Source: GM via Autoblog]

In perhaps the most obvious move of the decade, MarketWatch is reporting that GM will in fact bring the upcoming Chevy Beat to the U.S. market. The Beat was one of a trio of mini-car concepts that appeared at the New York Auto Show in 2007. GM announced last November in Los Angeles that the Beat would be produced but refused to commit to bringing it to the US market. What GM has said is that all new models from anywhere in the corporation are being engineered using a global development process to meet all regulatory requirements around the world. At its debut, the Beat was listed as having a 1.2L turbocharged engine. If GM does indeed bring it here it could be powered by an upcoming turbocharged direct injected three cylinder set to be produced at the Flint engine plant. GM desperately needs a car like this to compete in a $4/gallon market and meet new CAFE requirements.

[Source: MarketWatch]

General Motors enjoyed an advance marketing bonanza for the Chevy Camaro by having it play one of the Autobot heroes in Transformers last summer. People who were otherwise unaware of GM's ponycar revival got a heavy dose of it in the blockbuster, and it has been on everyone's (not just enthusiasts') radar ever since. It looks like the General will once again have a heavy presence in the film's sequel. Last week, for example, it was revealed that the HUMMER HX concept will be seen.

Now, we get word of another new model's appearance on the set. And this time, it's something ABGers might be interested in. While filming at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Transformers fans with cameras at the ready snagged the Chevy Beat hiding out under a cover. As you can see in the photo above, the Beat is parked next to the Camaro that's reprising its role as Bumblebee. The Beat's appearance is about as close as we'll get to official confirmation (for now) that we will see the Beat in North America after all. Popping it in Transformers 2 will generate a ton of interest in the little hatchback, which is obviously a natural market fit in this new era of $4.00/gal gasoline. Like the Camaro last summer, there's no better way to present the new model to a wide cross-section of the general public than by putting it front-and-center in a sure-fire box office blockbuster. Thanks to Cory for the tip!



[Source: TFLAMB]

Whether the Chevy Beat mini-car makes it to the U.S. market is still an open question - although if fuel prices keep climbing it seems increasingly likely. Regardless of its ultimate fate in this market, at least mule vehicles are being tested on U.S. soil. Autoblog reader Rob tipped us off that he had spotted four cars, a pair of what are likely 2010 Cobalt prototypes and a pair of mutilated mini-cars. The minis are based on the body shell of the current Daewoo Matiz/Chevy Spark which is likely to be replaced by the production version of the Beat.

The mini-mules have a wider track than the production Matiz and the front end modifications speak for themselves. All four cars were sighted on I-70 near Denver, Colorado, probably either on their way to or from Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is commonly used by manufacturers for high intensity brake testing as well as general high altitude performance evaluation. The fact that the car is being tested in the U.S. shouldn't be taken as confirmation that the car will be sold here. It's common practice for cars that are only sold overseas to be tested here, especially at extreme locations like Pikes Peak and Death Valley.

[Sources: Reader Rob and LeftLaneNews]

We told you recently about a car looking very much like last year's Chevy Beat concept being spotted testing in China. We still don't know if that car was actually a GM prototype or copy from one of the countless Chinese automakers who have no qualms about using the design departments of other, more established automakers to produce their wares. However, earlier this week Automotive news reported that GM is actively working through their Chinese operations to develop a much lower cost car for developing markets. While the Tata Nano is obviously a stimulus to develop a cheap entry level product, GM is apparently unlikely to go quite as cheap as Tata's $2,500 entry price. The current Chevy Spark (the "design" inspiration for the Chery QQ) sells for $5,650 in China right now and engineers at SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. have been tasked with cutting the production cost of the next generation model by half. That car, built on the same Global minicar platform, as the Beat is expected to debut in late 2009.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

At last year's New York Auto Show, the Chevrolet mini car triplets were the stars of the show, particularly the lime green Chevy Beat. Later in the year at the LA Auto Show, GM announced that the Beat would indeed go into production around 2010. The first spy shots of what appears to be a Chevy Beat wearing the usual camo suit of vinyl and tape have now surfaced. Interestingly although the Beat was designed and engineering by GM's Korean team at Daewoo, this particular car was snapped in China. This of course raises the obvious question of whether in fact this is a genuine GM prototype or a premature knock-off from Chery or some other Chinese builder. Given that the Beat has been around for a year now and has made the rounds of all the auto shows, it would be pretty easy for someone to gather enough information to create a pretty realistic-looking replica. Only time will tell if this one is the real thing. We'll be watching for an introduction at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.


[Source: China Car Times]

Which of the Chevy triplets is most likely to succeed? That's the question that GM is trying to answer with their latest Internet vote (in January, GM asked us to vote for the Volt). The three concept cars: the Beat, the Trax and the Groove, have been in the public eye for a little less than a week now, and this vote is a way for GM to gauge which of the three has made the best initial impression.

GM is asking people to "Vote for Your Minicar," but there's not been any guarantee that voters in America will ever get to but one of these three cars, so calling it "Your Minicar" is either a coded preview or a misleading phrase.
As of today, the results are the Groove at about 50 percent, the Beat at 40ish, and the Trax at only 10 percent. There are just over 242,000 votes right now.

[Source: GM]

Click on the photo for a high res gallery of the Beat

The Vertigo Green Chevrolet Beat three door hatchback is meant to evoke a micro version of the import tuner cars popularized by movies like the Fast and the Furious. With a narrower more swept back rendition of the new Chevrolet grille design than the Groove concept, the whole car looks like it's been swept back by the wind as it flys down the road. Like it's partners the Groove and Trax, the rear axle pushed back as far as possible to maximize interior space. The door handles are hidden in the trailing edge of the b-pillar but the brake calipers show off their body matching paint through the 17 inch wheels. The new GM global mini-car platform is motivated by a turbocharged 1.2L engine. The press release is after the jump.



Related:

• New York Auto Show: Chevy Trax Concept
• New York Auto Show: Chevy Groove Concept

Update: AutoblogGreen's photos of the three concepts from the NY Auto Show:

• New York Auto Show: Chevy Trax live reveal photos
• New York Auto Show: Chevy Groove live reveal photos
• New York Auto Show: Chevy Beat live reveal photos

[Source: General Motors]