Now it's (quasi) official: Chevy Beat to U.S.
Click image for a high res gallery of the Beat
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE, but that car's about as exciting as an episode of Antiques Roadshow. Corsa? Not engineering the current one to be U.S.-compliant probably wasn't the greatest idea. The answer? MarketWatch says The General has summoned its inner Janet and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but it seems the Chevy Beat is indeed coming to the U.S. market. The broader public will get a really good look at it next Summer in the Transformers sequel, and as was the case with the Camaro, they'll be looking at a car they'll (apparently) be able to buy. If GM is smart, the screen-to-showroom transition won't take two years as it has with Camaro. It seemed a bit dumb that GM chose New York as the launching pad for the Beat and its fellow Triplet concepts, only to say that the car would be a "global" vehicle (read: everywhere but here). Now, it would seem that global really means global. Hey General, it probably wouldn't hurt to make Trax and get your Groove on, too. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
[Sources: MarketWatch, Bloomberg]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
tankd0g 3:05PM (7/03/2008)
It's going to be pretty funny to see the big three begrudgingly offer all these small cars they told us over and over that no one wants, only have have them turn into their biggest sellers.
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Shipey 3:15PM (7/03/2008)
At the time, no one did want them.
Rootus 3:20PM (7/03/2008)
There's no guarantee they'll be hot sellers even now. Americans still don't really care for small cars. Look at the Japanese imports -- every year they get bigger and bigger. A new Civic is bigger than an Accord used to be. It'll take a lot more than $4/gallon to get people here to embrace the super-minis European markets have. This is still the land of the open road.
tankd0g 3:31PM (7/03/2008)
What time was that? Was it 2006 when GM was selling all the Aveos it could get the Koreans to pump out despite being the worst piece of crap ever perpetrated on the American public? For too long they equated a lack of offerings to a lack of market desire.
tankd0g 3:32PM (7/03/2008)
@ Rootus: I hear that time and time again. And yet the sales numbers of the few mini cars available this side of the pond never bear that out. The fact is there's huge markup in trucks and SUVs because most people think they are paying by the pound for a car, the automakers always had a vested interest in reinforcing that belief.
Disgruntled Goat 3:32PM (7/03/2008)
It'll take more than version 1 of some small car for GM to pull out of the mess their execs have gottem them in. The imports have been honing their small car skills for decades and they have it down - it may take a decade or more for GM to get to the same place and by then it'll probably be too late. GM lived by the SUV and now they may die by it.
azzo45 3:31PM (7/03/2008)
Rootus: Current generation Accords are bigger than old Civics in part because they have to be!
All the car companies go after a 5-Star crash rating or they fear safety buyers will go with the company who does. U.S. safety regs have also forced Honda to build a larger Civic.
Having said that... you have to go back a LONG way to find an Accord the same size as the current Civic.
Torrent 4:25PM (7/03/2008)
You know what'd be tight? The Dodge Hornet, Chevy Beat, and Ford Verve in like a Hatchback comparison.... Call it the "Batches of Hatches shootout" OR the "Hatchback Flashback". Cheesy, I know, but it does grab you.
tankd0g 4:45PM (7/03/2008)
The current Fit is the old Civic, the current Civic is the old Accord etc. It's not like small cars went away they just got new names. The companies feel their models have to grow with the customer base that first bought them. I think they are wrong but they all do it.
ML 3:04PM (7/03/2008)
The Beat coming to the U.S.? So what(!). Based on past GM experience, the production version won't look nearly as cute and the interior will be dumbed-down to look as dull as a Cobalt's. This show-car is just that . . . "for show". The real car will be another GM fouled-up effort and the imports will continue to outsell every domestic manufacturer's small car.
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Ultima 3:10PM (7/03/2008)
eh..haven't you seen the spy shots? as far as the exterior is concerned, it looks a lot like the concept..
SNIFFDAR 3:10PM (7/03/2008)
Sad to say, but 'tru that'.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:06PM (7/03/2008)
Yes. The interior on a low-end (i.e. cheap) car will be dull and functional. Want a fancy interior? You'll have to sport twice the price for a BMW MINI.
John Doe 4:45PM (7/03/2008)
Not really. Just check out a cheap car like the Honda Fit. Granted, the Beat will probably be a few thousand less at least, but you don't have to spend twice as much on a Mini to get a nice interior.
why not the LS2LS7? 7:45PM (7/03/2008)
Like this?
http://www.samarins.com/autoshow/honda_fit_interior.jpg
Yes, that's dull and functional.
Hot Rods Invade Branson! 7:48PM (7/03/2008)
Hmmm... I hadn't seen or heard about this little Chevy before. It's got kind of the Toyota Yaris look goin' on. If this is the "Show Car"...then it looks pretty good. (Never thought I'd say that a few years ago...but nowadays... ha!)
But like everyone else is saying.... probably a good chance it'll get "dumbed" down. Hope not since this seems like a decent little car!
http://HotRodsInvadeBranson.blogspot.com
azzo45 10:38PM (7/03/2008)
You'll have to sport twice the price for a BMW MINI.
Twice the price.... PLEASE! My 2004 Mini Cooper S cost me $23,500 ...this Chevy is not going to sell for $12,000
J3-Colt 3:06PM (7/03/2008)
Looks like a booger on wheels...
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BlackCanary 3:08PM (7/03/2008)
I am so mature booger STILL makes me laugh. I dont know why but that comment just struck me as really funny.
SNIFFDAR 3:07PM (7/03/2008)
Of the three, I like the Groove Concept most. Still, the more options the better - so I'll welcome the little Beat first.
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