Report: GM high performance division put back to work, focus on small cars

Chevrolet Aveo RS concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

By Steven Ewing
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Chevrolet Aveo RS concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

In early 2009, General Motors announced it would be putting all high-performance vehicle projects on indefinite hold, citing that the engineering team responsible for these power-happy cars would be moved to different areas within the company. Since then, the only new performance models to come out of GM have been the CTS-V Coupe and Sport Wagon, leaving a huge void in the General’s affordable small performance portfolio. The Chevrolet Cobalt SS and HHR SS were discontinued, and the demise of Pontiac and Saturn did away with any GXP and Red Line products.

However, all of this may change in the not-too-distant future. Automotive News reports that Jim Campbell, GM’s vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports, has said his company has a tremendous opportunity for new performance entries in the small and compact car markets. This means we should expect higher-output versions of the new Chevrolet Cruze, as well as the upcoming redesigned Aveo – and not just trims that look quick, but go quick too.

We already got a taste of a hotter Aveo in concept form (pictured), and we certainly wouldn’t mind a more enthusiastic Cruze, especially since GM still has that 260-horsepower 2.0-liter Ecotec turbocharged four-cylinder engine laying around. We certainly didn’t hate the Cobalt SS (far from it), and we think this mill could do wonders in the larger Cruze. What’s your vision of the next small performance car from GM? Let us know in the comments.

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The current Chevy Aveo? We're not big fans. Generally, we think that every day GM pushes that car out to the public it fundamentally flubs what could be a great customer interaction point with a lot of buyers. For many, the Aveo will be the first experience buyers have with the company and -- from talking to dozens of them over the last few years -- we know a good number of them who say it will be their last.In order to stem this problem, Chevy is hard at work at a new Aveo, which you see manifested in this "show car" Aveo RS that's debuting at the Detroit Auto Show.Research the Chevy AveoChevy Aveo OverviewChevy Aveo PhotosFree Chevy Aveo Price Quote
Chevy Aveo RS Concept: Chevy’s New Small Car

The current Chevy Aveo? We’re not big fans. Generally, we think that every day GM pushes that car out to the public it fundamentally flubs what could be a great customer interaction point with a lot of buyers. For many, the Aveo will be the first experience buyers have with the company and — from talking to dozens of them over the last few years — we know a good number of them who say it will be their last.

In order to stem this problem, Chevy is hard at work at a new Aveo, which you see manifested in this “show car” Aveo RS that’s debuting at the Detroit Auto Show.

GM
Don't believe the hype that this is just a show car. GM insiders have said to us that "other than the mirrors, door handles, wheels and perhaps some of the grille venting, this is pretty close to what we want the next Aveo to look like." We hope that the wheels and grille become production standards (the mirrors and door handles aren't bad, but we know they're probably too much of a show car fantasy for us to get excited about). GM is serious about small cars (check out their Cruze that they launched in LA -- it's bigger than this Aveo but is an indication of them wanting to put value in small cars for perhaps for the first time in the company's history).Research the Chevy AveoChevy Aveo OverviewChevy Aveo PhotosFree Chevy Aveo Price Quote
Chevy Aveo RS Concept: A Real Car

Don’t believe the hype that this is just a show car. GM insiders have said to us that “other than the mirrors, door handles, wheels and perhaps some of the grille venting, this is pretty close to what we want the next Aveo to look like.” We hope that the wheels and grille become production standards (the mirrors and door handles aren’t bad, but we know they’re probably too much of a show car fantasy for us to get excited about). GM is serious about small cars (check out their Cruze that they launched in LA — it’s bigger than this Aveo but is an indication of them wanting to put value in small cars for perhaps for the first time in the company’s history).

GM
This Aveo RS concept won't be the cheapy, garden variety Aveo that you'll see in a few years, though. The RS line is an upmarket trim that Chevy carefully selected for the first view at this new Aveo. It comes equipped with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, massive 19-inch wheels (that fill up the wheels wells rather beautifully, don't you think?), super-sized brake calipers and a six-speed manual gearbox.Research the Chevy AveoChevy Aveo OverviewChevy Aveo PhotosFree Chevy Aveo Price Quote
Chevy Aveo RS Concept: Sporty And Small

This Aveo RS concept won’t be the cheapy, garden variety Aveo that you’ll see in a few years, though. The RS line is an upmarket trim that Chevy carefully selected for the first view at this new Aveo.

It comes equipped with a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, massive 19-inch wheels (that fill up the wheels wells rather beautifully, don’t you think?), super-sized brake calipers and a six-speed manual gearbox.

GM
Besides the large wheels, beautiful and big grille and the aggressive stance, we're impressed by some of the finer details of this thing. The front and rear light "glass" (plastic, in reality) is quite stunning. Inside, the interior could have used a bit of editing (it's not a paragon of restraint, but GM is trying to really point everyone's eyes to how much better this interior is than the current model's), but the blue lighting throughout is great.Research the Chevy AveoChevy Aveo OverviewChevy Aveo PhotosFree Chevy Aveo Price Quote
Chevy Aveo RS Concept: Design That Makes Us Think…Not Of An Aveo

Besides the large wheels, beautiful and big grille and the aggressive stance, we’re impressed by some of the finer details of this thing. The front and rear light “glass” (plastic, in reality) is quite stunning. Inside, the interior could have used a bit of editing (it’s not a paragon of restraint, but GM is trying to really point everyone’s eyes to how much better this interior is than the current model’s), but the blue lighting throughout is great.

GM
The new Aveo will go on sale as a 2012 model and production will start in 2011 in Michigan. Pricing is expected to stay in the low to mid teens for most models, although an example such as the RS will likely be somewhere north of $15,000 (and probably closer to $20,000) should it go on sale. Which, by the way, GM won't confirm.Research the Chevy AveoChevy Aveo OverviewChevy Aveo PhotosFree Chevy Aveo Price Quote
Chevy Aveo RS Concept: The Next Aveo

The new Aveo will go on sale as a 2012 model and production will start in 2011 in Michigan. Pricing is expected to stay in the low to mid teens for most models, although an example such as the RS will likely be somewhere north of $15,000 (and probably closer to $20,000) should it go on sale. Which, by the way, GM won’t confirm.

GM

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]