Chevy will get mini car by 2011

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.