New Car Design 2012: Chevrolet Aveo

Chevrolet Aveo

The Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile manufactured since 2002, originally by the South Korean General Motors (GM) subsidiary, GM Daewoo—and later by other GM-affiliated entities. Marketed worldwide in 120 countries under five brands (Chevrolet, Daewoo, Holden, Pontiac, and Suzuki), the first generation Aveo was originally called Daewoo Kalos in its home market South Korea and many export markets. South Korean models were later rebranded Daewoo Gentra, while in other markets, the first generation model was marketed as the Holden Barina in Australasia, Pontiac G3 in the United States and later Canada, previously in Canada as the Pontiac Wave and currently in Canada as the Suzuki Swift+. The second generation Aveo debuted in January 2011, marketed globally as the "Chevrolet Aveo", in North America as the Chevrolet Sonic, and in Australasia as the "Holden Barina". GM Daewoo introduced the "Daewoo Kalos" in 2002, based on a then-new T200 platform, replacing the Daewoo Lanos (T100). Under development before Daewoo's bankruptcy, the Kalos was the company's first new model introduction following its subsequent takeover by General Motors. Manufacture of the Kalos began in early March, 2002, with pre-production prototypes shown at the Geneva Auto Show in April 2002. The nameplate Kalos derives from the Greek word καλός (kalós) for "beautiful" and "good". Originally designed by Italdesign, the Kalos derives directly from the "Kalos Dream" concept vehicle first presented at the 2000 Paris Motor Show and subsequent developmental concepts at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show, 2002 Geneva Auto Show, and 2003 at the Geneva Show. During this three-year development period Daewoo was struggling financially, with the ultimate fate of the company and the concept vehicle remaining uncertain.The T200 sedan and five-door hatchback featured a swage line running along the lower body to the rear door, which kinks downward prominently on the five-door. Five-doors also feature a side window in the C/D pillar with a distinctively angled lower edge. Interiors feature a circular motif throughout.

GM introduced a facelifted sedan at Auto Shanghai 2005, designed in cooperation with PATAC. Bearing the internal code T250 and sold in South Korea as the "Daewoo Gentra", revisions included exterior styling changes, a new interior instrument panel and minor equipment changes, including increased sound deadening. Incorporation of the radio antenna into the rear glass and extensive wind tunnel testing helped reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.348 to 0.326. A facelifted hatchback with the sedan's updated instrument panel was presented as the Chevrolet Aveo during the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007, to be marketed in Europe and North America. The Korean market received its own distinct restyle of the hatchback, the Gentra X, whose bumper without the distinctly "Chevrolet" split grille was also used for the Pontiac, Holden and Suzuki variants. With launch of the Gentra X in South Korea, GMDAT had replaced engines of T250. 1.2 L S-TEC II engine was updated with features such as dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) and timing chain (older version has timing belt) system. 1.6 L E-TEC II engine had replaced with ECOTEC (GEN-III) engine with new features such as variable valve timing mechanism. The second generation Aveo was presented at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. It had been previewed earlier in the year as the Aveo RS concept. The Aveo RS was shown in concept form with 19-inch wheels and a M32 six-speed manual transmission mated to a 1.4-liter turbocharged Ecotec engine, rated at 103 kilowatts (138 hp). The car uses the Gamma II global subcompact platform. Chevrolet will market the new Aveo under the "Chevrolet Sonic" nameplate in United States, Mexican and Canadian markets. The Sonic will be available with a 1.8-liter inline-four producing 101 kW (135 hp) and 169 N·m (125 lb·ft) torque, or a 1.4-liter turbo inline-four producing 103 kW (138 hp) and 201 N·m (148 lb·ft) torque. The 1.8-liter inline-four will be mated to a standard five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, while the 1.4-liter turbo will have a six-speed manual transmission.