General Motor's South Korean Daewoo unit announced today that it will handle initial production of the new Chevrolet Aveo at its local Bupyeong plant in Incheon. The new Aveo will make its debut under the Daewoo brandname in the South Korean market in the first half of 2011 before a global rollout as a Chevrolet.
Most of the styling, including details such as the 'hidden' rear door handles and the 'angry' looking front with the exposed twin-headlamps and dual port grille, has been carried over from the Aveo RS show car that was displayed at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows earlier this year.
The drawings of the five-door model suggest that the production version follows pretty closely to the RS concept minus of course some snazzy details like the shaved door handles, big alloy wheels and the more pronounced side sills that made the concept model really stand out.
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The four-door saloon version keeps the same front-end design with the 'angry-looking' twin headlamps as well as the big grille and pronounced fenders of the conceptual five-door RS hatchback. Same goes for the interior, albeit with more production like and less fancy materials and decorative trim.
Longer, wider and more spacious than the current production Aveo, the five-door concept adopts several styling cues including the dual element grille, round tail lamps and fender flares from other Chevrolet models such as the Spark and Cruze.
Being an RS version, the concept model sports several unique features like the 19-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels that cover the large Boracay Blue brake calipers, a roof spoiler, a specific front bumper with large air vents, exposed motorcycle-inspired rear taillamps that feature tinted aluminum housings and a rear diffuser with a center-mounted exhaust and chrome exhaust tips.
Though virtually production ready, the concept model's interior has been adorned in leather with contrasting blue stitching, special decorative trim and a pair of sport front seats.
Under the hood, the Aveo RS houses the same 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four Ecotec engine that will be available in the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze. Power is transfered to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Needless to say, the series production model will be far less aggressive in the details inside and out, though there is a chance that we might see a similarly styled and powered sporty RS model added in the Aveo's range.
GM said that the production Aveo will be manufactured at its Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Michigan starting from 2011.
Chevrolet's European arm is expanding its German lineup with the introduction of three special edition packages for the Aveo supermini, Cruze sedan and Captiva SUV.Priced at €1,990, the Sport package for the Aveo is available on both the 3- and 5-door models with the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter engines. It adds a sport suspension that lowers the Aveo's ride height by 30mm, 15-inch black alloy wheels shod in 195/45 R15 tires, a stainless steel exhaust system and a roof spoiler.
The Cruze, which was revealed in U.S.-spec form at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is offered with a sport package developed by long-time GM tuner, Irmscher.
Available with either a 1.8-liter petrol unit that makes 141HP or a 2.0-liter diesel with 150HP, the kit is priced at €1,990 and it includes a lowered suspension, 18-inch alloys wrapped in 225/45 R18 rubber, stainless steel scuff plates, sport exhaust tips and Irmscher logos.
Finally, the Captiva Family Edition adds more standard equipment to the SUV including cruise control, parking sensors, air-conditioning, leather seats, steering wheel and gearbox knob and a higher grade audio system.
Prices for the Captiva Family Edition start from €26,590 for the petrol model and from €28,190 for the diesel.
