Thursday, January 7, 2010

Aveo RS: The return of the affordable subcompact hot hatch?

Since its debut in 2004, the Chevrolet Aveo has been best known for one thing: Being inexpensive. Although there are Aveo fans out there, most people think of the smallest Chevy as the lowest common denominator in the subcompact segment. That is likely about to change.

The 2011 Chevrolet Aveo RS concept debuted at the 2010 Detroit International Auto Show today, and if I do say so myself, it looks great. Riding on 19" wheels, the Aveo RS's stance looks mean, it's front and rear end treatments look sophisticated and aggressive, and it's interior looks great.

The goodness isn't just skin deep, either. Under the the hood lies the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze's turbocharged 1.4-liter engine making 138 hp and 148 ft./lbs. or torque mated to a manual (six speed?) gearbox. This would undoubtedly make the Aveo RS a hoot to drive. The car's underpinnings are apparently related to the Opel Corsa's—a car that I always hoped GM would bring to the States.

Keep in mind the Aveo RS is just a concept at this point, and there hasn't been any confirmation on this turbocharged hatch going into production. I would love it if, of all companies, GM brought back the affordable hot hatch to the market. I know what you're thinking: the MINI Cooper S is available. However, it starts at $22,300, which is still a good chunk of dough.

What gets me all giddy inside is the idea of more turbo hot hatches in the U.S. Again. Along with the MINI Cooper S and forthcoming Fiat 500 Abarth, you might have the Chevy Aveo RS, the Ford Fiest EcoBoost, the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart, and potentially the VW Polo GTI. All that's a nice dream, I suppose. I guess I should just wait and see if the Aveo RS even makes it out of the gate.

However, the concept is a real head turner, and gets my gears turning.


UPDATE: Join the lively discussion about the Aveo RS on the Micro Image forums.

SOURCE
Autoblog

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on "more hot hatches please". I am not a fan of the Aveo, but this one looks very interesting and sounds like it would be a fun drive. Will they actually bring anything like what we see in the pics? Thats the first hurdle. I think it's very possible. The second major hurdle, for me anyway, is quality and fit and finish. Chevy has a reputation for going to well for more HP and skipping the quality control. This car, as pictured, could be a winner. If people find the interior too cheap, and it looks like a rattle-trap in progress, then it will be passed over by most. I want more hot hatches, but I want good quality and general solidness too. Warranty matters to me, so I would be more likely to wait to see what the Hyundai Veloster looks like in 2011.

adamaoc said...

It looks good... but I just can’t get over how bad the other Aveos were. If they don’t build it on a Daewoo platform or use an abundance of Daewoo parts, then I’ll give it a look.
-txgarage.com

Andy Lilienthal said...

Well, hopefully the only similarities between the new Aveo and the old one will be the name, if they even use the Aveo name. I thought the new Chevy subcompact was going to be the Viva ...