Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

lngtonge18

Here is the new Daewoo-based Chevy models coming out for 2004. Looks like the subsompact low-end segment is starting to get competitive again.

2004 Chevy Aveo:
http://osx.wieck.com/pv/WKA/2003/02/12/WKA2003021240033_pv.jpg

2004 Chevy Aveo 5-door:
http://osx.wieck.com/pv/WKA/2003/02/12/WKA2003021240070_pv.jpg

What do you think?

dindak

I think it's a great idea. The Koren companies are feeding off the bottom of the market with really cheap cars. This gives GM a product they can compete with, and requires very little investment. The next thing they need to do is take the next generation Cavalier up scale to fight with the Civics and Corollas of the world.

vocus

Not bad at all. The sedan looks kinda like an Echo though, with a little of a Chrysler minivan front end.

But will the Cavalier have left a bad enough taste in the mouths of consumers to spoil this new entry? That should be the question Chevy is asking themselves.

dindak

??

Cavalier still sells well and I know lots of people who have no problem with the car. Yup, some people with bad experiences wouldn't buy any Chevy, but there is nothing in particular about this car or GM that would keep people away in any significant numbers.

Our 2 Cavaliers were both fine.

logic1

This car is smaller and less powerful than the current Cavalier. The next generation Cavalier will be somewhat larger than the ION. They really are not aiming for the same market.

vocus

The Cavalier might be thought of differently in Canada, but here in the US it's basically a "throw away" car.

Yet it almost beat the new Saturn ION in the CR test... hmmm...

vcjumper

Wonder how those will compare with the Cavalier, Accent, Protege, Civic etc..

Cav is not a car many "aspire" to vs corolla, civic, pro etc but its low up front costs and financing deals attract many here.

dindak

Perhaps among your friends who drive more expensive cars, but millions of Americans (and Canadians including my mother in-law who doesn't have a lot of money) have them and rely them every day to get places. I'm sure they don't share your snobbish view.

dindak

Apparently the sedan will be called the Optra up here.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/030213-6.htm

lngtonge18

I think Canadiandriver made an error. The stats in the article match the Suzuki Forenza compact not the Aveo subcompact. The Aveo is supposed to have a 97" wheelbase not 102.4 and a 1.6 liter engine not 2.0. I know Canada is different but not THAT different. They either need to put a picture of the correct car or rewrite the article.

38713

Did GM do any of the engineering or design on this car?

vocus

You're right, I do have a snobbish view. If you call having a car that can pass a repair facility without stopping. Every one of my friends who had Cavaliers have had problems with them. One (with a 96 base auto coupe) even had to replace his transmission at 100K miles.

I wouldn't trust a GM product as far as I could throw it, and I couldn't even pick it up. I am starting to feel the same about VW too, and I own one of those.

dindak

38713 : I don't think GM did anything on this car (aside from rebadge it). GM only bought the company last year.

lngtonge18 : You may be right.

vocus : You've changed your views a lot then as you used to like some GM cars. Interesting.
Maybe you should go hang out with the Accord guys. They all drive perfect cars, LOL. As for the Cavalier, it works and it's cheap in spite of what you say. Not everyone can afford a VW or BMW. My neighbor had to change his Honda transmission after 10K so does that make your friends Cavalier a better car cause it went 100K? I hardly think so.

vuefor2

This one looks like a bigger Echo.

Lots of new small cars.. seems like a shift in priorities with gas at $1.80/gal.

vocus

Like I said, I don't trust GM. From experience with my mother's Pontiacs with their electrical problems (Bonnevilles), to my experiece with the POS Cavalier, I don't care for GM cars. Maybe I will change my mind one day, but I don't know. Ever hear the saying, "A burned child dreads fire?". Well there you go. I don't want to take a chance with a car that I have had problems with in the past. Like I said, I feel the same about VW, and this will more than likely be my last one. A pity, because it's the most comfortable car (for me) that I ever owned.

I test drove an Accord this past weekend, to see what it was like. I hated it. I also drove an Altima, and I would have one of those in a second.

lngtonge18

I really like the looks of the Aveo. It's very attractive and so cute! Has anyone found a picture of the interior? I hope it came from the Forenza design school instead of the Echo's.

lngtonge18

Anyone notice the play on words that seems to be going on between Suzuki and GM? Look at the close similarities in car names:

Suzuki Aerio ----- Chevy Aveo

Oldsmobile Firenza ----- Suzuki Forenza

dindak

lngtonge18 : Optra is indeed the name for the sedan up here. I just saw it again in the newspaper today. Aveo is the name of the hatchback only.

vocus : Cavalier is not a great car, but we had 2 of them and bother were good A-B cars. Our friends have an Altima (though it was an early 02) and it's been in the shop a few times. They may have got the kinks out now though. VW reliability is the same worse than GM on average, VW has done a great job of convincing people it's better than it is.

vocus

As far as interior decor, no one can touch VW that I have seen yet in the price class. As far as customer service and projected reliability, they are at the bottom of the heap.

pat

vocus and dindak, you have each expressed your opinions about Cavaliers and some other off-topic vehicles.

Please move on.

lngtonge18

Interesting. Than CanadianDriver just put the wrong name and photo on the article. Does Chevy get a version of the Suzuki Forenza in Canada?

dindak

The article I read said the sedan was called Optra and the hatch was Aveo.

I don't know, I'm just telling you what I read.

regfootball

the only real good thing about a chevy badged daewoo is that maybe they will price it at like 9 grand, and with my GM card, that would knock it down to 7 grand. I could sell my other car and pocket 5 grand in cash. then, i could have a 2 grand to boot for a new Aveo and put it on payments for 60 months. I'd have a 40 dollar a month car payment.

I can see how in that light it makes a good competitor to a Hyundai Accent or something but the Accent has a 100k powertrain warranty. The Aveo has the GM card.

Since I can buy a new Cav (not like I would tho) for a little under 11 grand I would think the Aveo has to be real bargain basement to become a huge volume car.

Maybe Chevy needs a car like this to stay relevant to many who don't have over 10-15k for a car.

dindak

Apparently the new Cavalier coming next year will be moving up to Civic levels of refinement and price so the Aveo will not really have the competition it does now from within.

logic1

Yeah, and the new Cavalier (or Cavalier replacement if rumors of a new name come true) will be somewhat larger, a la the Ion.

It is kind of funny to think these Korean imports are priced lower than what I paid for my home audio visual set up.

regfootball

"Apparently the new Cavalier coming next year will be moving up to Civic levels of refinement and price"

like the Ion?

of course then, the Civic isn't exactly winning rewards these days either.

I don't foresee the newest Cav being able to be mentioned as top dog but maybe it would elevate itself to at least being able to be mentioned in company with Protege, Corolla, Jetta, etc.

aveman

This link is to a UK site that has a lot of info on the Kalos, which is the european version of the Aveo.

  http://www.carpages.co.uk/daewoo/news.asp

jchan2

saw one in front of the Borders I went to yesterday and it was red. I only saw the front, so I couldn't tell whether it was an LS model or not.

rayrock

the aveo looks like a good commuter car if only it comes with cruise control at least as an option. too many entry level cars don't even offer it. as for reliability, my '01 civic has been disappointing and now i'm looking elsewhere.i hope the general doesn't do to the aveo what it did with the opel kadett (lemans)

iluvmysephia1

to tinker with it....best to just leave the designing to Daewoo(and now GM Daewoo Auto&Technology Co.). GM does not have a good small car reputation, at least since about 1970 or so. That's if you count the Camaro-Firebird as small cars. =:)

lngtonge18

I saw the Aveo sedan and 5-door at the Atlanta auto show. They were displayed on a rotating platform. These 2 cars are very attractive for such an inexpensive car and they look much more substantial than the old Metro. The interior looked nice and actually had some style to it. They also were well-equipped with power everything, power sunroof, alloy wheels, and fog lights. I think this car will sell well and could lure people away from Hyundai and Kia.

alpha01

to a page with pics/info on the Aveo, other than what is already on edmunds.com?

~alpha

logic1

has some photos. Not a whole lot yet.

iluvmysephia1

it goes all the way back to post #1 of this thread.

http://osx.wieck.com/pv/WKA/2003/02/12/WKA2003021240033_pv.jpg

alpha01

thank you, sorry I didnt scroll backward.

iluvmysephia1

I will say that I like it. It looks like a solidly built little car, handsome and you will like the price. Depreciation may not be as steep as it's a Chevrolet, actually a Daewoo in Chevy clothing. I prefer the Aveo 5-door hatchback. We have posted pictures of it(check the Edmunds thread "Chevy's entry level import-fighters")and it has a more European look(Italian designed). Are these on lots yet and has anybody test-drove one yet? Anybody have exact prices being asked for the Aveo 4-door sedan and 5-door hatch?

iluvmysephia1

who haven't seen it yet.
http://www.channel4.com/apps26/4car/jsp/main.jsp?lnk=231_2&pa- - - - - - - ge=1&reviewid=550

I read a very good review of it at the bookstore yesterday in the British car magazine CAR that was very honest and to the point. They mentioned that the looks are different that anything offered out there and refreshing. Also that the Kalos is a good value and fun to drive. If I was to estimate what they thought of Aveo(Kalos in England)I would say they give it a B+ grade. Believe me, too, these guys will ravage a model if they don't like it. They DON'T HOLD BACK AT ALL.

alpha01

The way I see, right now there are three cars competing in the subcompact class: the Accent, the Rio, and the Echo. I think the Accent is the best by far, its a shame ABS is completely unavailable. I particularly think the GT hatchback is a sharp vehicle, with its standard side airbags and nice lines. At under 13K MSRP loaded, and a selling price of 10K, I think its one of the better values out there, certainly best at the price.

I find the Aveo not as attractive. I really cant comment on anything else about it- I dont know enough.

~alpha

jchan2

Sounds like finally the Big 3 have a small car that can actually compete with the competition. (Which in this case is only the Hyundai Accent and the Kia Rio)

dimitrie

anyone know if chevy is going to put out some type of incentive to current daewoo owners(have a '00 Lanos) to maybe trade in their car for a chevy badge daewoo??

a_l_hubcaps

dimitrie-

I doubt it. GM doesn't want to get stuck with a bunch of used Daewoos. They're tough to sell at any price because of hysteria over alleged parts shortages.

What you might find, though, is that Daewoo parts become more readily available when the GM and Suzuki rebadged models appear. Some parts will likely be interchangeable with the older models, and (I'm just speculating here) GM and Suzuki might even import parts specifically for the old Daewoos, since they will have to set up a parts distribution link for their own models anyway.

By the way, what's the parts situation really like for Daewoo owners these days? Can you buy new parts easily, or are you salvage-yard scavenging?

-Andrew L

libertycat

just an overpriced subcompact (I can't understand why anyone would buy one) and its only subcompact competitors are the Toyota Echo, Kia Rio, and Hyundai Accent. From looking at the Aveo, my ranking of these four is;
1)Echo,2)Rio,3)Accent,4)Aveo,5)Cavalier.
And guess what the highest priced one is.

iluvmysephia1

The General needs the extra jingle or he won't proceed further. The high cost of GM vehicles is only one reason why I'll probably never buy a GM vehicle. The only one I'd consider would be a GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. Aveo-whoops, I mean a Chevy Aveo, tee-hee.

npgmbr

Although I think Bob Lutz will do great things for GM I'd caution him not to stray too far from the homeland.

What I mean is the name Aveo in no way sounds American. If Chevy begins giving its vehicles foreign designations I'm not sure how the public might take to them.

aveman

I have no clue as to the origin of the name Aveo, but it sounds kind of cool to me. It has a nice ring to it.It has a much better ring to it to me than Cobalt. I guess the name could grow on you and I wouldn't let the name stop me from likeing or buying the car.That is the name that may replace Cavalier as the car above Aveo.The name Cobalt is too close to Coal.Lump of coal is what I associate with the word cobalt. Hopefully the majority of folks are a lot smarter than me. I would love to see Pontiac get a Daewoo built cross utility vehicle.The Scoope concept vehicle has Pontiac written all over it. Now that is what I would call product diversification.

jchan2

It's affordable, no-frills transportation that's got that new car smell. (kinda like the Rio) The name Cobalt makes me think, piece of junk.

ffmcobalt

Um... okay the Aveo and the Cavalier are not even in the same class. Why are people comparing the two? Why does the Cavalier even come into conversation when talking about the Aveo and it's competitors? Totally different class of vehicle...

Anyway, http://www.media.gm.com/ has lots of information on the Aveo. You might have to search for it, but I found this:

http://media.gm.com/division/chevrolet/news/releases/030212_aveo.- html

dindak

Aveo, Epica and Optra.

http://www.gmcanada.com/nglish/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet.html

I think the Aveo is fine for competing with KIA/Hyundia but I see the other two Korean Chevys canabolizing Malibu, Cobalt and Impala sales. Not sure of the logic here.

Anyway, I saw all three at the Toronto Auto show and they looked pretty good though dull aside from the Aveo hatchback which was kind of funky.

corvette

I think the link dindak posted was supposed to be:

http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehicles/chevrolet/chevrolet.html

So, what sort of incentive package will Chevrolet be introducing these models with?

jjs61062

I think it's great for Chevy to re-enter the low end market with the Aveo. Ford needs to do the same thing. Many people are just looking for basic transportation. Not everyone needs or can afford a $20,000 car.

libertycat

The Cavalier is subcompact sized and is under huge discounts due to its UGLY, cheap interior and overall lack of competitiveness so the price would be similar to an Aveo.
Once again, my 2005 subcompact sedan order is:
1)Toyota Echo
2)Kia Rio
3)Hyundai Accent
4)Chevrolet Aveo
5)Chevrolet Cavalier
Sad, considering the Cavalier is the highest priced yet the least competitive.