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Vehicle Highlights

Fact file: Chevrolet Aveo hatchback

'Hot-hatch' style in small car segment

• Segment: Small
• In the model range since: Summer 2011

The Chevrolet Aveo made its world production debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. A four-door sedan variant was launched alongside the hatchback in summer 2011.

Entering the highly competitive global small car segment, striking design elements of the Chevrolet Aveo include the aggressive looking front with its exposed twin-headlamps and dual-port grille, compact taut body panels with a rising shoulder line and short rear overhangs. The Aveo features 'hidden' rear door handles which now feature in the C-pillar, and a 'body in, wheels out' profile which is now very much part of the Chevrolet design language.

Reminiscent of the Spark, the Aveo is unquestionably a car that will appeal to younger customers with its sporty hot-hatch look. Both hatch and sedan are practical small cars with good interior space and Chevrolet expects the Aveo also to appeal to families.

The Chevrolet Aveo has benefited from an extensive development program, resulting in a small car that meets European drivers' tastes both in terms of design and dynamics.

The latest edition of the Aveo is longer and wider than its predecessor, giving it a spacious interior and cargo volume that is among best in class. The interior design holds even more surprises than the outside, instrument binnacle that features an analogue tachometer combined with a digital speedo and warning lights.

Chevrolet ice-blue backlighting features on the center console while the whole of the front cabin is enveloped in a wrap-round fascia. This can be color-coded and flows from the dash into both the driver's and front passenger's doors. Aveo customers will appreciate the quality materials used in the interior as well as multiple storage spaces in the center stack.

A brand-new infotainment system, called Chevrolet MyLink, will be launched in the Aveo as of summer 2012. Chevrolet MyLink aggregates content from smartphones onto the seven-inch diagonal, high-resolution, full-color touch-screen display. Compatible devices can be connected via USB or Bluetooth. There is also a dedicated plug-in outlet for certain personal music devices and smartphones that do not use USB or Bluetooth connections.

Once the smartphone is connected, personal playlists, photo galleries, phone books, videos and other stored media and data, such as a special navigation app, can be accessed though the touch-screen. The seven-inch color-touch-screen infotainment system is produced by LG Electronics.

Reflecting the little Chevrolet's sporty personality, Aveo has been engineered to provide sporty handling, a characteristic which stems partly from its tight body frame integral (BFI) structure where high torsional rigidity has been achieved - among the stiffest in the small car segment.

The Aveo's chassis has been fine tuned to meet European tastes with a ride and handling ratio that combines comfort with responsiveness. Electronic stability control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist (HSA), Traction Control (TC) and ABS brakes are standard, while Electronic Power Steering (EPS) is available in 1.2L gasoline and 1.3L turbo-diesel cars. The Aveo hatchback received a top five-star safety rating from the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP). It is currently the safest car in its segment.

The petrol engine range includes two 1.2L versions (at 70 hp and at 86 hp), a 1.4L unit (100 hp) and a 1.6L engine (115 hp). For the first time, Aveo is offered with a 1.3L turbo-diesel engine with Start/Stop technology, a high-performance common-rail fuel injection system and an advanced turbocharger (with intercooler). When equipped with the 95 hp ECO variant of the 1.3L diesel, the Aveo hatchback emits 95 g of CO₂ per kilometer.

Chevrolet's first 6-speed automatic transmission on a small car will feature on the Aveo 1.4 and 1.6 as an option in most markets; manual transmissions are of 5 or 6-speed depending on engine choice.

The four-cylinder petrol engines available in the Chevrolet Aveo incorporate the latest technologies such as variable valve timing and double continuous variable cam phasing, while the diesel engine features a common-rail fuel injection system.

Status: February 2012