Testing of the Chevy Beat is officially underway, and our friends at NextAutos have procured the first set of spy shots. The camo'd mule is still sporting the short overhangs and upright silhouette of the concept, but GM decided to equip the squat city car with another set of doors to make ingress and egress easier for rear-seat passengers.
Initial reports suggest that power will be provided by a 1.2-liter 16-valve DOHC inline-four, mated to either a manual or automatic gearbox. The Beat will make its production debut sometime in 2010 and will go on sale in Europe in early 2011. As previously reported, the Beat won't be making the trek to the U.S. until it meets the fed's crash-test standards, so we won't get a shot at the Beat until the next generation arrives – whenever that is.
In the wake of the Chevy Beat news that started pounding the wires before the 4th of July weekend, the Wall Street Journal reached out to Bob Lutz for some commentary on the topic. Lutz, in an email to the Journal, said, "We always thought we'd do it at some point, but now it obviously enjoys a much higher priority." Based on what the Journal says, this loosely translates to "the 2012 timeframe." Unfortunately for GM, this is a car that its U.S. operation needs approximately yesterday. It would behoove the brain trust in the RenCen to stop debating this and simply end all the speculation by formally announcing a U.S. Beat and attaching a timetable, already (as in, now). We think that the car's appearance as an Autobot in next summer's Transformers follow-up will help create enough public interest for that GM will be forced to make some sort declaration if they haven't by then already (TF2 opens on June 26, 2009).
As we've suggested, GM would probably do itself a big favor by greenlighting production versions of all three Triplet concepts, sending the Trax (also featured in TF2) and Groove to showrooms, too. The argument that Americans aren't into small cars/econocars/hatchbacks is quickly losing water, as automaker sales numbers would attest. There's a reason the Civic now outsells the F-150 and that the Hyundai Accent saw a 70% jump last month. Toyota isn't adding the 5-door Yaris to the U.S. lineup on a whim, either. Market forces, in the form of elevated fuel prices, are altering the landscape, and people are a lot more willing to look at (and buy) something smaller and more economical. It's just reality. The longer General Motors deliberates, the longer it's going to get beaten by competitors who have product ready to go right now. Don't wait for for the popcorn-chompers to play focus group and beg for these cars next summer. Grow a set and make the announcement now. Who would've thought that Michael Bay has a better vision of the future than the General itself? In his, GM's cool, stylish minicars will be on the streets next summer. We know that's not possible in real life, but GM needs embrace the fact that a market now exists in the United States for the Beat (and its siblings) and make the obvious call.
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE, but that car's about as exciting as an episode of Antiques Roadshow. Corsa? Not engineering the current one to be U.S.-compliant probably wasn't the greatest idea. The answer? MarketWatch says The General has summoned its inner Janet and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but it seems the Chevy Beat is indeed coming to the U.S. market. The broader public will get a really good look at it next Summer in the Transformers sequel, and as was the case with the Camaro, they'll be looking at a car they'll (apparently) be able to buy. If GM is smart, the screen-to-showroom transition won't take two years as it has with Camaro. It seemed a bit dumb that GM chose New York as the launching pad for the Beat and its fellow Triplet concepts, only to say that the car would be a "global" vehicle (read: everywhere but here). Now, it would seem that global really means global. Hey General, it probably wouldn't hurt to make Trax and get your Groove on, too.
You know how there was a question of whether or not we'd ever see the Chevy Beat for sale in North America? The answer to that question is looking more like a big fat yes. Of course, a subcompact like the Beat makes perfect sense in a landscape where gas is selling for well over $4 a gallon in many areas. Our quasi-confirmation comes not from El Generalissimo, however, but from the set of Transformers 2, which was recently given its tagline: Revenge of the Fallen. In the photo above, next to Bumblebee, is the Chevy Beat -- partially covered, but the Beat nonetheless. You know what putting it in the movie does, right? It makes people want it. Last summer, it was the Camaro. Next summer, it looks like GM's gonna make the Beat a big star.
Aside from possibly offering a hybrid version of the Camaro, Chevrolet is looking to do everything it can to meet new fuel economy regulations. Despite Bob Lutz' assertion that diesels are not the answer to increase fuel mileage, Ed Peper, Chevy's general manager, pointed out that GM's European diesel technology could find its way here to the States. The 2.9-liter turbodiesel V6 soon to be equipped in Euro-bound Cadillac CTSs is one possibility, as is the utilization of Opel's 1.3-, 1.7- and 1.9-liter oil burners.
Chevrolet execs are also looking to see how the public responds to the smart fortwo. If the reception is good, there's a possibility that Chevy might introduce a vehicle that would slot in below the Aveo both in size and price. A version of the Beat would be an obvious choice, even though GM only plans to sell it outside of the U.S. and Canada.
Business Week reporter David Welch revealed a few days ago that General Motors may be developing a premium small car that targets the same type of customers who might consider a MINI. Dubbed the "micro-premium car", it would be positioned against the aforementioned MINI in the marketplace, as well as the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series. Under what brand it would be sold wasn't mentioned, and honestly we don't have the foggiest idea what brand besides Cadillac could match up against those heavyweights. At the same time, we have a difficult time imagining Cadillac following the same path downmarket that it did with the ill-fated Cimarron. more ...
