New Aveo Hatchback
New 3-door
The new three-door Chevrolet Aveo has recently arrived at Irish dealerships. This has completed Chevrolet's successful family of small cars, since the release of the five-door model earlier this year. The most significant features of this fundamentally reworked model are its striking exterior, a high-class interior, and a new, even more efficient petrol engine.
The Aveo hatchback bears Chevrolet's new design language, as characterised by the large horizontally split radiator grille with a body-coloured crossbeam, and the brand logo sitting proudly in the middle. The dynamic details include large, curved clear-glass headlamps and fog lamps that project like spotlights from the lower part of the bumper.
The engine hood follows the line of the radiator grille. Eye-catching contours that run to the A-post underline the sporty look. The side view is dominated by the body's prominent shoulder lines and the dynamic crease that sweeps from the front to the rear door. The back of the car is dominated by the solid bumper and the round tail lamps in a clear-glass housing.
The interior also presents itself in a modern and inviting way. The instrument panel is clearly divided into four chrome-trimmed controls and a centre console with striking air vents and a fully integrated audio unit. The smooth surfaces and the soft-touch finish of the dashboard and the upper half of the door panel are particularly pleasant to the touch.
The new five-door and three-door Aveo hatchbacks are only available with a 1.2-litre engine in Ireland. Fuel consumption of these 1.2 litre cars has been reduced significantly and the petrol engine consumes a good 14 per cent less fuel than its predecessor, consuming only 5.5 litres per 100 km (49 mpg) in the MVEG cycle. This is an important argument not only for Chevrolet owners' wallets, but also for the environment as CO2 emissions have been reduced to 132 g/km. This puts it in the VRT band of 16% (Band B) and means annual road tax is only €150.
With prices, excluding delivery and related charges, starting at just €12,495 for the 3 door and rising to €13,495 for the 5 door the new Chevrolet Aveo represents excellent value for money for Irish consumers. The Aveo 3 door LS is the best value vehicle in its segment as a result of the changes to the CO2 VRT scheme which was introduced on 1st July this year.
The Aveo is the first modern Chevrolet "made in Europe". In 2008, approximately 60,000 Aveos will roll off the assembly line of the FSO plant in Warsaw, Poland, and production is expected to increase to about 100,000 in 2009. "We are proud to build Chevrolet models in the European Union for European customers," emphasises Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. "Production of the Aveo in Poland increases Chevrolet’s global build capacity and allows us to meet growing regional demand as well as shorten delivery times and distances."
Chevrolet, the third largest automobile brand in the world with 4.5 million new registrations globally (in 2007), has been present in Europe only since 2003. Chevrolet's market share in Central and Eastern Europe has already shown a constant growth curve by climbing to four percent in only four years. In Russia, Chevrolet is doing even better, with a market share of approximately seven percent. Overall, the brand grew by 82 percent in Europe over the past four years, selling a total of 457,000 new cars in 2007. "But this is just the beginning," says Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. "In 2006, our production portfolio covered only 28 percent of all vehicle segments. By means of a thorough overhaul and expansion of the product range, we will have increased our market share to 65 percent by 2012 in those areas where we are present."