wonderbot
07-03-2008, 02:40 PM
Filed under: Concept Cars (http://www.autoblog.com/category/conceptcars/), Economy (http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/), Hatchbacks (http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/), Chevrolet (http://www.autoblog.com/category/chevrolet/), GM (http://www.autoblog.com/category/gm/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/0chevybeat_may07_001_450.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240532/)
Click image for a high res gallery of the Beat
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/18/oh-snap-consumer-reports-rips-aveo-a-new-one/) in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/), 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Jackson) and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but word is, 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/09/chevy-beat-in-transformers-2/) sequel (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/20/chevy-trax-concept-joins-beat-on-i-tf2-i-set/), 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/04/new-york-auto-show-chevy-debuts-the-beat-groove-and-trax-conce/), 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-trax-concept/202539/) and get your Groove (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-groove-concept/202517/) on, too. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Beat Concept (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_001_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240532/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_002_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240533/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_003_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240534/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_004_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240530/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_005_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240531/)
[Source: MarketWatch (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gm-shifts-tiny-chevy-beat/story.aspx?guid={C27BE246-E4E6-45D5-A8FB-B818FD631E92}&dist=MostReadHome)]
Read (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gm-shifts-tiny-chevy-beat/story.aspx?guid={C27BE246-E4E6-45D5-A8FB-B818FD631E92}&dist=MostReadHome) | Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1245103/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/#comments)
Read more... (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/0chevybeat_may07_001_450.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240532/)
Click image for a high res gallery of the Beat
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/18/oh-snap-consumer-reports-rips-aveo-a-new-one/) in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/24/chevrolet-announces-2008-cobalt-xfe-improvement/), 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Jackson) and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but word is, 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/09/chevy-beat-in-transformers-2/) sequel (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/20/chevy-trax-concept-joins-beat-on-i-tf2-i-set/), 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/04/new-york-auto-show-chevy-debuts-the-beat-groove-and-trax-conce/), 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 (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-trax-concept/202539/) and get your Groove (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-groove-concept/202517/) on, too. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Beat Concept (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_001_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240532/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_002_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240533/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_003_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240534/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_004_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240530/)http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/05/0chevybeat_may07_005_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/new-york-auto-show-2007-chevy-beat-concept/240531/)
[Source: MarketWatch (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gm-shifts-tiny-chevy-beat/story.aspx?guid={C27BE246-E4E6-45D5-A8FB-B818FD631E92}&dist=MostReadHome)]
Read (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/gm-shifts-tiny-chevy-beat/story.aspx?guid={C27BE246-E4E6-45D5-A8FB-B818FD631E92}&dist=MostReadHome) | Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1245103/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/#comments)
Read more... (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/03/now-its-quasi-official-chevy-beat-to-u-s/)