Chevrolet Passenger Car Highlights: 2010 - 2012 By Automotive News

Chevrolet Passenger Car Highlights: 2010 - 2012 By Automotive News

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Link: http://www.autonews.com/article/2009...308179981/1261

Here are Chevrolet's 2010-12 model year highlights.

Spark: The 2012 Spark will be Chevrolet's new entry-level model. The five-door hatchback will be slotted below the Aveo, which is moving a bit upmarket. The Spark will be based on the redesigned front-wheel-drive Daewoo Matrix.

The U.S. version will have a 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine and will get an estimated 50 mpg on the highway. A 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine is under consideration. North American assembly is expected; projected annual sales are 25,000 to 30,000.

Aveo: The Aveo will be redesigned for the 2011 model year. The next-generation car will be sized close to today's Cobalt and priced slightly higher than the current Aveo. One model, a five-door hatchback, is planned.

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. is developing the redesigned Aveo in South Korea with help from a product development team in China. The car will be built on GM's global Gamma platform. The U.S. version likely will be assembled in GM's plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Cruze: GM is aiming the 2011 Cruze at the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. GM is promising a high level of refinement, a comfortable interior and good ride and handling.

The Cruze was developed on GM's global fwd Delta vehicle platform. GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant will begin assembling the North American version in April.

The European version went on sale in March. The car also is sold in China. GM's Australian subsidiary, Holden, will market a version in 2010. Daewoo calls its version the Lacetti Premiere. That car went on sale last year in Korea.

The Cruze will be powered by GM's new 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. A turbocharged version is planned. The Cruze is expected to get 40-plus mpg.

Cobalt: GM will stop building the Cobalt for retail sale in the first quarter of 2010 but is considering a fleet-only version for a brief period after that.

Malibu: The restyled, re-engineered Malibu is scheduled for the 2013 model year. To boost fuel economy and reduce weight, the length and wheelbase will be trimmed. But the trunk will be larger to address a shortcoming in the current model.

Impala: GM will redesign the Impala sedan for the 2014 model year on GM's new global, mid-sized fwd platform. The 2010 Buick LaCrosse was developed on the same platform. The next Impala is expected to have shorter front and rear overhangs; the weight reduction would boost fuel economy.

Camaro: The 2010 Camaro landed in dealerships this spring. A convertible, originally intended as a 2011 model, was pushed back to the 2012 model year because of problems with the roof supplier and GM's cost constraints. Now that GM has some operating cash after emerging from bankruptcy, insiders say, it will try to pull the convertible back to the 2011 model year.

A Camaro freshening is expected for the 2014 or 2015 model year.

Corvette: Production of the next-generation Corvette, internally called C7, is expected to start in April 2012 for the 2013 model year. The front-engine layout will be maintained.

Volt: GM's plug-in hybrid is on target for a November 2010 launch. GM plans to build only 200 to 400 cars in November and December 2010, as 2011 models. The production target for 2011 is about 10,000 Volts. A price approaching $45,000 is estimated.

A plug-in hybrid can charge its battery from the power grid, reducing the need for gasoline.

The Volt will share a fwd vehicle platform with the Chevrolet Cruze and Orlando and other GM vehicles.

HHR: GM will discontinue the retro-styled wagon at the end of the 2011 model year.

Orlando: The 2012 Orlando is a small, seven-passenger crossover developed on the same platform as the Chevrolet Cruze. The Orlando will be powered by a four-cylinder engine and priced less than the Equinox.

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