2011 chevrolet aveoThe 2011 Chevrolet Aveo may take some of its styling cues from the Chevrolet Groove concept car, shown here. Some reports say Chevy will change the car's name to either Viva or Agile. See pictures of the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo

Small cars are hot, but Aveo is not. Chevy hopes to change that with a fully redesigned subcompact featuring funky looks, more room, higher mpg, and maybe more go.

What We Know About the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo

When Americans were battling budget-busting gas prices during the summer of 2008, they were buying small economy cars like they haven't done in years, so you'd think the Aveo would have been a hot item. It wasn't. Demand for Chevrolet's South Korean-sourced subcompact was virtually flat in the first half of 2008 even as rivals notched higher sales versus their year-earlier results. Aveo ended the year down more than 17 percent, even though a second assembly plant was added in Mexico. The Honda Fit was particularly popular--and very hard to get--but the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, and Toyota Yaris weren't sitting on lots for long. Chevy dealers must have wondered what the heck was going on.

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Consumer Guide knows. First, the current Aveo is one of the older designs in its class, a drawback that shows, for example, in the lack of available curtain side airbags even as an option. This sedan and hatchback are also a bit small for some people, especially in the rear seat and cargo holds. They're on the noisy side, too, and none too peppy, especially with the optional automatic transmission. Worst of all these days, Aveo's mileage is not grand by class standards. EPA city/highway estimates are 23/32 mpg with the automatic and 24/34 mpg with the manual transmission. The Toyota Yaris, by contrast, rates respective mpg of 29/35 and 29/36. Then too, the Chevrolet name just doesn't inspire as much buyer confidence as import brands like Toyota and Honda, at least when it comes to cars, and slapping on a big two-tier Chevy grille has done nothing to change that on the 2008-09 models.

You can bet General Motors knows all of this. That's why it's prepping an all-new 2011 Chevrolet Aveo that promises to be more appealing--and salable--on several counts. It may also get a different name so consumers don't miss how total this makeover is. Recent reports say it may be called the Chevy Viva or Agile. If the speculation is true, the new name would be borrowed from a small-car project at GM's Brazilian operations.

Updated by Don Sikora II 07.06.2009

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