2004 Chevrolet Aveo Enters Market In Chicago
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Chevrolet Expands Its Lineup With All-New Aveo
CHICAGO - With the introduction of the 2004 Aveo, Chevrolet will extend its product lineup, already the broadest in America, into the highly competitive entry-vehicle segment. Unveiled today at the Chicago Auto Show, Aveo offers European design, a roomy interior and responsive performance, all backed by Chevrolet and its 4,100 dealers nationwide.
"The Aveo will give Chevrolet a strong competitor in the entry-vehicle segment," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. "Aveo will play an important role in bringing new customers to the Chevy family and helping ensure our future success."
The Chevy Aveo lineup will include a pair of subcompact models - a stylish four-door and a sporty five-door. Penned by Italdesign, one of Italy's leading design houses, Aveo offers unique exteriors, roomy interiors with elevated seats for comfort and visibility, and a number of features typically found on more expensive vehicles. Aveo will arrive in Chevy showrooms by early 2004.
"The Aveo will be an excellent choice for customers who want a well-designed, fun-to-drive, high-value vehicle," said Mary Larson, Aveo marketing director. "In addition to providing the value and fuel economy these buyers expect, Aveo will also offer dependability and the support of the nationwide network of Chevrolet dealers."
Aveo is the latest addition to Chevrolet's new-product initiative, which further expands the division's ability to offer the right products for a wide range of customers. Chevrolet recently unveiled the 2004 Malibu sedan and 2004 Colorado midsize pickup, as well as an all-new compact utility, the 2005 Equinox. Joining the Aveo four-door and five-door models for their Chicago Auto Show debut were the new Impala SS and Monte Carlo SS Supercharged, the latest members of Chevrolet's revitalized SS lineup. The Chevy SSR also appeared at the Chicago Auto Show. It is scheduled to arrive in Chevy showrooms starting this summer.
"In the next fifteen months, Chevrolet will introduce Aveo, Malibu, Colorado and Equinox, as well as the SSR and two SS models," said Ritter. "We think this demonstrates the breadth of the Chevy portfolio, and gives Chevrolet one of the strongest lineups in the industry."
Roomy package, international flair
The Aveo lineup includes a contemporary four-door sedan and a sporty five-door model, created in Giorgetto Giugiaro's renowned Italdesign studios in Turin, Italy.
The stylish Aveo comfortably carries five passengers, and its high roof and raised seating provide a sense of extra space and good visibility. Aveo's 97.6-inch wheelbase contributes to a smooth ride and solid feel.
Aveo's cleanly cut contours and short front and rear overhangs give the cars a sense of style typical of more expensive vehicles. Design details include clear headlamps with facetted lenses, jewel-like taillamps, and gold Chevy bowties front and rear. The five-door Aveo is a particularly striking design, while the four-door version offers a fresh alternative to more conventional three-box sedans.
Powerful and nimble
Aveo combines these strong new designs with a powertrain and chassis that provide refined, responsive performance and excellent economy.
Aveo features a peppy, proven 1.6-liter dual overhead cam 16-valve inline four-cylinder that delivers 105 hp and 107 lb.-ft. of torque. A deep-skirted block, large intake resonator, dual-muffler exhaust systems and other sound-damping technologies help reduce engine noise, while roller-type hydraulic lifters, a single-belt accessory drive and durable rubber timing belt help reduce the need for routine maintenance.
The base Aveo's engine is mated to a smooth-shifting five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic is optional. The automatic features a gated shifter, allowing the driver to easily shift the transmission manually, and a "hold" button for second-gear starts on slippery surfaces.
Aveo's suspension was extensively tested in both Europe and the U.S. and tuned to provide a controlled ride and responsive handling. The front suspension features McPherson struts with a stabilizer bar. The torsion beam rear axle provides good camber control under a wide variety of loads. Aveo is equipped with a standard rack-and-pinion steering system providing nimble handling and enhancing road feel.
Safety features
From the excellent vantage point of its height-adjustable driver seat to the impact-absorbing efficiency of its frame to its standard dual front air bags and available ABS, the Aveo helps provide confident control and peace-of-mind under a wide variety of driving conditions.
Aveo's passenger compartment forms a protective safety cage that runs from the front door hinge pillars to the A-pillars to the roof rail, back to the reinforced B-pillars and C-pillars and includes the bottom rocker panels. The front structure is designed to distribute crash energy along multiple load paths, helping direct energy away from the passenger compartment. Each of the doors features a roll-formed steel intrusion beam to help protect the occupants in certain side impact collisions.
The Aveo's dual diagonal brake system includes large ventilated front discs and self-adjusting rear drum brakes. Rear brakes have a wide lining for increased service life. A large 9.0-inch power brake booster helps improve braking capability and provides solid pedal feel.
A Delphi four-channel, four-sensor ABS system with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) is available. The integrated-type EBD, with its hydraulic modulator, helps optimize braking performance by distributing the braking force of the front and rear wheels according to the number of passengers, the weight load, road conditions and other factors.
Dual air bags are standard, as are seat-belt pretensioners and height-adjustable shoulder belt anchors for the front seats. Rear-seat positions feature the standardized child-safety seat system, Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH), which secures the seat base and helps keep the child seat from pivoting forward during an aggressive stop or a forward collision. Rear child-safety door locks are also standard.
More-than-expected standard amenities
A variety of features such as air conditioning, power door locks, remote keyless entry and an uplevel stereo with CD player come standard on LS models and are available as options on the base model. Power sunroof and aluminum wheels are a few of the available options.
Special appearance packages are also available and feature fog lamps, bright aluminum 14-inch alloy wheels and mudguards. The five-door LS appearance package also includes a rear spoiler.
Aveo will offer a surprising number of standard amenities including daytime running lamps, a low-fuel warning light, intermittent wipers, a tilt steering wheel, rear window defogger, extra 12-volt accessory outlet and body-colored mirrors and door handles.
The Aveo five-door features a rear seat that folds and flips forward, creating a large cargo area. The Aveo four-door features a 60/40 split folding seatback to allow bulky items to be more easily carried inside the vehicle.
Aveo will be built in Korea by GMDAT. While pricing will not be announced until closer to introduction, Aveo will be positioned to compete with the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio.
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2004 Chevrolet Aveo Preliminary Specifications
| Body styles: | four-door and five-door |
| Construction: | unitized body constructed from galvanized steel |
| Overall length (in / mm): | four-door: 166.8/4235
five-door: 152.8/3880 |
| Overall height (in / mm): | 58.9/1495 |
| Overall width (in / mm): | 65.8/1670 |
| Wheelbase (in / mm): | 97.7/2480 |
| Curb weight (lb / kg): | four-door: 2381/1080 five-door: 2359/1070 |
| Drivetrain: | front engine, front-wheel drive |
| Engine: | 1.6L DOHC inline 4-cylinder |
| Displacement (cu in / cc): | 97.5/1598 |
| Bore & stroke (in / mm): | 3.11 x 3.21 / 79 x 81.5 |
| Block material: | cast iron |
| Cylinder head material: | aluminum |
| Valvetrain: | DOHC 16-valve (4 valves per cylinder); roller hydraulic lifters |
| Horsepower (hp / kw): | 105/78 @ 5800 rpm |
| Torque (lb.-ft. / Nm): | 107/145 @ 3600 rpm |
| Transmission: | five-speed manual; four-speed automatic optional |
| Brakes: | front: ventilated disc; rear: drum; ABS optional |
| Front suspension: | McPherson struts with offset coil springs and stabilizer bar |
| Rear suspension: | torsion beam axle with coil springs |
| Steering type: | power rack-and-pinion |
| Passenger volume (cu ft / liters): | 91 / 2578 |
| Cargo volume (cu ft/liters): | four-door: 11.7/330 five-door (seat up): 7.1/200 five-door (seat folded) 42/1190 |
| Wheel size: | 5.5 x 14 inch |
| Tires: | P185/60R14 |
