[Olds88]

Originally Posted by Ming

Well that's two different things, and I'd rather not see GM leave the decision as to whether or not there's a market for these cars to guys listening to Bob Seger in their 300hp Silverado 4x4's.

But seriously, likearock, you're right about the utility and economy. I'm afraid that while it looks cool, the Beat as a 2-door would have a much more limited number of buyers than a 4-door Beat. And if they could get creative about how the seats work and fold (like a fold flat - either down or fully back - front seat), like some Japanese Kei cars, then the interior space could be maximized when needed.

DmitryKo wrote something once about how the Matiz's engine was upgraded a couple of years back -- so a Matiz styled like the Beat (and not given the Detroit decontenting treatment) might do very well. However, the real powerplant might be that new one they're building in China since the current Matiz engine would probably be considered too small/weak for the U.S. market.

If you look at most of the Daewoos you'll notice that in the UK, Korea and India they have smaller engines than the ones we get in, say, the Suzuki Forenza or the Aveo.

I wonder how much it would take to take the 2.0 SIDI Ecotec in the Sky RL and the GXP Solstice, remove the turbos and cut displacement to 1.5L. Should still be good for like 100hp-120hp which should be well more than a car like this needs. It would also be efficient thanks to DI and the small displacement. Use cobalts 5sp manual and you have a nice quick efficient deathbox that will at least be a nice marketing tool.