[agman25]

Finally somebody else is also saying it. The Chevy Beat is too small for the US market.

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6282765/editorial/downsizing-how-small-is-too-small/index.html

A couple of the more pompously virulent blogs recently gave GM execs a thorough kicking for not certifying the 2011 Chevy Beat for the U.S. market. They suggested not making the baby Chevy suitable for sale here was a blunder of monumental proportions; precisely the sort of short-sighted, dumb-assed thinking that got GM in so much trouble in the first place.

And the new Beat sure is small. Word on the grapevine is the Beat could be as much as 15in shorter as the new Honda Fit and the forthcoming Ford Fiesta. Engines will be 1.0 and 1.2-liter, against the 1.5- and 1.6-liter units that will be standard in the Fit and Fiesta. In a country that already views the Fit and Fiesta as sub-compacts, this thing's little more than a mobile speed bump.

What Chevy really needs is the Cruze to be good and get 40mpg and an Aveo replacement that is modern and gets 45mpg. Not a Beat which does not get significantly better mpg than a Aveo/Fit sized vehicle, is not significantly cheaper but is much smaller and less practical/safe.

 

[pinyon]

What Chevy really needs is the Cruze to be good and get 40mpg and an Aveo replacement that is modern and gets 45mpg. Not a Beat which does not get significantly better mpg than a Aveo/Fit sized vehicle, is not significantly cheaper but is much smaller and less practical/safe.

My view exactly. Hopefully the Cruze is going to be what we need although it's too far out. Now for the Aveo...

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

It's not THAT small. I mean hell the size is approximate to the old Chevy/Geo Metro!

 

[HoosierRon]

The Beat is not too small for the U.S. market. This car, however, is:

 

[ifcar]

GM producing a niche car comparable to a Smart certainly wouldn't have been a bad thing. Maybe not huge sales, but good publicity and even something of a halo car for GM economy cars.

 

[Ming]

It's not THAT small. I mean hell the size is approximate to the old Chevy/Geo Metro!

Don't let facts get in the way of the Super Sizing of American cars (and profits!)

Stand beside a late 80's Camry Wagon and size it up to a sedan from today. Or compare the Beat to a car like the Honda CRX (or Metro, as you mentioned), or compare the Current Honda Odyssey to the one from the 90's.

Forget that Metros are selling at prices close to their old stickers from the mid 90's because people want affordable fuel efficiency - not everyone wants a hybrid - and forget that plenty of Americans drive motorcycles and scooters on public roads, especially recently, to save gas money and money on the purchase price of the vehicle in a down economy.

There's an excuse at every corner why we shouldn't let small cars into the American market, and it is seems that the main thrust of that argument comes from insecure truck and large car guys that fear that, if given the choice, more Americans will see just how ridiculously large some of our choices are. For instance, much as I love the vehicle for its looks, I've never heard anyone say that the GMC Topkick Ironhide Edition was "too big" for the American market. Nothing is ever too big to try.

I wish these "size nannys" who "know what's right" for the rest of us would leave small car fans alone and be at peace with their fat bellies they claim can't squeeze in a small car's seat, overhyped concerns about leg room since they're all 7 foot 2, and enjoy their oversized long arse hood and trunk cars that actually have less interior room than some small cars that use the space more efficiently. Nowhere have I read where people are threatening to take their precious long-hooded cars away based on size alone.

 

[eurohazard]

15" shorter than a Honda Fit? Wow. I drove Honda Fit, and it's a fantastic little car....but I couldn't help but get over how small it really was. Excellent packaging can only hide so much "smallness". I for one wouldn't buy anything smaller than a Fit...........but I'm sure others would.

 

[HoosierRon]

December 2007:
Want to Buy a Smart ForTwo? Too Bad, They're Sold Out

America's 60-year resistance to city cars may finally be coming to an end. One month before the Smart ForTwo goes on sale in the U.S., more than 30,000 people have plopped down deposits for the $11,590 car. It has virtually sold out--even before the first owner takes the keys.

March 2008:
Sparkling Smart launch in the US: 2008 and already sold out

The Germans have assigned 25,000 units of the Smart ForTwo in America, but you’d have to be quick (waiting time has hit 12 months in California) and the importer has declared that selling another 15,000 vehicles is no problem, if only they would arrive.

August 2008:
http://blogs.motortrend.com/6282765/editorial/downsizing-how-small-is-too-small/index.html

You see, I'm not sure America really wants really small cars.

 

[t-rex]

What a load of horse****.

In 1973, when the average American family sedan was 220" long, 80" wide and weighed, well about as much as the current Maxima, but that's a different kettle of fish, this tiny little hatchback burst on the scene and became one of the decade's top selling imports.

In the era of Electra 225's, 8-foot-long hoods, huge fake-wooded family wagons, and T-topped 455-V8 Trans Ams, this little 147" long (7" being federal bumpers) and 60" wide shoebox singlehandedly poured enough money into its maker's coffers to expand enough to become one of America's, and the globe's, top car companies.

At no point prior to its arrival had Americans ever driven anything as remotely compact, yet a quarter million Americans each year snapped up this little guttersnipe, apparently oblivious to its tiny dimensions.

Beat too small for Americans? Apparently this writer is living in a parallel universe where Expeditions and Rams are just flying off dealer's lots...

 

[EldoFan]

I always knew A. McKenzie was full of it.........this only cements my views

 

[61BelAir]

I saw a truck load of SMART cars the other day on the freeway and I'm sure they were all probably spoken for. GM needs to offer the Beat ( I chose the Groove) because there are people out there who want them, failure to do so will only re-enforce what people already say about GM, that they just don't get it.

 

[Ronald McChevy]

Finally somebody else is also saying it. The Chevy Beat is too small for the US market.

What Chevy really needs is the Cruze to be good and get 40mpg and an Aveo replacement that is modern and gets 45mpg. Not a Beat which does not get significantly better mpg than a Aveo/Fit sized vehicle, is not significantly cheaper but is much smaller and less practical/safe.

The Cruze will probably sell more, but there would be PLENTY of demand for the Beat if GM decides to bring it here.

 

[wescoent]

If anyone is interested, I heard a rumor that Ford is in talks with Fiat about extending their alliance to the US. Fiat needs a US plant to build the 500 for N. and S. American consumption, and Ford may build the Ka alongside it for sale in the US, Canada, and Central/S. America.

The new Ka is about the size of a Beat.

I doubt Ford would sell many, but it gives the impression that Ford cares about small cars and fuel efficiency.

 

[Ming]

Of course, also conveniently forget that MINI dealers can't keep a car on their lots for more than a day.

Where some may be on to something is that GM might not have been the best company to bring a car like the Beat over. Given GM's attitude towards small cars in general, I would not have been surprised to see Ricky-Bobby hand us a warmed over Daewoo Matiz with very mediocre quality overall, inside and out, and awful, cheap, watered-down "Beat-inspired" styling. And the car would get well advertised for maybe 3 months, tops. Then it would get the Colorado/Canyon silent treatment.

Then with poor sales from their mediocre-mobile after a year or so, they'd sit on their high and mighty chairs and declare "Americans don't want small cars", while eagerly awaiting their chance to turn their attention back to selling Tahoes and Silverados.

From that angle, the naysayers would be correct.

 

[likearock00]

If GM could find some way to make this car fuel efficient and actually market them in urban areas, it'll do well. There won't be a huge demand for them in rural areas but are needed badly in the big cities.

It needs to be just as efficient as a Smart and have a similar pricetag as well!

 

[Dave B]

The guy that wrote that article has a "too small brain".

"too small" are selling here and there is a market for them. Look at the mini, the fit, the aveo, and that smart car, etc, etc,. They are tiny. I couldn't believe how small that smart car is when I actually saw one in the flesh.

 

[t-rex]

You want to get Americans into little bitty cars?

Make them cute (for the ladies), stylish (so men won't have to drive something "cute"), distinctive, and a blast to drive. Give them big-car qualities, performance and features.

No more Metros. No more Justys. No more Festivas. Cars like the first-gen Civic and the very successful 70s Ford Fiesta sold like gangbusters because they sharp-looking, fun-to-drive little rides that you weren't embarrassed to be seen in.

It doesn't matter if the Beat is a foot shorter than the Aveo. The Aveo is a dumpy econobox, while the Beat oozes style and attitude. Ditto for the funky retro Groove (which got my over-40 vote).

When that married-with-3-kids guy trades in that Silverado he's been commuting in for the past 5 years, and he's looking to get into an economical commuter, he's not going to settle for some cheapo rental hack. He'll want the same "cool" factor that his old ride afforded in its heydey, and will surely expect at least some of the luxury and comfort goodies from his outgoing vehicle. He could get that with the Beat or Groove more so than he can with with the budget-account Aveo.

I've never owned a cheap car or a tiny car. I started with a brand-new Mustang GT and progressed through my BMWs. And my asse is on fire, checkbook in hand, waiting and salivating for Fiat to bring the 500 to America.

 

[Ming]

That "cool factor" you talk about is what got my father into a MINI Clubman S, that he drives like a sports car, loving the stick shift.

Like I said, a watered-down, cheap "Beat inspired" Daewoo Matiz that mechanically is mostly the same with the current Matiz would not have earned GM much praise, or customers.

The Beat that we saw as a concept car (even if it was a Daewoo under the skin, but with GM's worldwide engineering prowess to help build the best car possible)? That would've worked.

 

[eurohazard]

In 1973, when the average American family sedan was 220" long, 80" wide and weighed, well about as much as the current Maxima..

While I agree with basically everything you said, I can't help but think that an average 1973 sedan was closer to 4,000 lbs than 3,500 lbs (Maxima). 1973 Caprice/Impala

 

[RamJet502]

The real question is whether GM can make a profit on small cars or not.