[Exploder]

I noticed the Aveo has a rather lukewarm reception in the US and that people prefer the Yaris or Fit to it. I find it a bit odd as here in Malaysia the Fit (called the Jazz) is the best-selling one, followed by the Aveo, while strangely, although Toyotas are popular here, the Yaris ain't one of them - they're quite rare. And as far as I can see most people here like the Aveo a lot. One magazine even said it was "very competent".

I was just wondering if there was any explanation for this?

 

[eurohazard]

Well for one, there's the die hard GM fans who won't "buy a Korean car" crowd. If the Aveo is very competent, then the Honda Fit is the benchmark. The Yaris is lame IMHO. I like the Aveo over Yaris, but the Fit is the best IMHO.

 

[likearock00]

You have to consider the perception Americans have of any GM product- regardless of how good the product. Americans are ingrained to believe that Japanese vehicles hold superiority over all. Where do you live, Exploder?

 

[FenwickHockey65]

The Aveo sedan is a okay-looking car. It's the hatch that looks bad.
Really, it's the fact that it looks like it could get 40+ MPG, but doesn't, that makes a lot of people mad.

 

[Michael_S]

2008 Aveo automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 23 city, 32 highway (26 average)
2008 Yaris automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 29 city, 35 highway (31 average)
2008 Fit automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 27 city, 34 highway (30 average)

IIHS Crash safety ratings (http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=90)
Aveo: Acceptable front, Marginal side, Poor rear
Yaris: Good front, Good side, Marginal Rear
Fit: Good front, Good side, Poor rear

The prosecution rests.

 

[PA Dweller]

It's too bad, IMO the Aveo sedan is the best looking car in it's class. I just wish they would put a better powertrain in it, plus offer better crash protection.

 

[RamJet502]

Its a compact car with terrible styling.

 

[red_rider]

Is the Aveo that bad in the US?

yes_

 

[t-rex]

2008 Aveo automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 23 city, 32 highway (26 average)
2008 Yaris automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 29 city, 35 highway (31 average)
2008 Fit automatic fuel economy rating, US EPA: 27 city, 34 highway (30 average)

IIHS Crash safety ratings (http://www.iihs.org/ratings/summary.aspx?class=90)
Aveo: Acceptable front, Marginal side, Poor rear
Yaris: Good front, Good side, Marginal Rear
Fit: Good front, Good side, Poor rear

The prosecution rests.

Safety doesn't seem to be big issue to most Malaysian buyers, or shall I say not as high on the priority list as in, say, western Europe.

When I visited there a few years back I was horrified by how many Malaysians don't wear seatbelts, even on the freeway!

We have to remember that driving conditions are much different in Asia than in many other parts of the world. There's very little high-speed freeway driving like we Americans do and most driving is in heavy traffic, so I'd reckon that Malaysians put higher value on low-speed driveability, interior comfort, visibility, ease-of-parking, etc. And I've noticed throughout the ASEAN region (at least from what I gather reading online road-tests), that customers in that region place much more emphasis on style, equipment, and value than in many other parts of the world. And paint finish seems to be something they're picky about too.

Also, by global standards, fuel is relatively cheap in Malaysia since it's an oil producing-nation (whaddya think paid for the Petronas towers?). Before we left Singapore to go into Malaysia, the rental car agent warned us to make sure our tank was full before leaving Singapore. We were further puzzled when we crossed through customs, and a Singaporean official poked his head into our car looked at our fuel guage! Once we got into Malaysia, it made sense. Gas was about $6/gallon in Singapore, but only about $1.30 in Malaysia (this was in 2000). Seems the Singapore government, in its effort keep car ownership, and thus traffic congestion, low stops its citizens from driving across into Malaysia to buy cheap fuel!

So fuel economy, while of some importance, doesn't seem to top Malaysian car-buying priority lists. The few MPG difference between a Fit and an Aveo may very well not matter much to buyers there.

Enlighten us exploder! From your perspective, what factors are most important to Malaysian buyers? Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[ksr]

I've driven an Aveo and came away fairly impressed. Not fast, but not that slow either. And this thing had an automatic. And the interior seemed very well put together and of pretty good quality too.

 

[Subtle_Cynicism]

I cannot fathom why anyone would buy an Aveo over the competition. It's gas mileage is exponentially less, and its build exceptionally worse.

I've driven both Aveo's and Fits, and the Fit drives/acts/feels like a Bentley compared to the Aveo. I hope GM caught notice and fixed it for the next gen, because the Fit is only going to get better when the new models come out.