[DmitryKo]

http://media.gm.com/servlet/Gateway.../viewpressreldetail.do?domain=827&docid=46161

GM Announces New Products, Capacity Adjustments; Continues Transformation of North American Business

• New car, powertrain programs to meet the changing needs of U.S. customers
• Chevy Volt production gets the green light from the GM board
• GM builds on car momentum with additional capacity; adjusts truck capacity
• Hummer brand set for strategic review

WILMINGTON, Del. - GM today announced a range of strategic initiatives to aggressively respond to growing demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and to economic and market challenges in North America. Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and CEO, made the announcements here as part of the GM annual meeting of stockholders.

Major initiatives announced by Wagoner include:

• A new global compact car program for Chevrolet, a next generation for the popular Chevy Aveo, and a high efficiency engine module for the U.S. market.
• Funding for production of the Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle.
• Addition of third shifts to Lordstown and Orion, which build hot-selling Chevy and Pontiac cars.
• Cessation of production at four plants that build pickups, SUVs and medium-duty trucks.
• A strategic review of the Hummer brand.

...

New Chevrolet models and a high-efficiency engine module approved

To further strengthen GM's lineup of fuel-efficient cars, the GM board has approved a next-generation compact Chevy for the U.S. and global markets, a next generation of the popular Chevy Aveo, and a U.S. production module of GM's 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

The new Chevy compact will be better equipped than today's compact cars, and will be designed to set quality and safety benchmarks for the compact class. Production will begin in mid-2010 at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant, subject to final negotiations with state and local authorities.

"This car will represent the first U.S. application of our global architecture strategy," said Wagoner. "This strategy will pay major dividends as we leverage our extensive car product development capability in Europe, Korea, and other locations to accelerate the shift in our U.S. product portfolio."

The next-generation compact will be pure Chevrolet in design, and will feature the 1.4-liter turbocharged version of GM's global four-cylinder engine. With this engine and a manual transmission, the new Chevy is expected to achieve a 9 mpg improvement over Chevy's current entry in this segment. The engine will be produced in Flint, Michigan, again subject to final negotiations with state and local authorities.

Also recently approved was a next generation of the popular Chevy Aveo. Based on a global architecture, the Aveo is also expected to have segment-leading fuel economy when it goes on sale in the U.S. market in the second half of 2010.

These new Chevy models will help build on GM's leadership in fuel efficient vehicles. For example, GM continues to offer more vehicles with a 30-mpg or better highway fuel economy rating than any competitor.

More information on 1.4 L turbo engine:

Opel will get a 1.4 L VVT turbo engine in 2010

 

[Astra RL]

36+9=45
45 MPG
Yay

 

[Ming]

GM LISTENED!

 

[CrunkedRL]

I thought the Chevy Beat would be sent into production by 2010 will the Beat be called the Aveo? Or is the new Aveo in which they're refering, the one in which we've already seen in the updated 5 door hatch form. Also does anyone know how the 1.4L is related to the current 2.0 2.4 ecotecs?

 

[genjy]

Turbo is the way to go. A turbocharged engine can easily be tuned for economy or performance.

Once the aftermarket catches up, it will be a hot little engine.

 

[tgagneguam]

Good for GM; it's long overdue.

And for what it's worth, GM very likely would have made the same exact announcement about the same vehicles and powertrains without Congress, by way of CAFE, mandating it.

 

[FenwickHockey65]

YAYYYY!!!!!!
Good decision GM! It's about time!

 

[Darc Requiem]

GM LISTENED!

I'm excited too Ming. Great image by the way. Made me chuckle. 45mpg sounds really good right now.

 

[osv_alero]

WOW! 45 mpg for a Cobalt replacement puts it in the same territory as a Prius for highway mileage.

Only sad part is 2010 is a long ways away for the automotive world.

 

[member12]

WOW! 45 mpg for a Cobalt replacement puts it in the same territory as a Prius for highway mileage.

Only sad part is 2010 is a long ways away for the automotive world.

36mpg (with a manual) + 9mpg = 45mpg.

Don't kid yourself, Chevrolet won't make manual transmissions by the time this car comes out.

 

[TriShield]

If I were in the market for a compact car why on Earth would I consider an Aveo penalty-box from Daewoo? Especially when over at Ford I'll be able to get a European-engineered Fiesta. A host of foreign companies are already playing in this segment with better products too.

 

[Astra RL]

36mpg (with a manual) + 9mpg = 45mpg.

Don't kid yourself, Chevrolet won't make manual transmissions by the time this car comes out.

One can only hope.

 

[jbernie]

If I were in the market for a compact car why on Earth would I consider an Aveo penalty-box from Daewoo? Especially when over at Ford I'll be able to get a European-engineered Fiesta. A host of foreign companies are already playing in this segment with better products too.

Thats all depends on how the currency issues with the US$ play out. Long term Euro imports can only get more expensive if things stay the same way.

 

[Astra RL]

Maybe the Beat will have a 1.0L turbo that will be able to break 50 MPG. Hey they did it with the Metro and they can do it again.

 

[GTOken]

If they rebadge them as Pontiacs I *might* be interested.

 

[nascarnate326]

Maybe the Beat will have a 1.0L turbo that will be able to break 50 MPG. Hey they did it with the Metro and they can do it again.

I wish but it wont happen. The Metro wasnt heavy. I can see the Beat weighing in just under a 4th gen fbody...and thats sad.

 

[I-Love-Pontiac]

I thought the Chevy Beat would be sent into production by 2010 will the Beat be called the Aveo? Or is the new Aveo in which they're refering, the one in which we've already seen in the updated 5 door hatch form. Also does anyone know how the 1.4L is related to the current 2.0 2.4 ecotecs?

A 1.4 turbo seems kind of big for a car that small. Hopefully this is meant for what we know as the Aveo.

And yeah I would like to know more about the 1.4 too. If 'm not mistaken the Aveo's current 1.6 and that whole family of small engines is derived from an old opel architecture, and are ecotecs only in name. I hope this 1.4 isn't one of them, and is a whole new engine.

 

[milton112c]

2010 is wayyyyyyyyy too long away though!

 

[E. Haskell]

If I were in the market for a compact car why on Earth would I consider an Aveo penalty-box from Daewoo? Especially when over at Ford I'll be able to get a European-engineered Fiesta. A host of foreign companies are already playing in this segment with better products too.

So you're already pulling the "European engineering" card before you've even seen or drove either vehicle? Great.

 

[igotzzoom]

Even though it doesn't specifically say it, I hope Chevy offers the turbo 1.4 in the Aveo (or whatever it's going to be called.) What would make for a perfectly adequate engine in a Cobalt (or equivalent) would be MORE than enough for a sub-compact like that.