Chevrolet is the definitive American brand, a staple for the North American consumer when it comes to affordable automobiles, sport utilities and pick up trucks, reaching a level of fame that only few brands can challenge. While Chevrolet may rein supreme in North America, its levels of success cannot be applied everywhere else in the world. It may surprise you to know that Chevrolet has had a patchy relationship with Europe, with on-off appearances, and a weak dealership network. For the longest time, Chevrolet and other American General Motors products lived under the shadow of General Motor’s European brand, Opel often criticized for building sub-par, gas-guzzling vehicles. In an attempt to re-establish the brand name in Europe, Chevrolet will be premiering a new car at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

In a surprising move announced earlier this year, Chevrolet will be taking over Daewoo’s lineup of entry-level vehicles in Europe for 2005. This decision will finally put an end to the ailing Korean brand, which suffered heavy debts and a less than glamorous image of cheap, bottom-line vehicles. It won’t be the end of the Korean firm, but it signifies a new generation of products. GMDAT (General Motors Daewoo Automotive & Technology Company ltd.) will engineer and produce vehicles for Chevrolet and other subsidiary brands. Chevrolet currently has three GMDAT-designed vehicles in its lineup – the Optra compact, Epica midsize sedan, and the Aveo subcompact.

The Daewoo Kalos (which from 2005 onwards will be known as the Chevrolet Kalos) has been an international hit for General Motors. Currently available as a five-door hatchback and a four-door notchback sedan, it is a formidable successor to General Motor’s previous entry-level Suzuki-designed Swift (also known as the Chevrolet Sprint and Pontiac Firefly). A stylish, sporty three-door version will be introduced to the world in just a few short days, and it has been approved for production. The Kalos 3-door is expected to be in European showrooms as early as February 2005 in a series of new Chevrolet-branded dealerships.

The purpose of the 3-door Kalos is add new look which emphasizes trendiness and sportiness which is translated through a slightly more curved roofline and sporty, angular rear quarter windows. Although it doesn’t have a pair of rear doors, the Kalos retains the same dimensions of 3880 mm (152.8 in.) for length, 1670 mm (65.7 in.) for width, and 1495 mm (58.9 in.) for height. What has changed are minor details which include new bumpers, aerodynamically optimized add-ons such as the rooftop rear spoiler and of course the golden bowtie badge. Unlike the five-door, the new three-door also features wedge-like door rub-strips which add an extra bit of visual flair to the handsome body. The European Kalos features slightly different headlights which encompass the main beams plus the turn signals, a slightly different design than the North American Aveo.

Aside from the ‘Chevy’ bowtie on the steering wheel, little has changed for the Kalos’ interior on the three-door model. New seat fabrics, additional storage bins and compartment, faux carbon fiber trim plus the addition of a two-toned dashboard sum up major changes. Chevrolet of Europe has not released any interior dimensions, but expect front-seat room to be identical to the Aveo five-door, but tighter and less accessible rear quarters due to the two front doors. Equipment levels are expected to rival those of the five-door Kalos, with entry level vehicles accommodating to the bare necessities. Options include a CD player and air conditioning.

Three motors highlight the Kalos three-door’s engine range, all are economical four-cylinder motors ranging between 1.2 and 1.4 liters. Bare bones-spec Kaloses (Kalii?) will receive a 72 horsepower 1.2 liter 8 valve motor, with a secondary, 83 horsepower 1.4 liter 16 valve motor as an option. Top of the line models will receive a livelier 1.4 liter 16 valve good for 94 horsepower. With this motor, this Dae… err, Chevrolet can accelerate to 100 km/h in 11.1 seconds, and has a top speed of 176 km/h (109 mph). It’s not performance-grade material, but it’s more than enough for the little Kalos. Fuel consumption is rated at 7.0l/100 km (33.6 mpg) which allows for a range of 642 km (399 mi.). Despite being the sporty version, the 103 horsepower version of the 1.6 liter inline-four will not be available in Europe. If the Kalos three-door ends up in Canada, it will most likely feature this engine as standard equipment.

The Kalos is expected to be the building block for the Chevrolet brand name in Europe. In its two years of production, the five-door Kalos made up 42% of Daewoo’s sales and is considered to be the brand’s most important model. Statistics have proven this claim veritable, with some 40,000 orders already taken in the first six months of this year, and a total of 21,000 units in the USA. Will we get the Kalos three-door? The answer, while not confirmed by General Motors should be yes. Currently, Toyota is the only manufacturer in Canada to offer a three-door subcompact budget vehicle – it would be foolish of General Motors to allow the Japanese firm to reap the benefits of being the only member of the class.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Car Models [t]. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.