Quote:
Originally Posted by roflwaffle
I believe most manufacturers impose larger relative features on their smaller vehicles so that consumers may be more inclined to switch to a "grown up" version (eg Corolla to Camry or Colorado to Silverado) that looks similar but larger when purchasing a more expensive vehicle.
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"Upsizing" has long been considered an "Upgrade" in the U.S. In the GM world, Why not achieve for a larger Buick or Caddy when you trade-in that Chevy?
When you rent a car, a bigger car is an "upgrade".
When you retire, a Ford Crown-Vic is waiting for you. Bigger, better?
The same goes for the drivetrain. Examine the Honda Fit and the "Jazz" twin offered in the rest-of-world market. We're only offered the larger 1.5L VTEC engine, as opposed to the unique and efficient, 1.2-1.4L i-DSI (dual spark plug per cylinder) powerplant.
So back the the Beat. It will likely be designed and manufactured by GM's Korean subsidiaries. Here we have the
Aveo, which is essentially a re-badged Daewoo. In my testing, the 1.6L, iron blocked, short-geared
Aveo (sedan or 5-door) gets considerably less FE than a Chevy Cobalt with the 2.2L engine and fully-optioned -- this is in both city and highway operation.
Why? Because it's cheaper to manufacture. The Aveo is actually fun to drive, but offers less creature comforts than rivals and sacrifices engine technology to make a profit. Expect the same from anything Beat-related in the U.S. and Canada.
My advice: "Upgrade to Downsizing" -- but beware of GM's recent "get what you pay for" mentality: Making a profit while downplaying the importance and efficiency of a small car. Examine the actual emissions and FE performance of the vehicle in question. Look at what happened at past models...
Where are the Ford Festivas, Mazda 323s, Suzuki-clones, Honda CRXs and Subaru Justy models of this era? Same for the smaller models of existing vehicles: particularly guilty -- Honda (Civic, Accord) and Toyota (Corolla and Camry)? The Tercel is gone too. The Yaris is a reasonable attempt, but again, the drivetrain is larger.
RH77