2007 New York Auto Show: Chevy Trax Minicar Concept
The concept vehicle shown here — called the Chevrolet Trax — is one of three minicar concepts GM plans to unveil at next week’s New York auto show. The company will then allow the public to vote on which of the three they like best. The results may determine which of the concepts Chevy brings to market.
All three are based on GM’s Korean-built minicars, which are sold outside the U.S. These would be smaller than the current Chevy Aveo, sold domestically. The Trax is powered by a 1-liter — yes, that’s 1.0 — gasoline engine. Power will probably be in the two-digit range, but fuel economy would probably be excellent. Think of it as Chevy’s version of the Smart ForTwo.
We’re not sure if the U.S. market is ready for the Smart or one of GM’s minicars, but there seems to be a trend developing.
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Chevy sold Metros for years and years with 1.0 liter 3-cylinder engines that got almost 50 mpg. I think it's high time they came back. It would be especially cool if they came in well under $10k.
Yo M3: where's the metro now, get wit it its the 21st century who do you think is going to buy a 2-digit horsepower car. they need to replace that cavalier ...oops i mean the cobalt
M3,
I had forgotten the Metro. Good call.
BJ
What are you talking about? The Cobalt was an instant yawn. The cavlier replacement proved they didn't need the vehicle as much as something smaller and more fuel efficient.
I'll be curious to see what happens with the fuel efficiency should one of these actually show up on our shores with a 1.0L. It seems since the early 90's (back when the Metro still sold), car makers have had to make heavier vehicles to meet safety requirements (and customers expectations), and have juiced up the engines. All this offset the gains in fuel efficiency for technology. Heck, a 140hp used be be considered nice for a full sized sedan, now they're 265hp! If Chevrolet sticks with a double digit horsepower goal, and uses a modern design, we could see mpg numbers higher than the old Metros. That'd be cool, if they sold a 55-60mph car. More likely though, I'm betting it'll be a bit disappointing, like 42mph or so.
(Speaking of which, does anyone know why a Yaris gets worse mileage than a Corolla?)
Oops,
mph=mpg
(Though that does lead to some thought about modern speed limits)
I would definitely consider one of these mini-Chevys if they brought it to market. I drove a manual transmission 3-banger Metro years ago, and didn't have any problems with it, even on the highway. Weight will need to be controlled though. I am in Korea, so it will be interesting to see if these are just rebadged Daewoos, or if they actually slap a new body on top of the chassis. My guess is they'll be new, because the tin cans sold here would never meet US safety standards. I know the one in the picture isn't sold here.
If they're nice enough handling cars, they could throw in a 4 cylinder for a sporty model to compete with a base Mini...
As for the Yaris, it gets 1mpg less on the highway vs. the Corolla with a manual transmission, but gets better highway MPG with the auto and better city MPG with both. It is surprising though.
Maybe the transmission gearing is different in the Yaris vs. the Corolla...it is odd though. I wonder what the 08 Corolla would achieve MPG-wise.
I'm all for Chevy bringing in a competitive city-car. To BJ: You must live someplace where most cars are pick-ups, here in Boston tiny cars are favored because they are easy to park and maneuver. Also, they don't need to withstand 80mph impact because nowhere around here can you really go 80mph. 15-30mph is more like it. The SMART will do well here, and in NYC, Chicago, SF, Portland, Seattle, DC, Philly, etc. There's plenty of market-share to go around.
is that a toy? cute, but still a toy.
I want one! I bet it is fun to drive!
Ok, this I like. It carries the chevy corporate grille but has more personality than anything they've put out in a long time. This is the kind of personality so many car companies have tried to achieve with small "cute" cars but rarely do well. This car has oodles of cool angles and shapes. It is obviously very small but manages to look capable, fun and energetic.
This could be a big hit for GM. Bravo!
Cool styling, maybe a Mini fighter?! Obviously it would need some real juice, but it does look good.
It's not a Mini-fighter...it's a Smart-fighter. Even the Fit/xD are larger I bet, and definitely come with more power. They have the Aveo 5-door.
Any ideas on the length?
BJ,
About 2 digit hp cars. It is just because the US has such a broad land area. Just look at Japan's K-Car, they are the perfect thing to have if living in a highly populated city.
1.0L is a big engine when comparing to them, because they are limited to 0.7L, with maximum output of 64ps.
I wonder how those "cues" would look on an HHR?
This is my next car! I have a 2004 Aveo which I bought when they fist came out and for the most part, it has been a good car. I love the car, but I'm one of those people who like to have a new car every couple of years just so I have a change. I've looked at the Fit and Versa, but they are pretty expensive for small cars and the Yaris has the cheesy centre gauges which are a total turn-off. The SX4 has poor fuel economy and the Smart is just way too small. This looks like a good compromise. I hope they sell it!
i like this also. there are really no small vehicles left. small trucks (like the ranger and tacoma) are way bigger than 10 or 15 years ago, and as mentioned in a previous post, you can't hardly get anything with less than 140hp no matter what size it is. i think there is a market for small vehicles, but they have to be high quality to justify their comparibly higher price vs. larger vehicles. i like chevy's idea here, but i'd be concerned with the quality of it. looks good, but may be little more than a rebadged, retuned, also-ran tin can when it's all said and done. any given toyota model is a case-in-point that a car can look not so good and yet sell well. if chevy can figure out why they could have a slamb dunk.
I like it too. Hope they put bigger mirrors on it. Just wondering about ground clearance. Is the Trax 4" off the ground like all the other subcompacts? When will someone get smart and realize you can drag the bottom off the Fit, Yaris, Aveo, xB, etc if you get in some hard pack snow? I'm not asking for off road clearance. I simply want to drive down a rock road with my small kayak on top and not cause thousands in damage...in something that gets great gas mileage. Anyone know how much clearance it has?
Go, American car makers, especially G.M. I'm in the market for a mini car now. Even a one seater will do if I can help stop the glutonous oil companies from getting richer and also to help stop dependency on foreign oil.