The new Chevrolet Aveo Hatchback has arrived in South Africa with a fresh global styling package. Chevrolet designers have given this exciting new hatch a bold face that reflects the brand’s new global identity.
Global collaboration
The styling package for the Aveo Hatch was created at the General Motors Incheon (South Korea) design centre – one of 12 such design centres located around the world. Together these centres co-ordinate their efforts on new projects and global design trends that will influence the future styling and design trends across all General Motors brands.
The previous generation Aveo Hatch was noted for its neat and clean styling. The Chevrolet design team charged with bringing the new Aveo to the market have built on this to produce a vehicle with crisp lines and short front and rear overhangs. The signature ‘tall car’ design is retained and provides optimised versatility and practicality best illustrated by the ease of access for both front and rear passengers together with a large and conveniently accessed luggage area that can be configured to match varying passenger and load carrying requirements.
As a product of the new generation Chevrolet global design philosophy, it is not surprising that the Aveo Hatch takes numerous styling cues from the popular Captiva SUV, the first true example of this new wave design process. The most obvious of these is a large horizontally-split grille split by a body coloured horizontal element that carries the iconic Chevrolet “bow-tie” emblem. Side vents on each side of the grille provide a further bold accent.
Large wrap around headlamps add to the dynamic appearance of the front end of the Aveo Hatch. The car’s strong shoulder line provides an appealing wedge-shape when viewed from the side. The rear of the car is dominated by round tail-lights. The rear bumper features a honeycomb mesh grille that together with the roof-mounted spoiler provides a distinctly sporty appeal.
Stylish and progressive, the Aveo Hatch has clean sharp lines and a wide confident stance. The intelligent use of styling lines and body contours provide a visual illusion of a much larger car.
Excellent interior space utilisation
The placement of the wheels at the extreme corners of the body has enabled excellent space utilisation in the Aveo Hatch. Its wheelbase of 2480mm is amongst the longest in its class allowing for excellent leg-room for both front and rear passengers. Similarly the tall roof-line provides for more than adequate headroom for tall drivers and passengers. Luggage capacity with the rear parcel shelf in place is a handy 220 litres and with the rear seats folded down this can be increased to as much as 1189 litres.
The carefully contoured seats provide excellent support and comfort while the air conditioner, standard on all Aveo Hatch models, helps maintain a comfortable interior environment.
The aerodynamics of the Aveo Hatch not only provide a slick passage through the air but also minimise wind noise. Advanced sound-dampening technologies complement this attribute to minimise the transmission of mechanical noise into the interior of the vehicle.
Interior styling is refined with a youthful bias and a focus on comfort and convenience. The look and feel of the Aveo interior makes an immediate impression. Attention to detail through the design and manufacturing processes brings with it excellent fit and finish to raise overall quality to a new level for a Chevrolet in this market sector.
Features include: Tilting front headrests; low-profile rear seat headrests; vanity mirrors for both driver and front passenger; door and seatback storage pockets; innovative hooks on the headrest supports to hang shopping bags or a backpack on.
The soft-touch dashboard is gently curved to follow the interior contour of the Aveo Hatch and provide for excellent ergonomics with all essential controls within easy and comfortable reach of the driver. A neat centre console incorporates an integrated sound system (a radio on the base model Aveo L Hatch is an aftermarket option) and the rotary type heating and ventilation controls. The instrument binnacle with its chrome-rimmed dials has a neat and clear layout to keep the driver totally aware of the function of the vehicle.
New generation engine
The Aveo Hatch is powered by a new generation 16-valve twin overhead camshaft engine from the GM Ecotec family. Engine capacity is also increased from 1,5 litres to 1,6 litres.
A sophisticated suite of electronic controls, including electronic throttle control and multi-port fuel injection, together with the 16-valve DOHC configuration, provides for improved power, torque and fuel economy. Power is increased to 77kW @ 5400 r/min. Maximum torque is now 145Nm @ 3600 r/min.
Comprehensive safety package
All four derivatives of the Aveo Hatch feature active and passive safety enhancements to protect the occupants. At the core of the safety package is a body structure that is designed around a reinforced safety cage with strategically placed crumple zones to absorb impact energy. Key structural members are designed to dissipate remaining energy through the body and away from the occupants. Impact absorbing bumpers help limit damage in low speed impacts.
A four-channel ABS brake system is standard on all models. The base line Aveo L Hatch is fitted with a dual-stage driver-side airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioner. All other models have dual-stage airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners for the driver and front passenger. Lower anchors and tether attachments are provided on the rear seats to facilitate the fitting of child seats. Ignition key transponder type anti-theft protection is standard across the range.
