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“Every morning when you wake up,
you yearn to be a hero that day,” said Kim, assistant
manager of the minicar exterior design team at GM’s Design
Center in Inchon, South Korea. And in Kim’s mind, that hero
is driving the Beat, Chevrolet’s concept interpretation of a
micro import tuner that’s “simple, free and casual, with a
strong heart.”
The Chevrolet Beat is
a front-wheel-drive, three-door hatchback wrapped in a
bright Vertigo Green exterior finish that exudes energy and
extends into the interior. The overall mood of the exterior
and interior design is that of a high-performance, high-tech
micro tuner car, with fascias, rocker panels, lamps and
wheels enhanced for personalization, a strong trend among
buyers in this market.
The Beat exterior lines convey speed, with
a fast, dramatic, sloping rake from the top of the rear spoiler down
to the hood, and elongated front LED headlamps that seem to extend
from the base of the twin-port grille to the A-pillar.
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Integrated door handles set flush
within the B-pillar give the doors a clean, uncluttered
look. Big, bold, 17-inch wheels are pushed to the corners,
and brake calipers in matching Vertigo Green provide a dash
of drama at the wheels. The rear fascia carries Chevrolet’s
trademark twin taillamps; these LED lamps are set
vertically, extending just under the rear glass.
The high energy continues inside
the Tachyon Black/Titanium interior with a wraparound dash
in Vertigo Green, and a dashboard that features
color-coordinated fabric. The green is further pulled
through with contrasting stitching on the fabric and mesh
seats. The black headliner features fiber-optic lights that
create a “star” effect.
Young buyers expect technology, and
the Beat delivers, with a center stack that has a pop-up
feature. When pushed up, the door reveals a navigation
system and when pushed down it reveals a useful center
storage compartment. The premium Alpine sound system
features six speakers and a trunk-mounted subwoofer.
“The sound system and the pop-up
juke box will always make you the life of the party,” said
Sungtae Baek, interior designer for the Chevrolet Beat.
Keeping the Beat on the move is a
1.2-liter turbocharged gas engine mated to an automatic
transmission.
Three Chevrolet minicar global
concepts designed to appeal to young car buyers in urban
markets prove that art needn’t take a back seat just because
the canvas is small. Revealed today at the New York Auto
Show, the highly creative Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Groove
and Chevrolet Trax concepts drive the energy, diversity and
excitement of urban life into cars that deliver good-looking
fun, fuel economy and value.
Democracy lovers will even get the
chance to pick their favorite by visiting
www.vote4chevrolet.com and casting their vote for the Beat,
Groove or Trax. The results will help Chevrolet determine
U.S. market interest in the minicar segment, and which
design/capability package resonates best with potential
buyers.
All three concepts were designed at
GM’s Design Studio in Inchon , South Korea . One of GM’s 11
Global Design Studios, the designers in the Korean center
are experts in small car product development.
Built on GM’s global mini
architecture, these concepts demonstrate the flexibility,
creativity and innovative focus of design in GM’s Asia
Pacific region. The Chevrolet Beat concept, a running
prototype of a micro import tuner, was built in India ;
while the Chevrolet Groove and Trax micro urban crossover
concepts were built at the GM Tech Center in Warren , Mich.
“The Chevrolet Beat, Groove and
Trax concepts highlight the strength and diversity of GM’s
Global Design capabilities, as well as the ability of our
Global Product Development team to anticipate and quickly
meet the evolving needs of our diverse markets around the
world,” said Ed Welburn, vice president, GM Global Design.
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"The design team was so enthused about
being given the assignment to develop the perfect small car for
urban commuters that they created not one, but three interpretations
of how this car may be developed for Chevrolet customers around the
world."
Chevrolet is one of four GM global brands,
meeting diverse customer needs in 120 countries with vehicles that
range from subcompacts and family sedans to full-size pickups and
SUVs and iconic sports cars such as the Corvette. The concepts
revealed in New York , for example, offer three different
fuel-efficient engines, including a diesel.
“The Chevrolet Beat, Groove and Trax
concepts have the potential to expand the reach of Chevrolet –
already a beloved brand around the world – even further, connecting
with young buyers on multiple continents who desire
fun-yet-efficient transportation,” said Chevrolet General Manager Ed
Peper. “These are the same brand attributes that made Chevrolet a
household name in the U.S. ”
April 08, 2007
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