2009 Pontiac G3: Chevy Aveo now Available in the States with Pontiac face

Now repeat after us: hip, hip hurray for General Motors’ badge engineering! For all you folks that don’t like the bowtie logo and the split grille of the Chevy Aveo5 which itself is a rebaged version of the Korean market Daewoo Gentra (previously known as the Kalos), GM has stuck BMW-esque nostrils and a Pontiac logo to the Aveo5 and renamed it the G3. Available exclusively in five-door hatchback form, the Korean econobox will hill Pontiac showrooms in the U.S. in spring 2009. -Continued

According to GM, the Pontiac G3 “proves that you don’t have to sacrifice sporty design and responsive driving to achieve impressive fuel economy.” Don't you just love marketing talk?

The ‘sporty’ Pontiac G3 will be offered with a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine generating 106 HP that can be mated to a five-speed manual or an optional four-speed automatic transmission. According to GM, the G3 can get over 30 miles per gallon on the highway. While prices have yet to be disclosed, GM said that standard features will include air conditioning, a CD/MP3 audio system with auxiliary input jack, fog lamps, rear spoiler, OnStar and four airbags.

Holden Refreshes Barina Hatchback for MY 2009

Following in the footsteps of the facelifted European and North American market Chevrolet Aveo that were released earlier this year, GM’s Australian subsidiary Holden has revealed an updated version of its Barina hatchback. Like its Aveo counterpart, the 2009 Barina has received a subtle facelift highlighted by the new front fascia and minor rear-end treatments. Inside, the new Barina features an updated instrument panel, console and new fabric trim while all models now receive driver, front passenger and side impact airbags as standard. Equipped with a 102 HP / 76kW 1.6-liter engine, the Barina is priced in Australia from 14,490 AUD. -Continued









Holden Barina recommended retail pricing

• 3-Door Hatch starting from $14,490
• 4–Door Sedan starting from $15,990
• 5-Door Hatch starting from $15,990
• Optional ABS and alloy wheels (4) pack $1,190

Chevy Creates World’s First Billboard Made from Pennies, By-passers Strip it Clean

Chevrolet created havoc with its 20-foot billboard advert made entirely from one-pence coins in London’s New Oxford Street. The unique billboard that consisted of 20,000 pennies was created to advertise the 769,500-pence starting price of the new Aveo. Understandably, it didn’t take long for hundreds of opportunistic by passers to strip it clean. To be exact, the penny-billboard only lasted for a mere 30 minutes… -Continued

Chevrolet's Les Turton commented:“There have been some great car adverts before, but none that has stopped traffic and actually put money back into the motorist’s pocket so this is certainly a first. We’re glad we’ve topped up lots of people’s wallets, purses and, in some cases, rucksacks, but it would have been nice for the billboard to last a little longer than 30 minutes.”

Chevrolet Announces Pricing on 34mpg 2009 Aveo & Aveo5 hatch

Just when average fuel prices in the U.S. top the $4 mark, Chevrolet came out and announced pricing on its 2009 Aveo lineup that includes the redesigned Aveo5 five-door hatchback. Prices begin at $12,120 (including a $660 destination charge) for the Aveo LS and Aveo5 LS while the better equipped Aveo sedan and Aveo5 LT models start at $14,255 for 1LT trim and $15,520 for 2LT trim (including destination charges).

Both models are equipped with a new, more powerful 1.6L Ecotec engine delivering an output of 107Hp and EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 26mpg in the city and 34mpg on the highway when combined with a manual transmission. City mileage ratings with the automatic are 25 mpg.

Chevy to Introduce All-New Compact Car With 1.4-liter Turbo & New Aveo in 2010

Chevy will step up its efforts in strengthening its lineup of fuel-efficient cars with the addition of an all new compact-sized vehicle along with the introduction of a successor to the Aveo subcompact. The announcement was made today during GM’s annual stockholder meeting by the company’s CEO, Rick Wagoner.

The yet unnamed compact-sized vehicle, which could replace the Cobalt in Chevy’s line-up, will represent the first U.S. application of GM’s global architecture strategy. Production will begin in mid-2010 at GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant and according to Wagoner, the new compact will be pure Chevrolet in design, and will feature the 1.4-liter turbocharged version of GM's global four-cylinder engine –see here. GM expects that with this engine and a manual transmission, the new Chevy will deliver a 9 mpg improvement over its current entry in the segment. -Continued

As for the Aveo, Wagoneer noted that GM recently approved the development of next generation model which will be based on a global architecture. GM says that the Aveo is expected to have segment-leading fuel economy when it goes on sale in the U.S. market in the second half of 2010.

Video: Chevrolet Ridicules Citroen’s C4 Transformer Ad

You probably all remember Citroen’s illustrious C4 Transformer TV spots a couple of years ago (click here). Well, GM woke up on the wrong side of the bed one day and decided that it was time to answer back with its new Chevrolet Aveo advert. Even though the car that transforms into a robot is in part a previous generation Ford Focus, it is evident that GM’s intentions are to spoof Citroen’s Transformer ads by addressing its vehicles’ electronic reliability issues. -Video after the jump