India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: With lights dazzling, car interiors sparkling, and display stages shining, major car manufacturers, from GM to Audi, rolled out a new line of 2008 and 2009 automobiles last fortnight at the press preview days for the popular LA Auto Show. Proving that fuel solutions can be wrapped in bold, fun packages, Chevrolet unveiled the 2009 Aveo5, the redesigned challenger to the economy segment which delivers exceptional, EPA-estimated fuel economy of 26 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

The Aveo5 is expected to be the lowest-priced car in America when it goes on sale in 2008. Built in Korea with a starting price of $10,500 the Aveo5 was also rated "the most affordable to own" over five years, according to Edmunds.com, the online automotive guide.

"Chevrolet is committed to fuel solutions of all types, and the new Aveo5 demonstrates that gasoline remains viable in a highly efficient, affordable package that is worry free," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet's general manager. Robert A. Lutz, GM Vice Chairman earlier in the day had set the stage for GM's presence in the market: "We offer more cars... that get 30 mpg or better on the highway... than any other automaker.

That's why we offer the most fuel-efficient full-size pickups and SUVs on the market. That's why we have more than 2.5 million vehicles on the road today... that can run on E-85 ethanol… with a lot more coming," he said adding that GM was introducing four more hybrids in the US this year. "In fact, counting the new Saturn Aura Green Line...we're introducing 16 hybrids in the next four years...one every three months," said Lutz proudly.

"That includes the industry's first 'two-mode' hybrid SUVs...which we're building right now," he said.The new '09 Aveo5 reaffirms the brand's value position and builds on it with features expected in larger, more expensive cars - such as standard OnStar and available XM Satellite Radio - as well as its signature "tall car" design that enables surprising passenger and cargo room.

The Aveo5 is powered by a new, fuel-sipping, 1.6L DOHC engine with variable valve timing that produces more power (107 hp / 80 kW) and strong torque (106-lb.-ft. / 143 Nm) - and has been tuned for quieter performance."Customers will be surprised by the 'big' features of the Aveo5 - big room, big style, big refinement and, of course, big fuel economy," said Peper.

"It is a flexible car that provides untold capabilities, with cargo features and flexibility that change as your needs change." Despite its compact size the Aveo displays an impressive comprehensive system of safety and security technologies is designed to meet safety standards of markets around the globe.

The Aveo5's safety starts with a high-strength steel structure that creates a safety cage around the passenger compartment. The structure features strength-enhancing, tailor-welded blanks that help avoid protrusions into the passenger compartment. The Aveo5 also comes standard with advanced dual-stage frontal air bags and the GM Passenger Sensing System, as well as standard head/thorax seat-mounted side air bags for front passengers.

The head/thorax seat-mounted side air bags deploy during side impacts and are triggered by a sophisticated sensor system in the front doors. To underscore GM's position as an "energy wise" car manufacturer, also of note is a new partnership with Chevrolet involving the Walt Disney Company, which will take delivery of 10 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles as part of "Project Driveway," the world's largest fuel cell vehicle test.

Beginning in January, Disney will use the zero-gas, zero-emission Chevrolet Equinox vehicles as shuttles to ferry employees, talent and others within Disney-owned facilities in Southern California. Additionally, customers in suburban Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C., composed of families and celebrities, will drive more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles as part of the first large-scale market test of fuel cell electric vehicles anywhere."From gas-friendly to gas-free, Chevrolet is determined to be the fuel solutions leader in the global automotive market," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manger.

"The 'new Chevrolet brand' we are introducing today offers customers around the world a broad choice of fuel-saving cars and trucks in every segment where we compete."Chuck Jordan, one of GM's renown "emeritus" engineers was on hand at the LA Auto Show (he attends every year along with the Geneva Auto Show though he is retired) and commented on his admiration for GM Chairman Bob Lutz's vision for the future. "He knows what he doing, and the Asia market is key for the future whether it's a car designed there or sold there."

Jordan shared a story with India Post about a visit he took to Delhi several years ago where he assisted 10 hand-chosen Indian engineers from IIT help design better tractor, another product GM is known for in the agricultural business.

"They were great; bright, inventive," said Jordan candidly. "I loved India, and I could tell the young engineers were eager to design something they could all call their own." Just last quarter GM's global sales topped Toyota and the Aveo, for example, is being sold in nearly 140 countries, including India where the car is enjoying excellent popularity.

In the United States the Chevrolet Aveo became the best-selling car in its segment within months of its launch several years ago. The car holds a significant margin of leadership over its closest competitor and approximately 40 percent of the entry-level car division. Currently, it has the second-highest division share of any vehicle in any division, and its sales are growing at a faster rate than the division as a whole.

So as the Asian car markets continue to become key consumers for car manufacturers, Asian car designs may continue to make their way back across the Pacific. It may be no time before Indian engineers design the next biggest selling auto in the US.