2007 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan Preview

The popular five-door hatchback will follow after the four-door sedan. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

Minor updates to the Aveo's mechanical components keep should help keep it running strong in 2007. The 1.6-litre inline-four with variable intake manifold continues to make 103-horsepower and 107 lb-ft of torque, and can be mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic with Hold Control mode for reduced wheelspin during slippery startups. Meanwhile, the power steering system has been revised to include a centering motion to minimize the effect of crosswinds, while tweaks to the suspension and anti-roll bars are said to give the Aveo a smoother ride.

The Aveo is an important part of Chevrolet's small car lineup, which now includes the Cobalt and the Cobalt-based HHR compact crossover; it comes not a moment too soon, given the release of the 2006 Accent, Rio and Yaris, not to mention upcoming 2007 Honda Fit and Nissan Versa B-segment models, both introduced earlier this week in Detroit, plus the yet-to-be revealed Mitsubishi (a version of the award-winning Colt maybe?), and possibly a future Mazda subcompact, all targeting a more eco-friendly North American buyer.

But, of course, as mentioned at the beginning of this preview, the Aveo isn't

The new Aveo sedan is said to be designed to the highest safety standards. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

only targeting North American small car customers, but rather will continue to be sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. And compared to the dour news GM is experiencing almost daily, its global business is booming. At the forefront of these sales is the Aveo, the top-selling car produced by GM's GMDAT subsidiary.

To be clear, from January through October 2005, Chevrolet experienced a global sales increase of 189,030 vehicles, for a total of 3,644,947 units. This equals a growth of 5.5 percent! During the same period, the bowtie brand's global market share increased as well, from 6.6 to 6.74 percent, bolstering its third-place global standing.