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Dear Lord. That nameplate is a death sentence.
Well… actually… the Matiz was the least terrible of all of Daewoo’s cars (simply because, at that price, you’re not expecting much)… but to go from the gorgeous Guigaro design to that bodge-job of badge engineering is an insult too far.
What’s wrong? Everything.
It looks like the designers used a boxfish for inspiration.
Actually, the Spark is the best looking of all the three city car concepts… although that’s like winning the Special Olympics.
Gee, Daewoo SURE knows how to make a car look repulsive.
Why stop the headlights there? I think they could run another foot or two and taper half-way through the door.
such an unattractive car. the roof rack bars are a delightful touch too.
who in their right mind would take one of these over a Fiesta? won’t be long till a new gen Yaris/Swift arrive either
Surely this must be some sort of malevolent fake, Fritz Henderson hates badge engineering! He said it so it must be true.
What’s wrong? That any of even care to look at a post about a Daewoo! What were we thinking when we clicked?!
Susan01 makes it thru the spam filter but I get cut off at the pass – oh the irony….
susan01 is phishing.
No thank you, I’ll just take an Accent.
Perhaps it’s the angle but it looks like a scaled down model of a cargo van, like a Ford Transit. Except the Transit looks a lot better…
@V6 :
who in their right mind would take one of these over a Fiesta?
Maybe some of the people who are only willing to spend 2/3 of the price of a base 60hp Fiesta but want a new car.
Seriously, this isn’t in the same price or size class as a Fiesta/Yaris/Fit. It’s MUCH smaller.
I drove one of these – same color, five door version – as a rental in the UK. It is really quite a step down from a “real” small car like a VW Polo or Nissan Micra – this thing is *really* small, so small that it felt somewhat uncomfortable driving it on British roads. On the positive side, this car felt as tight as such a small three-cylinder thingie can probably be and for what it was, it might be hard to beat.
In the UK I found myself in an urban world of public transportation, congestion, and no or hyperexpensive parking. The neighbor left her useless BMW standing idle for extended periods of time and walked back and forth to the grocery store and the bus stops. In such a world, a Matiz makes some sense.
I don’t see what is wrong with the picture. It is what it is. Personally I could take it or leave it, but in no way does it rise to the level of W3TP status. The sycophantism on the other hand ran its course a long time ago…
Isn’t that the fabulous new Chevy Beat?
So this new “premium” compact that’s supposed to beat the world is a replacement for a mediocre, sells-because-it’s-cheaper minicar developed by the same people who brought us the fantastic Leganza and Lanos?
Seems promising.
@KalapanaBlack :
So this new “premium” compact
A Matiz is not a premium compact. It’s just one of the cheapest cars on the market. That’s the reason for it’s existence.
That neon lemon-lime color, reminds me of asparagus colored body fluid…
In the USA, GM will launch a 4-door with hatchback called the Chevy Spark. EN has the timing in his editorial about GM’s lineup. I believe Darwin Hathaway had a chance to sit in it at GM’s design dome, but I don’t know if he did.
I went to the same display, with a group of GM employees. I sat in both the front and back seats with a 6’+ tall middle-aged guy doing the same. We both liked it and he had lots of leg- and headroom. GM design targeted it for an entry level new car buyer – a youthful, Tuner crowd – but the physical rendition appealed to all age groups. And door closing sound quality for such a small door was sonorous music to my ears.
Say what you will, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s cheap, it’s mobile, and because of that it will sell, regardless of its styling.
Mirko Reinhardt :
August 20th, 2009 at 10:19 am
@KalapanaBlack :
So this new “premium” compact
A Matiz is not a premium compact. It’s just one of the cheapest cars on the market. That’s the reason for it’s existence.
Yes, but Chevrolet has been pushing this as a Mini/Fit competitor in the semi-premium subcompact segment.
Considering the fact that vast chunks of the Daewoo empire are going bankrupt, and more importantly that everyone thinks their cars are sh*te – why on earth does GM allow such a terrible brand as Daewoo be associated with Chevrolet – hang on, I think I’ve answered my own question.
Daewoo ought to simplify matters and just call their products IBH (Install badge here) -1, 2, 3, etc.
Badge engineering has been Daewoo’s niche for some years, and really it ought to be given the names they give their cars, such as “Saehan Bird,” or my personal favoriet the “Maepsy.”
As for its looks, it’s proof that imitation is certainly not the sincerest form of flattery.
Could be worse though; they could be trying to imitate models of cars they made 30 years ago.
This was the Beat concept introduced in 2007 if I remember it right. So we can expect GM to sell it to the rest of the world as a Chevrolet.
I think this more of a competitor for the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, and the Suzuki Celerio. The Viva will be going against the Fiesta, Fit, and Yaris.
The premium compact GM’s been touting is likely the Cruze and/or the Opel Astra.
i always wondered what happens when you leave an aveo next to a suzuki sx4…
This makes me want to buy more stock in Honda.
On the plus side: This car (aka the 2011 Chevy Spark) is 143 inches long, more than a foot shorter than the Fiesta and 7 inches shorter than a Yaris, and it will probably be a fair bit cheaper than either. The Chevy version gets a 1.2 liter 4.
On the minus side: My god it’s ugly. According to Edmunds it will have an ancient 4-speed auto.
In fairness though: Chevy has been touting this as a fun, entry-level car–not as premium transportation. Try Googling “Chevy Spark” and “premium” and you’ll come up dry.
Those headlamps are el-huge-o. They would look in place on a full size car. This must be that new “macho” styling language in action again. Take a wimpy little car and give it big macho headlamps so it won’t look so wimpy.
I actually don’t mind the overall styling of the vehicle considering its price range.
But THAT color … lime green … phew… even Kermit the Frog would puke.
I think it would look much better in another color like black or metallic silver.
Why is that little car staring at me?