GM Makes Trax - and Groove, Beat - for NY Page 3

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1,874 views Apr 4, 2007

2007 Chevrolet Trax Concept

The five-seat Groove features a low, chopped roof, a short hood, and a windshield that’s the most upright of the trio. And the overall boxy look is likely to bring to mind the likes of a Mini or a Scion xB. For his part, Lyons preferred to make the comparison to the retro-tinged Chevrolet HHR, but with “a more modern scale, modern proportions.”

As with Trax, Chevy designers decided to play with a non-traditional paint, with Groove turning to a very coarse metallic flake that give a semi-gloss appearance they call Lunar Quartz. “It’s a whole new avenue for color exploration,” said Chris Webb, who is a trend spotted for GM North America. Among other things, he noted, Chevy is exploring the idea of two-tone paint jobs for a vehicle like Groove.

As displayed, the front-wheel-drive Groove would be driven by a super-high-mileage, 1.0-liter diesel engine.

Will we see Trax, Beat, or Groove on the road any time soon? Define “soon,” the GM executives cautioned, but Lyons acknowledged that it is “not unreasonable” to imagine at least one of these and “probably more than one” would be in production in the next year or two. Whether they’ll make it to the States is less certain, but with gas prices again topping $3 a gallon, the opportunities in the minicar segment are growing exponentially.

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