First Sketches: 2011 Chevrolet Viva, or Agile, formerly Aveo

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2011 Chevrolet Viva, to be sold in South America as Chevrolet Agile

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We've known for a while that the Chevrolet Aveo would be replaced by the 2011 Chevrolet Viva, which will be sold in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, courtesy of GM's new global product development process.

Now the first official renderings have landed from GM, and if the production car looks anything like the sketches, the new subcompact will have styling every bit as racy as that of the 2011 Ford Fiesta it will compete against.

Bob Lutz, who formerly headed GM product development and recently un-retired to return as head of marketing, has claimed the new car's design will be competitive or better with the best in its segment.

"It is a full car of youth, with a design that is going to surprise," says Carlos Beard, design chief of GM Mercosur (as translated by Babelfish).

The sketches come from South America, where the car is to be built in Argentina and sold as the Agile, starting in the fourth quarter of this year. It is the first of several vehicles to be developed from the Viva platform.

Given the Agile name, GM clearly isn't following Ford's practice of giving a car the same model name no matter where it's sold. Perhaps memories of apocryphal problems with the Nova name still resonate?

In the US market, the 2011 Chevrolet Viva will be one size smaller than the compact 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, already confirmed to replace the aging and subpar Chevrolet Cobalt.

The Viva will probably be built in the US, in a UAW-represented plant in Orion Township, Michigan, that GM had previously planned to close.

2011 Chevrolet Viva, to be sold in South America as Chevrolet Agile

Enlarge Photo

2011 Chevrolet Viva, to be sold in South America as Chevrolet Agile

Enlarge Photo

[MotorTips via IndianCarBlog]