2024 Chevy Aveo: The Sonic Is Still Alive and Thriving, Just Not in the U.S.
The story of the Chevy Aveo goes back to the 1980s. America was still reeling from the 1973 fuel crisis that left American drivers everywhere high and dry without efficient transportation. Most American vehicles of the time had horrific gas mileage due to their heavyweight bodies and thirsty V8 engines that were an industry standard at the time. Americans started turning to Japanese imports to get better fuel-efficient vehicles, and American car companies noticed.
GM turned to Japan and partnered with Suzuki to build the Chevrolet Sprint, a small, economy hatchback that had two main jobs: to sip gas and be reliable. The Sprint was successful enough to birth a second generation called the Geo Metro. The Geo Metro gave way to the Chevy Aveo, the next generation of GM econoboxes. Here is everything you need to know about the Chevy Aveo.
Chevy Aveo: history and development
The Chevy Aveo was initially released in 2002 due to a partnership between GM and Daewoo of South Korea. It was released for the American market in 2004, and for its time, it was the cheapest new car you could buy in America.
You could easily find a brand new Aveo for less than $10,000, with the sticker price of the time falling in the $11,245 MSRP range. The Aveo got decent gas mileage at around 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.
While these numbers aren’t bad, the Aveo paled compared to the Geo Metro it replaced, which could achieve 37 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway.
The Aveo, unfortunately, suffered from rough build quality as well. The Chevy/Geo Metro was designed by Suzuki and had good build quality, but the Daewoo company that developed the Aveo was not known for its production quality. The Chevy Aveo was only known for its low price point and decent reliability when driven with care.
Chevy tries to forget about the Aveo with the Sonic
The Chevy Sonic started production in 2011 and took over the Aveo’s spot in Chevy’s lineup. The Chevy Sonic was a bold new take on the tired Amercian econobox. Commercials featured the Sonic skydiving out of a plane. Chevrolet went out of their way to make the Sonic appeal to young people.
According to The News Wheel, the 2015 Chevy Sonic stepped up its game with added OnStar capability and a wifi hotspot. The Sonic also features Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto, which brought the Sonic into the modern era as a car that could really appeal to young people. The Chevy Sonic ended production in 2020 to make way for the Bolt, Bolt EUV, and Chevy Trax.
The Chevy Aveo continues to sell in Mexico
The Chevy Aveo lineage continues today in North America, just not in the United States. Motor1 claims that the 2024 Chevy Aveo is being released in Mexico, and it is still incredibly cheap at $13,965 MSRP. The 2024 Aveo comes standard with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing around 107 hp. The Aveo is also available with a five-speed manual transmission if buyers are looking for a bare-bones basic vehicle.
The 2024 Aveo is being produced in China under SAIC-GM-Wuling, which is probably what is enabling the Aveo to be priced so affordably. If you are among the few Chevy Aveo fans in the country, you could always get one for yourself! You just may have to move to Mexico to experience the brand-new, Chinese-built Aveo.
