It may have been the smallest of the three superminis Chevrolet unveiled here in New York, but the Chevrolet Beat is a concept that "pushes the excitement way out there," said Angelo Fraboni, unofficial MC of the GM press conference. We also heard it described as a "micro import tuner" and "urban grunge." Grunge... that's what the kids liked -- in 1992. Then we watched the dance troupe kick it to a club remix of Sean Paul...
What the front-wheel-drive Chevrolet Beat really seems to be is a slightly scaled-down Mini Cooper knock-off, and given how well that car drives, there's no shame in that.
"Every morning when you wake up, you yearn to be a hero that day," says Chief Designer Injo Kim, of GM's Seoul, Korea, design studio. The Beat evidently satisfies that yearning by virtue of the fact that it's "simple, free and casual, with a strong heart," Kim adds. That strong heart is a 1.2-liter turbocharged four working through an automatic transmission. We hope that engine likes rev.
The highlight of the press conference came at the end when out-of-shape journalists were asked to vote for the supermini they liked best by tossing foam balls (matched to the paint color of each concept car) into the crowd. You'll be glad to know the Beat was the unofficial winner of the ball toss. Even more fun: You, too, can vote on the viability of these concept cars at www.vote4chevrolet.com. — Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
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