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In a way the Chevette was a symptom of what is/was wrong with GM - they tried and still try to be all things to all people, to build at least one car that will appeal to every last person, specifically including people who don't know or care anything about cars. Imagine a restaurant that tried to compete with everything from steak houses to Micky Dee's - all under one roof. How could you manage that?
In a way the Chevette was a symptom of what is/was wrong with GM - they tried and still try to be all things to all people, to build at least one car that will appeal to every last person, specifically including people who don't know or care anything about cars. Imagine a restaurant that tried to compete with everything from steak houses to Micky Dee's - all under one roof. How could you manage that?
How is it other companies are able to do it successfully? Toyota making everything from the Yaris and Scion line on up to the Lexus IS-F? Nissan making everything from the Versa on up through Infiniti and the balls-to-the-wall GT-R? Daimler making everything from the Smart to cargo vans to the CL63 AMG? BMW makes everything from the Mini on up to the 7-series?
Chevy needs to bring to market a smaller, fuel efficient car that is competitive with the top vehicles in it's class in every respect. Materials quality, build quality, fuel efficiency, power, styling, price, etc etc.
If they do this and call it a Chevette, so be it. Not sure it is worth bringing back the stigma of that name, but in the end, if the car is truly world class, people will take note regardless of the nameplate.
I think the Chevette also earned poor crash test in 1984, but oddly, the older ones did average to occasionally good, but that was hitting another small car.
I think the Chevette also earned poor crash test in 1984, but oddly, the older ones did average to occasionally good, but that was hitting another small car.
First of all, if you notice, the front end is SUPPOSED to crush and absorb the impact energy instead of transferring it to the occupants. The passenger compartment, in this test, help up pretty well. Rearward movement of the instrument panel and steering wheel is minimal and the occupant's survival space was maintained well. Of course, these tests are simulating a crash with a vehicle of the same weight. In these tests, the Aveo does well. When it comes to larger and heavier cars hitting smaller and lighter cars, the laws of physics dictate that the larger and heavier car will come out better in most cases.
Thats right... the areas in front of the passenger cage/A-pillar are supposed to collapse, but its even the slight deformation of the A-pillar that concerns me. If this were heavy car, that would be very good, but that buckling, even though minor is like hitting another lightweight car... if it were to hit a heavier car, I would shudder at the results.... the collapse would be much more severe. Agreed, it is better though than some small cars of the 90s, but still not up to good standards... awhile back there was a link/discussion of small cars hitting larger cars in this IIHS test... in the test of the car against itself, they all did well and with NO deformation of the a-pillar, but against cars like the Accord/Camry/C-Class, the small car did not do near as well. I would hate to see this Aveo hit an Impala or even a Malibu in an off-set test.
A-pillars holding up like these is what you want to see - especially in a small car - these are larger cars/trucks with excellent ratings and against a small car, even less damage would occur....
this you dont want, especially with a small car...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_TN
First of all, if you notice, the front end is SUPPOSED to crush and absorb the impact energy instead of transferring it to the occupants. The passenger compartment, in this test, help up pretty well. Rearward movement of the instrument panel and steering wheel is minimal and the occupant's survival space was maintained well. Of course, these tests are simulating a crash with a vehicle of the same weight. In these tests, the Aveo does well. When it comes to larger and heavier cars hitting smaller and lighter cars, the laws of physics dictate that the larger and heavier car will come out better in most cases.
Last edited by Tennesseestorm; 05-29-2009 at 08:59 PM..
Thats right... the areas in front of the passenger cage/A-pillar are supposed to collapse, but its even the slight deformation of the A-pillar that concerns me. If this were heavy car, that would be very good, but that buckling, even though minor is like hitting another lightweight car... if it were to hit a heavier car, I would shudder at the results.... the collapse would be much more severe. Agreed, it is better though than some small cars of the 90s, but still not up to good standards... awhile back there was a link/discussion of small cars hitting larger cars in this IIHS test... in the test of the car against itself, they all did well and with NO deformation of the a-pillar, but against cars like the Accord/Camry/C-Class, the small car did not do near as well. I would hate to see this Aveo hit an Impala or even a Malibu in an off-set test.
A-pillars holding up like these is what you want to see - especially in a small car - these are larger cars/trucks with excellent ratings and against a small car, even less damage would occur....
No matter how well the A-pillar of a small Aveo-sized car holds up, the small car is at a disadvantage when hit by something larger and heavier. IIHS did a report on this not too long ago and when the Fit and the Accord were tested head-on, the fit came out miserably. When the Fit was crashed alone, the A-pillar held up beautifully. The same goes when they crashed the Toyota Yaris and a Camry. I feel it is safe to assume that if they did crash an Aveo and a Malibu, the Aveo would fare horrendously as well. I just wouldn't want to be in the Smart ForTwo, which when crashed against a C-Class, went airborn and did a 360 in addition to crushing horribly beyond the A-pillar.
Not to get off-topic, but hat is one reason I would not buy a car that small. Some people may be willing to take the risk for a fuel economy advantage, but I'm not one of them.
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