Autos

Chevrolet Beat

Auto show debut: Detroit, January
What's different about it: Tiny size, youthful appeal

The Chevy Beat is one of a trio of small concept cars aimed at a similar target market to Toyota's Scion brand: young buyers interested in tiny, front-drive cars with a small, four-cylinder engine; and with expressive styling; high-tech electronic features (especially the stereo); and which are built to allow for a high degree of customization. The other two Chevy concepts are the Groove, a tiny, four-door panel truck; and the Trax, a midget SUV. Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager, said that of the three the Beat got the most positive consumer feedback based on thousands of online visits to a dedicated Web site and as a result, at the L.A. Show last month Chevy announced it would be putting the Beat in production by mid-2009.