First look: Is this Holden's new baby?

GM HOLDEN is desperate for its expanding Daewoo model sourcing policy to be judged not on the meat pie brand's current Asian-built offerings, but the next generation of small to medium models from its sister company.

No, the Aveo hatch is not the first complete product of the collaboration between General Motors' Australian and South Korean subsidiaries, but it is at least one step closer.

The Aveo hatch was revealed late Monday by Chevrolet Europe ahead of its official public debut at the Frankfurt motor show on September 11 and its European release in March 2008.

Taking its name from the Kalos sedan, the Aveo hatch will replace the Daewoo's Kalos, which is known in Europe as the Chevrolet Kalos and in Australia as the Holden Barina.



GM says the updated Kalos/Barina/Aveo hatch is a “completely reworked” model with an all-new exterior and a “high-class” interior.

Far from all-new, the exterior appears to bring a new front-end with a large, horizontally-split grille (complete with Chev bow-tie badge) and large, curved clear-lens headlights similar to those on the Epica medium sedan.

There are also clear-lens tail-lights and the revised interior is likely to be borrowed from the newer Aveo/Barina sedan.

Australia’s Barina currently offers a 77kW/145Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder, and it's unknown whether it will be joined by a new, more efficient 62kW 1.2-litre petrol engine, which will be offered in Europe alongside the existing 73kW 1.4-litre petrol four, mated to a four-speed auto.

Holden doesn’t talk about future products, but the updated Aveo hatch is likely to become its answer to everything from Toyota's top-selling Yaris to the Kia Rio some time next year.