By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com
March 29, 2007
Chevrolet plans to test drive three new minicars at the New York Auto Show and ask consumers just what they think about the tiny urban racers.
Minicars are vehicles smaller than subcompacts like the Chevrolet Aveo or Honda Fit and GM wants to sample consumer reaction to them before committing to their production.
The cars were designed at GM studios in Inchon, South Korea. The first of the little cars is called the Chevy Trax and the Trax is the only one of the three minis Chevy is talking about right now.
The four-door Trax is powered by a 1-liter engine and is a flat-faced little unit with sweeping headlights and small engine vents on its flared fenders. The little car is said to lool a lot like a muscular and boxy Minicooper.
Chevrolet plans to ask consumers to offer their opinions of the little cars on the Web site www.vote4chevrolet.com and will use the results to gauge whether to bring a production version of the little car to the U.S. market.
The subcompact market has only a handful of choices for consumers as minicars are becoming more and more fashionable and practical.
Minicars offer top of the line gas mileage and are easy to park. Many minicars carry a price tag in the $10,000 range.
