Bob Lutz’s latest Fastlane livechat was dominated by discussion of GM’s “May The Best Car Win” campaign. As you might imagine, things got . . . interesting. Right out of the gate, Lutz confirmed that he would be racing Jalopnik’s Wes Siler. He also more or less confirmed TTAC commentators’ suspicions that GM would, well, cheat. “We’ll see if age and treachery beat youth and skill one more time,” Lutz said, echoing sentiments expressed by a famous pop chanteuse of which he is no doubt unaware. You want more?
Lutz’s emphasis on GM’s halo brand’s halo car wasn’t distracting the livechat attendees. Well, not too much anyway. “Hi Bob! I realy liked gm latest ad w/ whitacre but I’m not sure if the May the best car win can apply to the chevy aveo…when is the replacement due?” asked Matteo Ronzoni.
You’ll notice that the Chevy Aveo, sound little car that it is, is not featured in the ads. Its replacement is on the way, and it’s going to be sensational, done by an international product development team. Obviously, we’re not revealing exact launch timing.
And that wasn’t the end of Lutz’s backhanded treatment of Chevy’s unloved compact. A commenter named Aldo posed the following question:
An important part of brand identity is uniformity within the brand. A Mercedes-Benz feels like a Mercedes-Benz, regardless if you’re in a C, SLK, E, GL, etc. An Aveo driver wouldn’t have any sense of familiarity in a Malibu. A Malibu driver wouldn’t recognize the inside of an Equinox as being a Chevrolet. And they all have a different feel on the road. Is brand cohesiveness going to play a large role going forward? Subaru, Honda, Toyota, and even Ford seems to have their brand DNA apparent on each and every vehicle.
To which Lutz replies:
I challenge your premise, with the possible exception of the Aveo, which is a Daewoo, I believe there is as much consistent brand DNA between a Malibu, an Equinox, a Traverse, etc., as there is through the Toyota lineup, where you can’t argue that a Highlander has much in common with say an FJ Cruiser.
So the Aveo is a Daewoo? Then why does it have a bowtie on it? And if the Aveo is a Daewoo abomination, what does that make the forthcoming Chevy Spark? But before trying to answer that, consider Bob’s attempt to be real about his own ability to be real. First came the question:
Hi Mr. Lutz: will these ads be honest in the since [sic] that they will highlight the weaknesses of your vehicles as well as the strengths? For instant the Malibu doesn’t have a built-in navi option but the Accord and Camry do?
Bob’s reply?
We wil [sic] emphasize our strengths and not our weaknesses and in that sense we’ll be just like everybody else. When you’re applying for a job, you don’t tell your potential employer all about your weak areas.
Bob followed up the last comment by stating that “If we could keep 50% or more [of GM’s dead brands’ business] we would declare vicctory [sic].”
And GM thinks these kinds of revelations will help the perception gap how?
So GM’s slide into oblivion will continue.
Archeologists should be studying GM carefully at this point. They will learn how the dinosaurs coped with imminent extinction.
Emphasize your strengths as you sink deeper into the tar pit of rebadging yet another unwanted, unloveable subcompact.
“We wil [sic] emphasize our strengths and not our weaknesses and in that sense we’ll be just like everybody else. When you’re applying for a job, you don’t tell your potential employer all about your weak areas.”
Or in Bob’s case, lie your ass off and take credit for things you never touched. Then, once you have the job make sure to argue with the customer, instead of listening to the customer.
“I challenge your premise, with the possible exception of the Aveo, which is a Daewoo, I believe there is as much consistent brand DNA between a Malibu…”
For instant the Malibu doesn’t have a built-in navi option but the Accord and Camry do?
Why anyone would fork out 10 C notes (or more) in order to have an in-dash nav system, when you can buy something off the shelf for less than $200.00, is something I’ll never understand. What a nutball question–does anyone think a nav system is a deal breaker for a prospective Malibu buyer?
What’s with double spacing between sentences? That went out when the IBM Selectric came in. Also, I LOVE it when execs try to use terms that show they’re in tune with the youth of today, and get nothing but malaprops.
One of the social media initiatives we’ve launched is a challenge with the Cadillac CTS-V, which we claim to be the fastest 4-dr production sedan in the world, and we have asked any potential challenger to meet us at Laguna Seca and race what you brung.
That’s run, Bob. Run what you brung. In any case, rest assured we’re contacting GM to see if Jack Baruth counts as a normal driver.
Meanwhile, as a cigar smoker, I’m disappointed to hear that Lutz doesn’t think Avos or Dunhills are world class cigars. And there’s nothing cool about breaking the law to smoke Cuban cigars. Or is there?
Favorite cigar brand: Impossible to answer, depends on availability and many worldclass brands are not available in the U.S., if you know what i mean.
mpresley :
The fact is that those people exist and for them it’s quite possibly a dealbreaker for the Malibu.
Personally, I like the idea of the portable GPS unit I can take from vehicle to vehicle and upgrade relatively inexpensively as opposed to a pricey in-dash unit. I’m not most people though and I’m not trying to get as many eyes as possible considering buying my cars. GM can’t say the same.
What other midsize car doesn’t offer an in-dash nav option?
The Aveo needs to be replaced, yesterday. No argument from me, except to say it’s not nearly as bad as some here make it out to be, especially at its price point.
Regarding Aldo’s comment “A Malibu driver wouldn’t recognize the inside of an Equinox as being a Chevrolet“, I think Lutz was quite charitable in his response. The new Equinox not only shares the same front end as the Malibu, but the interiors of both cars are quite similary and instantly recognizable as Chevy products.
Maybe Aldo is speaking about the previous generation Equinox? There, he may have had a point. But as it stands, Lutz: 1, Aldo: 0.
The fact is that those people exist and for them it’s [Navi] quite possibly a dealbreaker for the Malibu.
The Malibu does have a navigation system, standard. It’s called OnStar and, IMO, it’s much safer and accurate than many other systems.
any potential challenger to meet us at Laguna Seca and race what you brung.
And when Jack goes to pick up an M5, make sure it has the Dinan S3 package. It’s available from some BMW dealers and should qualify as production. In fact, maybe Dinan would loan him a car.
Don’t worry about the brand DNA inconsistency. When Daewoo is designing all of their cars, that problem will be solved! Aveo DNA right across the line.
Why is GM so incredibly averse to offering a 5 year/60000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, 3 years free maintenance, and a 10 year/100000 mile fully transferable powertrain warranty?
I know GM’s warranty terms aren’t really any worse than what its competition offers, but they don’t have a bankruptcy and a “perception gap” to deal with.
Why do they think that some 60-day dealer return gimmick is going to alleviate people’s fears about their vee-hickles longterm reliability?
The Aveo needs to be replaced, yesterday. No argument from me, except to say it’s not nearly as bad as some here make it out to be, especially at its price point.
The only way somebody could say that would be if they were from, well, Detroit.
The Aveo gets worse mileage in practice than the (larger) Cobalt. That, alone, disqualifies it as a serious car.
No built in nav is definitely a deal-breaker for me. Better ergonomics, not having to stowand reset a portable unit everytime you park on a public street, less incentive to bust a window and break into my car.
Built in GPS:s will face the same fate as built in car-phones. Not mobile phones, car-phones. You know, those big units that was the latest craze circa 1990. As said, there’s no reason to buy a non-upgradable built in GPS unit for ten grand, when technology changes faster than the lease of the car. In ten-twenty years, those thingies will be deadder than the dodo’s…
I actually think he’s being pretty damn honest and straight shooting. The Aveo is an abomination. But he’s right about the Equinox and Malibu- I think there’s way more brand cohesiveness going on between the two than I’d say there is going on between a Honda CR-V and Accord. Check Mate. Ok, so again, the Aveo is crap- Honda builds crap, Toyota builds crap, and he’s politely stating that the development of the Aveo (although GM Daewoo may be involved with its replacement) was done in a manner GM doesn’t operate in anymore. That isn’t too hard to understand.
He’s also right about the nav system. You know what? They don’t offer it (nor do I really care- in-car navigation is a waste of money and is for people who don’t know what an iPhone is.) But he’s right- emphasize the car’s strengths (and the Malibu has many.)
In other words Lutz 1, Niedermeyer 0.
Anyone else notice that the Web site says that the “best car wins” campain started on Sept 13… and that has been moved now to Sept 14… Can GM do ANYTHING on time? on budget? They can’t even get a press release out on time…
We need a “New GM” deathwatch… They haven’t even started and things are already late.
Aveo looks good to me, but I haven’t driven it. I think it is 2 mpg less than Toyota Yaris, but the Aveo is also larger and heavier. I bought a used 2004 Suzuki Forenza for my daughter (it is GM Daewoo) and I really liked it, so I bought a new 08 for myself. I find these cars to be highly underrated. I would want to drive the Aveo before I made up my mind about it. I wonder, for all those who badmouth the Aveo, have they driven it? Is it really worse than the Yaris? Maybe GM has overpriced it, that would be a problem. A $2000-3000 price cut would put it where it needs to be, compared to Korean car competition.
As for built in GPS, one could say same the same thing about built-in OEM radios. They are overpriced JUNK (for the most part) and about 5 years behind the technology curve when compared to aftermarket units like Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, Pioneer & Sony.
However the trend for several years proves that most people prefer the built-in unit regardless of price.
The first automaker to just drop a generic small computer (think iPhone CPU & RAM specs) into the dash and then handle ALL options (radio, GPS, phone, OnStar, fancy Eco-readout) as simple software downloads will be AHEAD of the curve. I figure Nissan will do it first and GM… last of course.
Detroit Todd :
Onstar can provide some nav functions but has no screen so it simply can’t provide visual cues. A nav device with a screen provides a lot more value while not requiring a subscription (although there are some premium services you can opt for with other nav units).
So basically GM’s cars are crap – having nothing in common with each other (apart from being crap) and GM’s management way of trying to overcome this problem is by repeating “Our cars are GOOD” ad-infinitum until someone believes it? Nice. Good luck trying to sell GM back into private ownership Obama.
So basically GM’s cars are crap
Some of them are, the vast majority are average, and some are really good. The problem is, I think, they need MORE really good cars after all they bad PR they’ve gotten. There is no doubt that their lineup is stronger than it was ten years ago, but that probably isn’t enough at this point.
Good luck trying to sell GM back into private ownership Obama.
I really hope they sell them to Nissan-Renault. That would be a good fit for whats left of GM and some competent outsiders would finally be at the helm.
What’s the definition of “production”? Is it “x” number of vehicles produced out of the factory, “x” vehicles registered, “x” vehicles sold to the public?
If you produce 1 car down the line, is that production? Until Mr. Lutz defines that, or the FIA or other relevant sporting/motoring bodies agree on the definition, anybody could put a “one hit wonder” down the track against the CTS or GM could put a “ringer” down the track, not that they would do something so unethical :)
Personnaly I’d put this up against the CTS-V
http://www.hsv.com.au/hsv/home/
The original navigation system is still the best.
It is called a map.
@RF
The important thing about breaking the law to smoke Cuban cigars is that the trickle down effect of US money going to Cuba helps keep the living museum of ’50s and earlier American cars alive. Thus, for cigar smokers to smoke Cuban cigars is actually a Mitzva. (For those who, unlike RF and me, are not Jewish or well-acquainted with Jewish lore, suffice it to say that a Mitzva is a major, major, major good deed.
I challenge your premise, with the possible exception of the Aveo, which is a Daewoo, I believe there is as much consistent brand DNA between a Malibu, an Equinox, a Traverse, etc., as there is through the Toyota lineup, where you can’t argue that a Highlander has much in common with say an FJ Cruiser.
I’m dizzy from the spin. First off the FJ is a one off retro stylistic exercise for Toyota, similar to the Camaro. The DNA is in the history.
Now back the the orginal question..Where is the common DNA across the Aveo, Cobalt, Malibu, and Impala? I see none. Would it have been too much to just admit this and say that they are adressing the issue as older models get replaced?
Just putting a bowtie, the symbol of the Impala SS, and the Corvair, and countless other icons from the middle of the last century, on a Daewoo is an abomination. Nonetheless, compared to (forgive me, Father, for I am about to sin) a caliber, an Aveo is a thing of beauty.
Built in GPS:s will face the same fate as built in car-phones. Not mobile phones, car-phones. You know, those big units that was the latest craze circa 1990. As said, there’s no reason to buy a non-upgradable built in GPS unit for ten grand, when technology changes faster than the lease of the car. In ten-twenty years, those thingies will be deadder than the dodo’s…
I’ve never seen one for ten grand, though I have seen plenty for what looks like a ridiculous two or three grand (sometimes paired with backup camera, etc.)
But I agree with JMII; not much in the above couldn’t be said about OEM stereos versus aftermarket units (I agree that right now GPS units seem to be improving more rapidly), and the trend there has been for fewer aftermarket units, not more.
It wouldn’t surprise me if in ten-twenty years the standalone GPS-only unit is dead or near dead, with both OEM units and GPS-on-smartphone applications taking over.
I don’t know.
I wonder under what circumstances Lutz and the rest could appease this crowd. No offense, but given what they have to work with, and what they are up against, could they possibly win? Have they done anything positive?
How many here have truly driven an Accord back-to-back with a Malibu? The new Equinox, from what I’ve seen, is a solid offering with amazing fuel economy. The Corvette is the Corvette.
It’s not all bad.
But the negative bias sure is. I’m going to hold off on really judging GM until I see the Cruze. It could be a solid small car offering. Or at least for the sake of our tax dollars, and our economy, I sure hope it is.
A few celebrities + cars (nothing against the crack TTAC aces) who could make the Laguna Seca at least watchable by shaming Lutz into actually listening to the engineers instead of the executive compensation committee: Any member of The BBC’s Top Gear, but in order of preference: Captain Slow James May in a V12 AMG Black then, Hamster in a Porsche 911 GT3, then Jeremy Clarkson in a Mitsubishi Evolution X FQ400, then the Stig in his choice of: Audi RS4, Dinan BMW M3, Ford GT, Viper ACR, Overfinch Range Rover or any Prodrive Subaru of the last 5 years.
The original navigation system is still the best.
It is called a map.
lenah
just mind the crease with the tape holding it together and the destination is just on the other side of that chocolate smear (just hope its chocolate…Oh hang on, thats the advantage paper has over LCD, you’re referring to)
Detroit Todd :
September 14th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
“The Malibu does have a navigation system, standard. It’s called OnStar and, IMO, it’s much safer and accurate than many other systems.”
And I have a map and can ask for directions, IMO it’s a much cheaper than a GPS plus I can get local insight that onstar or GPS can’t hope to provide.
It’s not what you think that matters, it’s what the paying customer thinks.
Edward I believe this was the quote : Cut and pasted.
Bob Lutz: To the extent that my driving skills permit, i will take on normal non-professional drivers using verified production 4-dr sedans. If someone shows up with an experienced race driver we will have to counter that with our own John Heinricy, who will clean anybody’s clock. Laguna Seca was my top-of-the-head idea, but we had an immediate favorable response from the CEO of the track, who is most eager to get involved in this.
It is confirmed he will use a production CTSV non ringer against any other production 4 Dr.
Non tweeked.
How many here have truly driven an Accord back-to-back with a Malibu? The new Equinox, from what I’ve seen, is a solid offering with amazing fuel economy. The Corvette is the Corvette.
It’s not all bad.
But the negative bias sure is.
Fiat Croma
Cadillac BLS
Chevrolet Malibu
Opel Signum
Opel Vectra
Saab 9-3
Saturn Aura
Pontiac G6
that is the list of other models that uses the Epsilon chassis an only now is GM getting a car that will MATCH the others.
And by the way I believe he said he would take on all that showed so Jack has no excuse.
Heathroi all of those are epsilon 1 chassis. The Opel Insignia and the China Buick Regal are the first Epsilon 2 chassis. There is a significant difference between EP1 and EP2. The NA Buick Lacrosse is the first NA vehicle to sit on the EP2 chassis.
Its the difference between an Ipod and an Ipod Touch. Quite significant.
The first automaker to just drop a generic small computer (think iPhone CPU & RAM specs) into the dash and then handle ALL options (radio, GPS, phone, OnStar, fancy Eco-readout) as simple software downloads will be AHEAD of the curve
A lot of this is already done with commodity software: the problem is that it’s never upgraded. There’s a few reasons for this:
* Upgrades mean testing. Testing costs money. Manufacturers would rather self-pleasure with a cheese grater than spend money on a product they’ve already gotten revenue for.
* Upgrades mean changes. Changes mean liability. As above, except the cheese grater is coated in iodine.
* Adding post-sale features can land you afoul of SOX in the US. Yes, really. So, on top of QA and liability, we now have SOX compliance. Awesome. Iodine and ground glass.
This is why you will rarely get free feature-enabling upgrades for anything. Automotive is especially nasty because the liability issue is just so huge (lots of product, lots of dollars, lots of stupid and/or malicious people). There’s a saying in software development with regards to upgrades: “You upgraded my computer and now my toaster burns my toast!”. But people put with all sorts of shit when it comes to software; upgrade a car and the product liability lawyers will be out for your blood as soon as they find a way to blame you for something that’s only tangentially related.
I’d love to see new features added, and things like Ford’s SYNC should make this easy. But they don’t, and probably won’t, unless there’s a sea change in the way liability law works.
What I would like is a universal head unit form factor. Something that would let us plug in a standard entertainment and telematics system from anyone we choose. We could even have an ISO standard for it.
Thus, for cigar smokers to smoke Cuban cigars is actually a Mitzva.
I’m not sure that providing hard currency to the most totalitarian regime in our hemisphere is a good thing. Castro and his regime are scum. It’s interesting that the one thing that Castro and the communists haven’t been able to mess up is the ability of Cubans to make good smokes.
For those who, unlike RF and me, are not Jewish or well-acquainted with Jewish lore, suffice it to say that a Mitzva is a major, major, major good deed.
No, a Mitzva is a commandment, of which traditional Jews say there are 613 in the Torah. They are roughly divided in two groups, those involved with human/human interaction, bein adam l’chavero (lit. between a man and his friend) and human/divine interaction bein adam l’makom (lit. between a man and God). To be sure, many of those commandments involving how to act towards other people involve things that most people would say is a “good deed”, but like the other more “ritual” commandments, the only thing that makes them “good”, at least as far as the Torah is concerned is the fact that God commands them. People will do stuff for religious reasons that they might not otherwise do. Making ethical behavior a religious obligation just might encourage more ethical behavior than if it was just a suggestion.
Bubba Gump
whoops apologies for not being specific enough but still my point is that they have a number of models to get things sorted and yet they have fallen short.
I work in a GM store as a partsman, and I can’t really fault the Aveo. I’m a minimalist at heart, and don’t do flash and bling very well personally. I do appreciate reliability and economy though.
We sell lots of Aveos, and quite frankly, we’re surprised when there’s a warranty request. Make sure the timing belt is replaced at the 100,000 km interval. That’s about it. Just regular maintenance besides that. We’ve seen the odd failure on the front wheel bearings, but you don’t have to replace the whole hub like you do on other GM products.
I’ve driven them, and find them peppy and enjoyable to drive. The standard transmission is kind of wishy-washy, but the automatic is great.
I’m not sure that providing hard currency to the most totalitarian regime in our hemisphere is a good thing. Castro and his regime are scum.
No, but we’ll gladly sing the “economic cooperation means freedom for the people (eventually, fingers crossed while saying it)” when talking about other governments across the world.
Or when regimes in our hemisphere that just happen to be a) not communist, b) not linked to a swing state and/or c) not politically embarrassing to five or six administrations.
I’ve been to Cuba, as well as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala. Cuba and Costa Rica are easily the nicest of the bunch, politically and socially, though admittedly Costa Rica is ahead by a large margin (Haiti is the worst, and at it’s worst under that paragon of anti-Communism, Papa Doc Duvalier). If the US could get over it’s public humiliation at Castro’s hands and/or ignore the whinging ex-pats in Florida (many of whom made out like bandits under Bautista) perhaps he’d have gone away, you know, like China’s authoritarian regime was supposed to.
Let’s acknowledge that perhaps Castro, while not perfect, is far and away from being really bad in the sense that, say, Augusto Pinochet was. Buying cigars from Cuban peasants is hardly worthy of scorn, and is certainly a dubious position to take when you live in a country that extradited innocent people for the purposes of having them tortured. The Grand Ledger Of Evil is a problematic thing to wield because you never really know how many entries are in your column.
And Cuba has lots of cool old cars on the road. Niedermeyer could have material for months just visiting Havana for a week. I think you should visit it, if for no other reason than you need to open your horizons a little.
I’ve driven them, and find them peppy and enjoyable to drive. The standard transmission is kind of wishy-washy, but the automatic is great.
The Aveo’s problem is that it’s not a lot better than the Yaris or Accent, while getting much worse real-world fuel economy. You’re right that it’s not as bad a car as people make it out to be, but the fuel economy and general mediocrity make it a poor choice.
I’d also second your point about the automatic: it’s a good unit, probably the best in this class next to the Versa’s CVT. The manual is, as you say, terrible. A Ram 3500 is more snick-snick.
I wonder, for all those who badmouth the Aveo, have they driven it?
Three different times, from the rental counter. The only thing you could say about it that is remotely positive for GM is that it makes the Cobalt look like it’s not the worst car in the world.
And it IS as bad a car as people make it out to be. It’d be a bad car if it was competing against the cheapo subcompacts of the 1990s, even.
What I don’t get is why once the pricing slight angling is over and done, at least in these parts you can get a Cobalt for something like $500 more than an Aveo. A better car, with mileage that to me anyway is not a whole lot worse.
Dumb question about the nav system though…get one that you can stick on your dashboard, pay $300, and when it’s obsolete, get a new one.
M1EK: The only way somebody could say that would be if they were from, well, Detroit.
Point taken, but the new Focus is actually a decent car – if you can get past the looks – and our 2005 model has been reliable so far, with 92,000 miles on the odometer.
The real game-changer will be the new Fiesta. I drove one at the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals. It could do for really small cars what the Explorer and original Taurus did for SUVs and aerodynamic design – make them acceptable to middle America.
I noticed this:
“From GayWheels: Speaking of the warranty, many people (journalists included) are not aware of it. It isn’t even getting a lot of press in advance of the ads featured Mr. Whitacre. How can GM get that message across better? EVERYONE knows about Hyundai.”
“15:29 Bob Lutz: We have admittedly failed in conveying the fact that we have the best warranty in the business, but we aren’t about to let that lapse continue.”
Bob, everybody has heard about the 5/100. Nobody cares about the 5/100, so they don’t bother to remember the 5/100. Nobody but you believes it’s the best warranty in the business.
So….what happens to all the benefits of this campaign if someone crashes and burns?
You people that say Chevrolet has a quality problem are on another planet. There is only one brand that has 3 Consumer Digest Best Buys, uh that would be Chevy, The Malibu, Traverse and Silverado to be exact. J.D. Power ranked Malibu numero uno in quality for 2008(can Accord or Camry say that).
The New Equinox is phenomenally better than the Jap Crap in styling,fit and finish, comfort and quiet, and MPG. Have you seen the Camaro? It is freaking HOT!!!!!!!!!!! Aveo Schmaveo-who cares, it will get redone. The Volt is coming on like a freight train that gets 230MPG-Bite me Yota, saying that you are not going to compete in the electric car market? Your 5 billion dollar loss in 08 will seem small to your future losses. Chevrolet warranty covers Bumper to bumper 3/36-Powertrain 5/100-Roadsise Assist 5/100-Courtesy transportation 5/100 and the peace of mind of Onstar. No other company offers all these-no one.
About a month ago a mother and her 11 year old son and the dog went exploring in Death Valley on a dirt road to an old mining ghost town. The Jeep got stuck and they spent 6 days in 115 degree heat in the daytime and 97 at night. The boy died, her cell had no signal.Nuff said about why Onstar is important. Had she had Onstar her Son would still be alive.
Just be an informed buyer, do your homework and at the very least test drive and shop 2 American Brands before you throw your money overseas to Asian brand that are living on past glory-they aint all that anymore. Baseball,Apple Pie, and Chevrolet all the way.
but the new Focus is actually a decent car
No doubt. Ford never actually convinced me they hated small car buyers and wanted them to go away the way GM has done.
M1EK: No doubt. Ford never actually convinced me they hated small car buyers and wanted them to go away the way GM has done.
Ford seems to have had better experiences with small cars. The original Falcon outsold the Corvair, and never caused Ford embarrassment and grief, unlike the Corvair did for GM.
Even the Pinto outsold the Vega, and didn’t really have its reputation ruined until the Mother Jones article in 1978, or seven years after it debuted. And the Escort was a steady seller for Ford without causing any major headaches.
Matt51,
I have an 09 aveo… it was a gift… never look a gift horse in the mouth… ya right… my mother bought it for me with the demand I sell my car… we haven’t spoken in weeks. The daewoo aveo… er I mean chevy aveo rides like a 1979 ford pick up, if you are over 5 foot tall you don’t fit in it, let alone anyone on the back seat, it’s a 5 door two seater. the a/c shuts down when you press on the gas; and you have to press on the gas a lot, to get any momentum. It breaks rough, it sucks gas horribly… I’m going into debt trying to keep gas in it… at least $60.00 a week… DON’T EVERY GET AN AVEO! it will cost you more then it could ever be worth!!