In a conversation with Automotive News, GM COO Fritz Henderson expressed his doubt that a 'microcar,' much like any of the three Chevy concepts shown at the 2007 New York auto show, would make their way to the U.S.
This isn't the first doubt GM's expressed on bringing such a car here, but it is perhaps the most damning. We'd first heard the Beat concept would make its way to production, only to have GM product czar Bob Lutz proclaim it wouldn't be sold here. Hopes rode high again when Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper revealed one of the other two concepts would come to America by 2011.
Though Henderson admitted small cars - including the firm's own Aveo and the ultra-small Smart ForTwo - have found buyers in America, he played down their reception to "a bit of a phenomenon." If larger cars, like the forthcoming Chevy Cruze, achieve similar fuel economy figures, Henderson believes shoppers will choose a larger favor.
Given America's love affair with big, brash automobiles, Henderson may have a point - but we still wonder if skyrocketing sales of the Mini Cooper indicate there's more of a market here than GM realizes...
Source: Automotive News