Auto giant General Motors Corp. will speed decision on bringing the
next-generation Chevrolet Beatmini car, a vehicle it sells overseas, to the US
market in the 2012 timeframe, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
Such a move would increase the stakes on GM's bet the US market is undergoing
historic change.
GM's US sales were down 16 percent in the first half of the year, and the
auto maker can't move fast enough to meet demand for its smallest, most
fuel-efficient cars.
The next generation of GM mini cars, on which the Beat is based, is slated to
debut in several global markets in coming years and should be capable of at
least 40 miles per gallon.
GM is one of several players looking to eventually enter a mini-car segment
that currently is almost nonexistent.
Daimler AG's Smart cars are the only serious mini cars on the market, having
gone on sale earlier this year, and thus far have shattered expectations.
Smart's sales through the first half hit 11,400 in the United States, putting
the company well on track to shatter the initial target of 16,000 sales in the
first year.
