(22 Feb 05)

Full details of the new Chevrolet Matiz will become available when the car goes on display at the Geneva Show. What is already clear, though, is that this second-generation model is, in design terms, an update of the original shape, gaining in complexity what it perhaps loses in cuteness.

There will be two trim levels - SE and SX - and two engines. As before, these are 0.8-litre three-cylinder and one-litre four-cylinder units, now producing 52bhp and 66bhp respectively.

They're both Euro 4 compliant, and boast substantially improved fuel economy. The combined figure for the 0.8 leaps from 46.3mpg to 54.3mpg, while that for the 1.0 improves from 44.1mpg to 50.4mpg. In other words, the more powerful car is now significantly more economical than the less powerful one used to be.

This has been achieved largely through a reduction in both weight and drag. Chevrolet also promises quieter running and better sound insulation, aspects which will combine to make the interior of a Matiz a much quieter place than it was before.

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