GM to Speed Decision on Mini Car for U.S. Market

Auto giant General Motors Corp. will speed decision on bringing the next-generation Chevrolet Beat mini car, a vehicle it sells overseas, to the U.S. market in the 2012 timeframe, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Such a move would increase the stakes on GM's bet the U.S. market is undergoing historic change.

GM's U.S. 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. 

Source: CRIEnglish