There is no shortage of world firsts for Chevrolet at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, and joining the Orlando MPV and Cruze hatchback show car will be the eagerly awaited Chevrolet Aveo 5-door, which like the Orlando makes its world production debut.

The Aveo RS show car was displayed at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows earlier in 2010, and with the final production-ready model, Chevrolet has a car that looks every bit as good as the earlier concept.

Entering the highly competitive global small car segment, striking design elements of the new Chevrolet Aveo include the aggressive looking front with its exposed twin-headlamps and dual port grille, compact taut body panels with a rising shoulder line and short rear overhangs, the ‘hidden’ rear door handles which now feature in the c-pillar and a ‘body in, wheels out’ profile which is now very much part of the new Chevrolet design language.

Reminiscent of the recently introduced Spark, the new Aveo is unquestionably a car that will appeal to younger customers with its sporty hot-hatch look. With its practicality and good interior space Chevrolet also expects the new Aveo to appeal to families.

The new Chevrolet Aveo has benefited from an extensive development programme, resulting in a small car that will meet European drivers’ tastes both in terms of design and dynamics. Final specifications of the new Aveo will be carefully tailored to each European market.

Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe says: “It’s just such an exciting time to be at Chevrolet; not only do we have new entries into the MPV and compact classes, in Aveo we have a car which is ready to compete against the best in the small car segment, which is also Europe’s largest segment.”

The new Aveo is longer and wider than the current model, giving it a spacious interior and cargo volume that is among best in its class. The interior design perhaps holds even more surprises than the outside, in particular the motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster which features an analogue tachometer combined with a digital speedo and warning lights. Up-market blue backlighting features on the centre console while the whole of the front cabin is enveloped in a wrap-round fascia. This can be colour-coded and flows from the dash into both the driver’s and front passenger’s doors. Aveo customers will appreciate the quality materials used in the interior as well as multiple storage spaces in the center stack and the modern audio system with USB, aux-in and Bluetooth functionality.

Reflecting the little Chevrolet’s sporty personality, Aveo has been engineered to provide involving handling, a characteristic which stems partly from its tight body frame integral (BFI) structure where high torsional rigidity has been achieved – among the stiffest in the small car segment. The new Aveo’s chassis has been fine tuned to satisfy European tastes with a ride and handling ratio that combines comfort with responsiveness. Electronic stability control (ESC) and ABS brakes will be standard.

A comprehensive range of four cylinder petrol and diesel engines will be available in the new Chevrolet Aveo, incorporating the latest technologies such as variable valve timing, double continuous variable cam phasing and common rail fuel injection for the diesels. The petrol engine range includes a 1.2 litre version (at 85bhp) and a 1.4 litre unit (99bhp). For the first time, Aveo will be offered with two versions of a 1.3 litre diesel engine (at 74bhp and at 94bhp) featuring Start/Stop technology.