2007 Chevrolet Beat Concept

Of the trio the pint-sized concepts on the Chevrolet display at New York, the Beat is the most complete package. It's the only one with a full interior and a complete, running powertrain. The interior features cloth-upholstered seats and a cloth-covered dashboard; the gauges are housed in a free-standing pod that's perched atop the steering column; and the cargo area has a subwoofer that pops up out of the floor. The Beat has a slightly larger engine than its two siblings: a 1.2-liter with a turbocharger. The most performance-oriented of the group, the Beat takes the European-style hot hatch idea to its tiniest extreme. The styling is more rakish than the other two, with a more steeply sloped windshield and hood. The car rolls on 17-inch wheels and its brake calipers are painted to match the body. Design-wise, you can see a bit of the Chevy WRCC concept that was shown at Paris last fall. Both cars were done under the direction of Dave Lyons, head of GM's Asia-Pacific studios, but the WRCC was designed in Australia while the Beat was designed in Korea.