Chevrolet Kalos/Aveo – Facelift Friday

If General Motors is involved, there’s a good chance it’s going to be a complicated story. That certainly applies in this case as well. The car in question is the compact hatchback which, depending on geographic location, was launched in 2002 as Daewoo Kalos, but could also be found elsewhere in the world as Chevrolet Aveo, Holden Barina, Pontiac G3 and many other names. Internally, this first Kalos is called the T200, to distinguish this from the later facelift version.

To keep the overview somewhat, we will limit ourselves here to the European market, but that is still complicated enough. That starts right away in the first years, because the hatchback version of the Kalos designed by Italdesign got a different nose than the sedan. The dark viewers of the three- and five-door variants look a bit more ‘European’ than the split viewers of the four-door. That is no coincidence, because this front was also used on the hatchback version in Asia and North America, among other places. The sedan also got a slightly more rounded butt than the hatchback, which wraps itself around in sharp lines and tight folds.

First the sedan

The facelift that we are all about today was announced in 2005. Then the sedan version of the T200 was replaced by the T250 generation, for which the name ‘Chevrolet Aveo’ was also used in Europe for the first time. The changes to this model actually go a bit too far for this section, because it is more about a complete ‘reskin’ than a facelift. The sedan not only got a new – and unique – front, but also a sharp fold in the side, a slightly different side window and a much tighter butt. In fact, it was just a new generation, although the technical similarities with the predecessor are great.

Daewoo Kalos sedan (T200, up to 2005)

Chevrolet Aveo sedan (T250, 2005 onwards)

American charm

With the hatchback, however, it is different. This edition of the Kalos was called Chevrolet Kalos from 2005 and was not renamed Chevrolet Aveo until 2007. At the same time, the car got a different front, which was again completely different from that of the more thoroughly revised sedan. A large split grille with a Chevrolet logo placed on the ‘intermediate bar’ was supposed to give this model a hint of American charm, although it is of course a Korean product. The headlamps lost their dark housing in 2007, but were given a more striking shape with a striking spur at the top. At the back we find taillights with a round element that seems to want to leave the light unit at the bottom like a teardrop. As a Chevrolet Aveo, this car would remain available until 2011, after which a completely new Aveo would take over. Did that car finally have the same name worldwide? Well, in the same year Chevrolet decided to name this car ‘Sonic’ in the US. Yes, GM’s ways are impenetrable…