Non-Camaro News: Chevrolet Shows off two new Sporty Concepts at Detroit Auto Show

Chevrolet Rules Detroit Auto Show with new Concepts

Chevrolet's new 130R concept, based on the Alpha Platform designed for the 2015 Camaro, was the runaway hit at last week's Detroit Auto Show.

It appears that Chevrolet has learned from the success of its Camaro. The current hottest market in the automotive world (maybe with exception to the pony car market, of course) is the $20,000 and less, 40mpg small-car market for the "millenial generation". Chevy recently released the Sonic in to this market and the reviews and original sales have been incredibly promising. Of course, with the Sonic going up against a bevy of other vehicles like the Honda Fit, Hyundai Veloster, and vehicles from Ford, Mazda, Scion, etc. just being stylish, affordable, and having great gas mileage isn't enough. In this crowding market, you need something to help you stand apart, and the 130R has plenty of things.

There's no denying the stylistic influence of the Camaro in this gorgeous sporty sub-compact entry.

This new concept, whose styling is very obviously based on the very popular Camaro, is an incredible vehicle and one I'd love to see Chevrolet begin producing. First, there's the Alpha Platform. This platform, which was designed by Chevrolet for use on the Cadillac ATS, the 2015 Camaro, and the next-generation Cadillac CTS allows for an affordable RWD base for the 130R. By producing a RWD vehicle in this market, Chevrolet's already setting themselves apart from the rest of the market. The RWD platform, which is mostly unheard of in this market share with sole exception to the soon to be released Scion FR-S, will help make this car a sporty, fun driving entry.

At sub-$20,000, with RWD and 40mpg EPA rating, this vehicle would be a definite hit.

In addition to the fascinating RWD platform, and the gorgeous styling, this car also promises to feature some other goodies that will be sure to drive its sales. The engine looks to be the 140hp 1.4L Ecotec, which is right in line with the other vehicles in this market sector and will certainly provide the benchmark 40mpg rating that every manufacturer is fighting for. However, the platform and vehicle size also mean that the turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec engine developed for the Cadillac ATS would also fit inside this car. That engine, and its 270HP output, could potentially be released as a special, or high-end edition of this vehicle and provide some great performance numbers in such a small and sporty RWD vehicle. In fact, the release of such a vehicle--if it were able to be sold below the $30k--would certainly generate a great deal of buzz.

The tail-lights and rear-end on this RWD Chevrolet 130R concept vehicle are very Camaro-esque.

So, what do you think? Is this mini-Camaro a good move for Chevrolet? All signs point to them expecting positive results, as Chevrolet did lots of market research on its design and the concept present at the Detroit Auto Show was actually very near finished. If Chevrolet found reason to, one could believably see them entering in to production on this vehicle within a year's time--a move that I, personally, would love to see. I'd love to have one of these in my garage as a fuel-efficient daily driver to supplement my Camaro SS. Both would be gorgeous, fun, and stand-out vehicles in their market!