Affordable, small hatchbacks were becoming a rarity after the last generation Suzuki Swift and Chevy Metro/Pontiac Firefly were discontinued in 2000. Hyundai and Kia carried the torch for a few years with the Accent and Rio, then Toyota joined the race with the Echo hatchback. Now Suzuki and Chevrolet are back with the Swift + and Aveo respectively.
While the previous Swift/Metro/Firefly models were manufactured at a joint GM/Suzuki plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, the new Swift/Aveo are built by General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology (GMDAT) in Bupyong, South Korea. GMDAT was formed in 2002 when General Motors bought a majority stake in bankrupt Daewoo. Suzuki is a minor partner in the company, which explains why they share some of the cars made by GMDAT, such as the Swift + and the Verona.
Essentially, the Swift + is the next generation Daewoo Lanos, if that company had survived long enough to build it. Having driven both cars, I can safely say that the new Swift +/Aveo is a far superior car to the Lanos (which was sold in Canada prior to Daewoo's demise) particularly in the areas of noise and vibration reduction and interior quality.
In Canada, Suzuki offers the Swift + in a four-door hatchback bodystyle only while Chevrolet also offers a four-door sedan version of their Aveo. The Suzuki and GM hatchbacks are almost identical, but there are a couple of differences: the Swift + is not available with anti-lock brakes while the Aveo offers them as an option. The Swift + is about $400 cheaper than the Aveo hatchback, but the Aveo includes standard fog lights. However, the Swift + has a standard CD player whereas the Aveo does not.
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