I’m a big fan of concept cars. In one of my marketing classes we had to design and market a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and it was a lot of fun to research the subject.

The Chevy Beat is one of three subcompact concept cars unveiled by GM at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Described by GM as “Designed to evoke the mood of a speedy micro import tuner, the Beat is a front-wheel-drive, three-door hatchback concept built to be personalized, and powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to an automatic transmission. It’s loaded with technology, including a navigation system and premium stereo.”

Why would you buy this tiny little car? The average fuel economy in the United States right now is around 25mpg and this little gadget can get you 40. That’s far more than most other vehicles in the US that run on gasoline. With gas prices at $4+/gal, who wouldn’t want to drive a fuel efficient car? It will be a nice alternative for people who are weary of alternative fueled vehicles. Or even people who are not fans of the Mini Cooper (like me).

I can’t really find any more information on this, except that they recently decided to switch over (or add in addition to?) from the Asian and Latin America markets to the US. I can’t even find a release date, but I think I remember reading something about a 2010 model. Anyone know?