The Auto Writer

Separately, A New Compact For Chevrolet

It looks like badge engineering is alive and well with General Motors as Automotive News is reporting that the Pontiac Wave, currently only available in markets outside of the US (including Canada), will soon be coming stateside.

Based on the GM-Daewoo platform vehicle now being sold as the Chevrolet Aveo, the Pontiac G3 (as it is expected to be called here) will be available for sale later this year. In addition, a new five-door Aveo will hit Chevy showrooms next month.

GM seems to want to improve its fuel economy numbers for its Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealerships by offering the G3. At present, the Pontiac Vibe is the most economical offering available and the G3 is expected to offer similar fuel economy numbers.

For 2009, the Vibe is expected to return EPA fuel numbers of 26 city and 32 highway while the G3 has EPA fuel numbers of 25 and 34 respectively.

A New Compact For Chevrolet

Automotive News (subscription required) is also reporting that a new Chevrolet compact will be built at the company’s Lordstown, OH plant beginning early next year. The yet unnamed vehicle is expected to be built on the company’s Delta platform, which previously powered the Saturn ION and currently underpins the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac G5. The car is expected to be introduced at an auto show later this year (L.A. in November?); there is no word yet on the fate of the Cobalt.

Honda, Toyota Tooling Up

Honda is reporting that they may ratchet up production at the two North American plants which produce the Civic to keep up with demand. Auto Spies says that sales of the Civic are up 28.4% for the year and that worker overtime could help bring more cars to the market.

Toyota is reportedly in talks with General Motors about building its Prius hybrid at the jointly owned NUMMI factory in California. Currently, the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix along with two other models are built at the plant, but Toyota is considering establishing a U.S. presence for the Prius. The Prius is being built at factories in Japan and China, but Toyota has been looking for a way to boost annual hybrid production to 1,000,000 models annually.

Additional New Car Announcements Pending?

Expect additional announcements over the summer from automakers who are scrambling to overhaul their fleets as fast as possible in the face of surging gas prices and consumer demand for fuel efficient wheels.

Photos courtesy of GM Corp.