Michigan Chevrolet Dealers, Customers: The Code 130R, What Do You Think?

Feb. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- DETROIT – Michigan Chevrolet dealers may be curious about the future of the Code 130R since it was first seen at the Detroit Auto Show, and they’re not the only ones. Why is the Code130R generating so much buzz? Because it has great potential to be the rear-wheel-drive coupe many have been hoping would be built by a domestic automaker someday.
Though there are no exact specifications Michigan Chevrolet dealers and Chevy fans can review because the Code 130R is a concept, here is some information the designers have released:
•   It’s one of two concept models conceived by Chevrolet with a younger generation in mind
•   It’s a four-seat coupe with an upright profile
•   Its turbocharged engine will work with eAssist technology
•   It’s likely to feature a 1.4L Turbo Ecotec engine
•   It will achieve fuel economy of 40 mpg
•   It will have approximately 150 horsepower
•   It’s price range will likely be in the low $20,000s
Though some Michigan Chevrolet dealers may be eager to see this model in production, for every champion of the vehicle’s potential, there’s a critic hoping to bury it before it has a chance at production.
Popular carblog Jalopnik ran a story about Chevrolet’s debut of the Code 130R and Tru 140s with the headline “If These Detroit Auto Show Concepts Are Chevy’s Future, Shoot Me Now.” Some of the negative comments about the Code 130R included calling its design confused and predicting the hybrid additions would add additional weight to the car, ruining its performance.
Fans of the Code 130R, like Motor Trend’s Todd Lasa, are hopeful that with enough support from the public the Code 130R will make it. “Call, write, email, tweet Chevrolet right now and tell them you want the Code 130R,” Lasa writes, adding, “The red one.”
According to Lasa’s article, GM’s advanced design Chief Clay Dean has implicated the favorite of the two designs so far is the Code 130R over the Tru 140S. The 130R also represents a more affordable option to Chevy’s rear-wheel-drive staple, the Camaro. Finding an alternative to the Camaro that still delivers on rear-wheel-drive performance, looks and excitement is crucial, because if Chevrolet fails in that aspect, the company will be losing out on the largest group entering the buying pool in the next decade and a half: the Millennials.
It’s crucial Chevrolet plans vehicle designs that will connect with buyers who won’t yet be established in their careers or finances, those who’ve recently entered the job market with lower incomes and those who want something sportier and more fun than your basic grocery-hauling sedan.
MI Auto Times wants to know what you think of the Code 130R. If it’s brought to the market, what changes or modifications would you like to see? Let us know by commenting below or by joining the conversation on Facebook.
[Source(s): Motor Trend, Jalopnik, Autoblog, GM Media]