There is no shortage of world firsts for Chevrolet at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, and joining the Orlando MPV and Cruze hatchback show car will be the eagerly awaited Chevrolet Aveo 5-door, which like the Orlando makes its world production debut.

The Aveo RS show car was displayed at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows earlier in 2010 to much acclaim.

Entering the highly competitive global small car segment, striking design elements of the new Chevrolet Aveo include the aggressive looking front with its exposed twin-headlamps and dual port grille, compact taut body panels with a rising shoulder line and short rear overhangs, the 'hidden' rear door handles which now feature in the c-pillar and a 'body in, wheels out' profile which is now very much part of the new Chevrolet design language.

The new Aveo is longer and wider than the current model, giving it a spacious interior and cargo volume that is among best in its class. The interior design perhaps holds even more surprises than the outside, in particular the motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster which features an analogue tachometer combined with a digital speedo and warning lights.

Up-market blue backlighting features on the centre console while the whole of the front cabin is enveloped in a wrap-round fascia. This can be colour-coded and flows from the dash into both the driver's and front passenger’s doors. Aveo customers will appreciate the quality materials used in the interior as well as multiple storage spaces in the center stack and the modern audio system with USB, aux-in and Bluetooth functionality.

Reflecting the little Chevrolet’s sporty personality, Aveo has been engineered to provide involving handling, a characteristic that stems partly from its tight body frame integral (BFI) structure where high torsional rigidity has been achieved - among the stiffest in the small car segment.

The new Aveo's chassis has been fine tuned to satisfy drivers tastes with a ride and handling ratio that combines comfort with responsiveness. Electronic stability control (ESC) and ABS brakes will be standard.

A comprehensive range of four cylinder petrol and diesel engines will be available in the new Chevrolet Aveo, incorporating the latest technologies such as variable valve timing, double continuous variable cam phasing and common rail fuel injection for the diesels.

The petrol engine range includes a 1.2 litre version and a 1.4 litre unit. For the first time, Aveo will be offered with two versions of a 1.3 litre diesel engine featuring Start/Stop technology.

Chevrolet's first 6-speed automatic transmission on a small car will feature on the Aveo 1.4 as an option in most markets; manual transmissions are of 5 or 6 speed depending on engine choice.