Chevrolet Cobalt to be offered in over 40 countries worldwide

The Cobalt was first seen as a concept at the Buenos Aires Motor Show in Argentina earlier this year, and General Motors have now announced that the production version will be offered for sale in 40 countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South America. However, North America and Asia will not be getting the new car.

The Cobalt will be manufactured in Brazil, which will also be the first country to have the car on sale, and Chevrolet has announced that it will produce the Cobalt in three other factories globally, but did not disclose details as to their locations.

Fully engineered and designed by General Motors' Brazilian division, Chevrolet’s new compact sedan measures 4,479mm long, 1,735mm wide and 1,514mm tall, while riding on a 2,620mm long wheelbase. The Cobalt's external dimensions put it between the Sonic/Aveo and Cruze sedan.

Inside, Chevrolet claims that the Cobalt "has room for five adults who are accommodated comfortably", while the saloon also features a generous boot space of 563 litres. The interior styling will be similar to the Sonic/Aveo, and have a motorcycle-themed instrument cluster.

Two engine options will be available when the Cobalt goes on sale in Brazil, including a 1.4-litre flex-fuel version that produces 102bhp when run on ethanol and 97bhp when on petrol, as well as a 1.8-litre engine which has a 6-speed automatic transmission as standard. Other markets are expected to have a wider range of four-cylinder units from 1.3 to 1.8-litres in capacity.