CHEVROLET is becoming cool. The American marque has announced that it will produce a hip city car based on the Beat concept.

The brand with the gold bow tie, which is owned by General Motors (GM), said this week at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show that the car will go into global production. Chevy says an online poll that attracted more than 1.8 million voters influenced the decision to take the concept to production.

It adds that the Beat will offer 'compact, city-friendly dimensions and a small-displacement engine that delivers excellent fuel economy'. The mini hatchback was developed at GM's Design Studio in Bupyeong, South Korea, with input from GM's global network of designers and its Korean partner GM Daewoo.

And because Korea is a primary market for the new car, production will begin there.