Small is beautiful. This is a surprising lesson Americans visiting the Chevrolet stand at the New York Auto Show in April learned. GM’s largest brand revealed three Chevrolet Matiz/Spark-sized global concepts designed to appeal to young car buyers in urban markets. They showed the American public what Europeans already know: that art needn’t take a back Seat just because the canvas is small.

In this respect, the highly creative Chevrolet Beat, Groove and Trax have a home game at their first European outing. The European car market is already playing in this field, with sales of more than 1.1 million Mini cars in 2006 alone. Just how much creativity can be put into a Mini is driven home by the Chevy concepts going on show in Frankfurt. They put the energy, diversity and excitement of urban life into attractive cars that offer fun, fuel economy and value. Visitors to the Frankfurt show can vote for their personal favourite on the internet www.vote4chevrolet.eu.

All three concepts were designed at the GM Design Studio in Incheon, South Korea, one of GM’s 11 global design studios. The designers in the Korean centre are experts in small-car product development, as was proven by two successful Matiz/Spark generations and the recent facelift of this car line.

Built on GM’s global Mini architecture, these concepts demonstrate the flexibility, creativity and innovative focus of design in GM’s Asia Pacific region. The Chevrolet Beat concept, the running prototype of a sporty mini, was built in India; while the Chevrolet Groove and Trax urban crossover concepts were built at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan (USA). The concepts offer three different fuel-efficient engines, including a diesel.

“The Chevrolet Beat, Groove and Trax concepts highlight the strength and diversity of GM’s global design capabilities, as well as the ability of our global product development team to anticipate and quickly meet the evolving needs of our diverse markets around the world,” said Ed Welburn, Vice President of GM Global Design.

"The design team was so enthused about being given the assignment to develop the perfect small car for urban commuters that they created not one, but three interpretations of how this car may be developed for Chevrolet customers around the world."

Chevrolet is one of four global GM brands, meeting diverse customer needs in 120 countries with vehicles that range from subcompacts and family sedans to full-size pickups and SUVs and iconic sports cars such as the Corvette.

Here’s a look at Chevrolet’s three minicar concepts:

• Chevrolet Beat: Designed to evoke the mood of a speedy mini, the Beat is a front-wheel-drive, three-door hatchback concept built to be personalised, and powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged gasoline engine mated to an automatic transmission.

• Chevrolet Groove: Too tough-looking to be “cute,” the Groove concept is a retro-style vehicle with bodacious fender flares and an upright windscreen. It looks much larger than it is, thanks to its short hood and long cabin. The front-drive Groove is powered by a small, fuel-efficient 1.0-litre diesel engine.

• Chevrolet Trax: An urban crossover concept that’s equally at home on country roads and in city traffic, the Trax showcases an affordable all-wheel-drive system and looks the part of a rugged SUV many times its size, thanks to a voluminous one-piece bumper and fender system in the front and back, a rear-mounted spare tire and a roof rack. Trax is powered by a 1.0-litre gasoline engine.