Ford Fiesta, VW Polo, Honda Jazz - Take a close look at the Chevrolet Aveo RS concept. It has caught my attention and you had better pay attention too!

Starting with the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Chevy is out to change the Aveo's cheap and boring image into a product that we might actually desire. The process begins with the Aveo RS concept, which provides a preview of what to expect from the next-generation production Aveo when it arrives in showrooms sometime next year.

The Aveo RS has much more attractive proportions with a wider stance and longer profile that make it look much more aggressive than the current model. It also adopts some of the smaller Spark's styling cues.

Inside, the Aveo RS has similarities to the smaller Spark and other larger Chevrolet's like the new Cruze and Equinox. Like the Spark, its instrument pod consists of a round speedometer with a rectangular digital display to the right sitting on top of the steering column. Since this RS version is meant to be a hot hatch, GM has equipped it with suitable seats to hold the driver in place during aggressive maneuvers. On the show car, the seats are finished in actual leather with stitching that matches the blue exterior.

Power in the RS comes from the turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder producing 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque that will also do service in the larger Cruze. The torque gets sent to those over sized 19-inch wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. I believe that the production model will come with an automatic option.

The Ford Fiesta is rumoured to be equipped with the 1.6L EcoBoost engine in the foreseeable future, and the VW's Polo will be powered by a 1.2L TSI unit soon. Let's hope we can see a 'triple threat match' among these 3 hot hatches in the near future!