DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp. says it will begin selling a Korean-built small car under the Pontiac nameplate starting next year.
The new G3, a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Aveo, will arrive in showrooms in the spring and be the lowest-priced Pontiac.
GM said in a statement that the G3 will be Pontiac's fourth vehicle that gets more than 30 miles per gallon of gasoline on the highway. The company has announced several new small cars and mileage improvements as it tries to deal with consumers' shift from trucks and sport utility vehicles to smaller, more fuel efficient models.
GM said the five-door hatchback with a 1.6-liter, 106 horsepower four-cylinder engine gets an Environmental Protection Agency estimated 27 miles per gallon in the city and 34 on the highway. It will have five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions.
Pontiac spokesman Jim Hopson said pricing hasn't been released yet, but the G3 likely will have a base price around $15,000. That's more than the $10,895 base price of a 2008 Aveo, but Hopson said the Pontiac will be better-equipped.
Pontiac said the G3 will have standard air conditioning, a CD/MP3 player with auxiliary input, fog lamps, a rear spoiler and OnStar, GM's help line for drivers.
