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Geo/Chevrolet Metro
Manufacturer	CAMI Automotive Suzuki
Parent company	General Motors
Production	1989–2001
Predecessor	Chevrolet Sprint Chevrolet Chevette Pontiac Acadian
Successor	Chevrolet Aveo Pontiac Wave
Class	Subcompact
Layout	FF layout
Platform	GM M-body
Transmission(s)	3-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Fuel capacity	10.6 US gal.

First generation
Also called	Geo Metro Chevrolet Sprint Pontiac Firefly
Production	1989–1994
Assembly	Ingersoll, Ontario Hamamatsu, Japan
Body style(s)	2-door convertible 3-door hatchback 4-door sedan (only sold in Canada) 5-door hatchback
Engine(s)	1.0 L Suzuki I3 1.0 L Suzuki turbocharged I3 1.3 L Suzuki I4
Wheelbase	89.2 in (2266 mm) (2-Door) 93.1 in (2365 mm) (4-Door)
Length	146.1 in (3711 mm) (1989-1991 2-Door & Convertible) 147.4 in (3744 mm) (1992-94 2-Door & Convertible) 150 in (3810 mm) (1989-1991 5-Door) 151.4 in (3846 mm) (1992-94 5-Door)
Width	62 in (1575 mm) (2-Door) 62.7 in (1593 mm) (5-Door & Convertible)
Height	52.4 in (1331 mm) 53.5 in (1359 mm) (4-Door) 52 in (Convertible)
Related	Suzuki Cultus Suzuki Cultus Crescent Suzuki Esteem Suzuki Swift Holden Barina

Second generation
Also called	Geo Metro Chevrolet Metro Pontiac Firefly
Production	1995–1997 (Geo) 1998–2000 (Chevrolet) 1995-2000 (Firefly)
Assembly	Ingersoll, Ontario
Body style(s)	3-door hatchback 4-door sedan
Engine(s)	1.0 L Suzuki I3 1.3 L Suzuki I4
Wheelbase	93.1 in (2365 mm)
Length	149.4 in (3795 mm) (hatchback) 164 in (4166 mm) (sedan)
Width	62.6 in (1590 mm)
Height	54.7 in (1389 mm) (hatchback) 55.4 in (1407 mm) (sedan)
Related	Suzuki Cultus Suzuki Cultus Crescent Suzuki Swift Maruti Esteem

The Geo Metro first appeared in Chevrolet-Geo showrooms in 1989. It was a rebadged version of the Suzuki Cultus, sharing many of the drivetrain and interior components. The Metro was a direct replacement for the Chevrolet Sprint, a subcompact hatchback that was several inches shorter than the Metro, and boasted fewer safety and convenience features. The Sprint was also a rebadged Suzuki Forsa. Several body styles were available during the Metro's 13 year run, including a 2-door convertible, 3-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, and a 5-door hatchback. The Metro enjoyed a decent run, first as a Geo from 1989 through 1997, then as a Chevrolet from 1998 to the model's final year in 2001. The Suzuki Swift though, is still being sold in Japan and Europe, albeit in a different form. There was a rebadged version called the Pontiac Firefly sold only in Canada. The Firefly appeared in Canadian showrooms in 1985 and was also a rebadged Suzuki Forsa. Like the Metro, the Firefly stopped selling in 2000, but kept on selling as a fleet-sales only model. The Swift+, a car unrelated to the Swift, is also still being sold in Canada as a rebadged Daewoo Kalos/Chevrolet Aveo.

Originally, all Metro models were produced at Suzuki's Hamamatsu, Japan plant. However, in 1990, production commenced at CAMI Automotive, a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki located in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. The sedan models only sold in Canada were made in Japan.

The Metro is part of the GM M platform, a designation it shared with the Canadian-only Pontiac Firefly, as well as the Sprint. The Metro (along with twins the Suzuki Swift and Pontiac Firefly) were the only subcompacts made in Canada in the 1990s.

In the United States a single engine was available from 1989 through 1994: a 1.0 L I3 engine. Rated at 55 hp (39 kW), the small Suzuki-designed engine was the most fuel efficient production engine used in a GM car to date, boasting over 49 mpg in models with manual transmissions, and up to 39 mpg with the 3 speed automatic. Manual transaxle cars were able to achieve a 0-60 time of just over ten seconds. A detuned 49 hp (37 kW) unit was used in the ultra-fuel-efficient XFi model, which delivered as much as 58 miles per gallon. As the 3-cylinder engines aged however, they began to become less stable and subject to vibration as well as minor deficiencies in the fuel injection system that led to decreased fuel economy. A flaw exists in Metro 3-cylinder engines equipped with an EGR valve - if the valve fails or the EGR passages become blocked, the center combustion chamber can get too hot, and over time, lose compression due to exhaust valve failure.

Customers who were surveyed stated that they wanted more power from their Metro as well as good fuel economy. In 1995, with the new Metro came a new engine: the 1.3 L I4. The new engine still had only a modest 70 hp (52 kW), but provided the extra power Metro owners wanted. That power came at the cost of some fuel efficiency, dropping the highway mileage down to around 35 mpg (6.8 L/100 km). The engine however, was not new. It was the same engine that had been in use in the Suzuki Swift (except for the GT models) for years. LSi models produced from 1995 on had the 4-cylinder engine, but the 3-cylinder was still the base power plant in the car, becoming an option for non-LSi models in 1997.

Canadian Metros had the 1.3 L engine available as an option beginning in 1993 in the 3-door GSi model, and as standard equipment in the sedan (exclusive to the Canadian market at the time: as noted in the previous paragraph, American market Metros were not available in a sedan bodystyle until 1995).

1984- Suzuki and General Motors announce they would be selling rebadged versions of the Suzuki Cultus in North America. The GM versions would be badged as Chevrolets and Pontiacs and the Suzuki will sell as the Forsa.

1985- Car begins selling in North America by General Motors as Chevrolet Sprint. The car is also sold as Suzuki Forsa and Pontiac Firefly in Canada. The Chevrolet Sprint was only sold in the Western United States until 1986.

1986- Chevrolet Sprint is now sold nationwide. Sprint consumers have a choice of ER, Base, and Turbo models to buy. Firefly is sold in FE, Turbo, and Base models.

1987 - The Metro name first appears on a model of the naturally-aspirated Chevrolet Sprint. Car sold as "Chevrolet Sprint Metro."

1988 - Production begins on the first Geo Metro models at Suzuki's plant in Hamamatsu, Japan.

1989 - The Geo Metro hits showrooms in the United States, replacing the Sprint. In Canada the car retains the Chevrolet Sprint name, as newly redesigned. The Firefly is also redesigned, Forsa is renamed Suzuki Swift in Canada. The Suzuki Swift begins selling in the United States.

1990 - Geo introduces Metro LSi models, which included upgraded amenities, such as an automatic transmission, air conditioning and a tape player to supplement the stereo. Geo also introduced the XFi model, a polar opposite of the LSi, offering no interior amenities, but boasting a highway gas mileage of over 50 mpg (4.7 L/100 km). Production began at CAMI Automotive, where all remaining Metro models with the exception of convertibles will be produced from then on. Convertibles debut this year as well, available only in LSi trim. The Firefly begins selling in sedan trim and in convertible trim just like the Metro.

1991 - GM ups the order on convertible models this year, and new paint options are added.

1992 - The Metro gets a facelift with new hubcaps, and exterior design. New interior controls are added. The Pontiac Firefly is dropped in the Canadian Pontiac lineup due to poor sales.

1993 - Last year for convertible models. Automatic door locks, which deploy after the car reaches a speed of 10 mph (16 km/h) are introduced this year.

1994 - Last year for 5-door hatchback models. There was also a slight but barely noticeable change in the headlights, as well. Canadian Pontiac dealers begin selling the Firefly in first generation again. The Convertible is dropped from the Firefly lineup, but Suzuki still produced Firefly and Metro sedans for Canada this year.

1995 - An all-new Metro is introduced, featuring the new 4-cylinder engine available in LSi models, to supplement the 3-cylinder used in the base cars. Daytime running lights are standard (the Metro was the first GM car to get DRLs as standard equipment), as well as dual frontal airbags. The chassis is 30% stiffer than the first generation Metros, and it was the first car in the world to meet 1997 side-impact standards for North America. A new sedan is also introduced in the United States, replacing the 5-door hatchback, boasting all of the above mentioned upgrades. Its twins, Pontiac Firefly and Suzuki Swift have also been redesigned this year.

1996 - OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics, Second generation) is added to Metro models, at a cost of some fuel efficiency.

1997 - The last year for Geo. The Metro will return in 1998 as a Chevrolet model, as will the Prizm and Tracker.

1998 - The Metro name is used again under Chevrolet, as it survives Geo. New front and rear fascias are added.

2000 - Last year for Metro sales to the general public and Metro hatchbacks, as well as the Pontiac Firefly. The Metro will return in 2001 as a fleet sales-only model. The Metro's future is uncertain.

2001 - The Metro's final year. The only model available this year is the 4-door LSi sedan. The Metro continued on sale in Canada. General Motors announces that the Metro will not be included in the 2002 Chevrolet model lineup. CAMI Automotive rolls the last Metro, a red sedan, off the line in April. The Swift stays and still is on sale in Japan, Canada and Eurasia.

The GM Daewoo-based Chevrolet Aveo, intended as a replacement for the Daewoo Lanos, began sales in 2003 for the 2004 model year, replacing the hole in the American Chevrolet lineup left by the Metro. In Canada, the Firefly was replaced by the GM Daewoo-based Pontiac Wave, a clone of the Aveo.

v • d • e Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, road car timeline, United States market, 1980s-present
Type	1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Subcompact	Monza					Sprint				Geo Metro						Geo Metro / Metro								Aveo
	Chevette
						Spectrum					Geo Storm
						Nova				Geo Prizm
Compact	Citation													Geo Prizm					Prizm							Cobalt
																											HHR
			Cavalier						Cavalier							Cavalier
Mid-size	Malibu							Corsica / Beretta										Malibu							Malibu				Malibu
																					Impala						Impala
	Monte Carlo															Monte Carlo					Monte Carlo
			Celebrity								Lumina					Lumina
Full-size	Caprice											Caprice
	Impala														Impala SS
Sports	Camaro		Camaro											Camaro																Camaro
	Corvette				Corvette													Corvette								Corvette

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