CHEVROLET’S tiny city car with a big heart, the Matiz, is hardly the first car that springs to the fleet manager’s mind but the company were delighted to sell 200 of them “at one go” to the Europcar rental operation a few weeks ago. The cars are now based on Europcar’s corporate centres, particularly those sited at airports.

Five-door easy access, perfect for city use, apparently endeared itself to Europcar - and rival fleet operators are now expressing interest in taking the cars.

Matiz, so successful that Chevrolet actually considered creating a “stand-alone” marque for the model when the Daewoo badging was dropped, is now, for the first time, also available with automatic transmission.

The Matiz 0.8SE comes as a single derivative with the electronic control four speed autoshift and costs £6,995.

This is no performance car by a long chalk - 0 to 60 mph takes 22 seconds and “top lick” is 84 mph - but clutchless convenience is complemented by economical running.

The three-cylinder engine already boasted a 17 per cent improvement in mpg over the Daewoo version and the automatic returns economy figures that little different to the manual: on the urban cycle the car returns 37.2 mpg and on extra-urban it’s 61.4 mpg.

The outstanding figures are achieved by the valve control being equipped with roller cam followers made of aluminium instead of conventional rocker arms of steel. This cuts friction losses in the valve gear by 15 percent.

The Matiz 0.8SE auto carries the comprehensive specification of its manual 1.0SE sister. Convenience features abound - as befits a car that will be owned 75 per cent by women with many likely to be carrying children.

Those five doors and boot area compare it favourably with what are affectionately known as the Triplets - Peugeot’s 107, Citroen’s C1 and Toyota’s Aygo which were developed in unison and which appeared at the same time as new Matiz.

The entry S model costs £6,095 on the road (though dealers have preferred to advertise it at £5,995) and its specification features twin airbags, five seat belts, five head restraints, a Blaupunkt radio and CD player, a 60:40 split fold rear seat, an engine immobiliser, a remote release fuel filler cap and a temporary spare wheel.

SE, with a 1.0 litre engine, has a premium of £500 and adds remote control central locking, front electric windows, body colour door handles, a height adjustable driving seat, a digital clock, an underseat tray, a remote release for the tailgate, metallic surrounds for the centralised instrumentation, a roof spoiler, internally adjustable door mirrors and door pockets.

SX throws in air conditioning, side airbags, alloy wheels, front foglamps and a pollen filter and provides power operation for the rear windows and exterior mirrors. This variant costs £7,595.

Interior space has always been acceptable in Matiz and the boot area is considerably better than in so many other city cars; load-carrying versatility is provided by the folding seat squab at the rear.

Chevrolet had no hesitation in maintaining the peace of mind back-up deal which was part of the big Daewoo “sell”: three years’ or 60,000 miles mechanical warranty, three years’ AA roadside cover and a six years’ anti-perforation guarantee.