The first Chevrolet to be built in the European Union rolled off a Polish production line last month, the fruit of a joint venture between General Motors, the US brand owner, and UkrAVTO, the Ukrainian industrial group that controls the sprawling Warsaw factory where the car is assembled.

The partners are investing to raise Aveo production to 100,000 by 2009 and make some modest increases in the plant’s 2,600 staff. Janusz Wozniak, the president of the FSO plant, said at the launch: “The start of production of the Chevrolet Aveo is the start of a new era at the FSO plant.”