It evolved with the Cultus and its siblings over 13 years, three generations and four body styles: three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, five-door hatchback and two-door convertible—and was ultimately replaced in the General Motors lineup by a family of vehicles based on the Daewoo Kalos, the Chevrolet Aveo.

[1] In response to the waning popularity of smaller automobiles in the North American markets, Chevrolet/Geo had sold only 55,600 Metros in 1997, off from 88,700 the year before.

This generation also offered a revised 1.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine used in the Pontiac Firefly, with multi-point fuel injection (with hydraulic lifters and lash adjusters, and a 30,000-mile service interval).

The hatchback body configuration featured a three-inch lower liftover height compared to the previous generation model.

[5] Safety equipment included optional anti-lock brakes, safety cage construction with deformable front and rear crush zones and five structural crossbars engineered to spread side impact loads throughout the car's structure,[5] steel side impact door safety beams,[4] and daytime running lights (the second generation Metro was the second GM car to offer DRLs in the United States—the 1995 Chevrolet Corsica was the first)—and dual frontal airbags.

At the introduction of this generation, GM arranged for a car carrier with 1995 Metros to drive to college campuses across the country.

Local writers took a half-day seminar at "Metro University" with the head product planner and senior members of the engineering, assembly, and marketing teams.

[6][7][8] Solectria Corporation, based in Massachusetts, converted examples of the first and second generation Geo Metro to electric operation.

The battery pack consists of 13 Group 27 Deka Dominator Sealed Gel Lead Acid modules.

[9] 3= 3-dr hatchback 4= 4-dr sedan US second generation models received the following NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program ratings: Test numbers indicate the chance of serious injury: 4 = 10–20% "As gas prices spike and consumers increasingly look for ways to get to work more efficiently, heavy media coverage has spurred interest in one particular old car: the Geo Metro."

Car and Driver yet jokingly ridiculed the Metro's age and equipment, docking seven points from its overall score for its lack of amenities and mentioning that it was originally sold brand-new without hubcaps.

[16] The vehicle is often used as a test-bed to field various fuel efficiency technology, such as the 2007 university based Cornell 100+ MPG Team.