American car brand Chevrolet recently showed off an array of new products at the NAIAS (North American International Auto Show) in Detroit where they took off the covers to reveal their new Chevrolet Sonic 2012. This was seen by many as the replacement model for the less popular Chevrolet Aveo (which is still available here in Malaysia) although they were quite some major differences.
This new small car model will come in the sporty 5 door and 4 door sedan variants where they are looking to provide more space in terms of leg room and cargo space as well. According to Chris Perry, the vice-president of Marketing of Chevrolet, they have put in practicality of a small car with driving passion as their concept in developing this new model. He said that the company will start production of the Sonic later this year at the Michigan’s General Motors Orion Assembly Center. The plant recently got a US 545 million investment to upgrade and retool its facilities and this will bring in some new 1,000 jobs to the vicinity.
Among the engines that are planned out for the Sonic include the 1.4 liter Ecotec turbo engine paired to a 6 speed manual transmission gearbox which is supposed to get you up to 138 horses. This is also the same engine used in the recently launched Cruze. There would also be a standard 1.8 liter Ecotec engine mated to either a 5 speed manual transmission or a 6 speed automatic transmission gearbox.
Apart from that, they have also used the StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing features with remote start system and heated front seats too. They have also included a sunroof as well while connectivity wise, they have provided satellite radio, USB and Bluetooth connection capabilities.
In terms of safety, they have put in the ABS, EBD and 10 standard air bags which pretty much are the industry standards these days. 17 inch alloy wheels are also standard here while inside the car you get an analog tachometer set, a cobra head design automatic shift knob and lots of storage space in and around the cabin. Typically, for a car this size, there are ample space around so that might be quite a selling point for Chevy.
