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SAN FRANCISCO – For years, General Motors couldn’t build a good small car. Now, it demonstrates it can with the ’12 Chevrolet Sonic.
What took so long for GM, and Chevy in particular, to come up with something worthy after producing small cars such as the awful Vega, mediocre Cavalier and so-so Cobalt?
The auto maker looked at life anew after coming close to meeting its maker in the dark years of 2008 and 2009, a former staffer tells WardsAuto. “Having been through a near-death experience, GM hopefully has learned what it takes to build a world-class small car, or any such car for that matter.”
The Sonic shows a lot of soul with fresh styling, agile driving dynamics and a spirited turbocharged engine option. On the sensible side, it features 10 airbags, fuel economy of up to 40 mpg (5.9 L/100 km) and a competitive $14,995 base price.
At one time, that amount would buy a cheap econobox from GM. But it buys a lot of value in the all-new Sonic.
“The Sonic blends the practicality of a small car with the passion for driving that Chevrolet vehicles like the Corvette are known for,” says Chris Perry, the brand’s marketing vice president.
Corvette comparisons may stretch things, but the point is taken. GM was determined to make a commendable compact, rather than follow the old flawed business plan of cutting corners at every turn of product development.
“We set out to outclass the class,” says Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet’s director-product marketing. The goal was to develop a “fun” small car with personality, refined driving manners and connectivity.
