2012 Chevrolet Sonic,Reviews

General Motors has officially yanked back the sheets on the newest sub-compact from Chevrolet, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The Sonic hatchback packs more back seat room than its Blue Oval competitor and, with the rear bench folded flat, delivers more cargo room, as well.

Up front, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic benefits from a MacPherson strut design, while a torsion beam handles suspension duties out back.

Stay tuned for live photos from the show floor of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show and hit the jump for the full press release.
ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The only subcompact car being built on American soil will soon roll out of an assembly plant here in suburban Detroit that is as unusual as the car itself

The production line has been squeezed into half the space of a traditional plant. One of the oldest axioms in the auto industry is that no company can build a subcompact car in the United States and make money because they are priced too low. The Ford Fiesta is built in Mexico. The Sonic will be G.M.’s littlest, and most fuel-efficient, conventionally powered vehicle. The U.A.W. tried to persuade the Ford Motor Company to build the Fiesta subcompact in the United States. Even an entry-level wage employee costs about $30 an hour in wages and benefits.

While it is not the only factor in producing a profitable subcompact, lower employment costs were critical to the decision to build the Chevrolet Sonic in Michigan. In a groundbreaking labor agreement, the union allowed G.M. to pay 40 percent of its union workers at Orion Township an “entry-level” wage that sharply reduces overall production costs.

“The entry-level wage structure was an important enabler, because obviously the smaller the car the less the margin,” said Ms. Tremblay.
The smallest car in its lineup now is the Chevrolet Aveo, a subcompact developed by G.M.’s South Korean subsidiary. A version of the Sonic to be sold overseas will be built in South Korea.

The plant over all employs 1,800, a reduction of 25 percent. Overall capacity at the plant is 160,000 cars a year. Every dollar saved is essential for the Sonic to compete, auto experts said. And if the car is a winner with consumers — production begins in August — the Orion factory could become a model.