The Chevy Sonic was an underrated vehicle during its run as the company’s signature affordable compact car. The story of the Chevy Sonic begins in the 1970s. In 1973, America had its first fuel crisis. Before 1973, fuel in the United States was very affordable, and many vehicle manufacturers spent almost no time or money on fuel efficiency when designing vehicles. However, by 1974, the price of oil had quadrupled from early 1973, and Americans could not afford the fuel needed for their big V8 cruisers.
With no relief in sight from American manufacturers, consumers turned to imports like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla to meet their fuel efficiency needs. American companies didn’t have time to design a new car, so they borrowed vehicles from abroad to brand them as their own. GM initially partnered with Isuzu to build the Chevette, but then came the Suzuki Swift, renamed the Chevy Sprint, Geo Metro and Chevy Metro. After the Metro, Chevrolet needed a new, small, affordable car to act as the entry vehicle in its lineup.
Daewoo and GM reach an agreement
In the early 2000s, Daewoo was a struggling car company looking to break into the US market with flashy advertising and cheap prices. By 2002, Daewoo was finished as GM bought them for $1.2 billion.
Around this time, GM needed a replacement for its aging Metro sedan, which had run its course and was now more of a punchline than anything else. GM decided to take the 2002 Daewoo Kalos compact car and bring it to America as the Chevy Aveo.
Aveo is an old Latin word that roughly translates to “wish.” Unfortunately, this little compact was not wanted by almost anyone. The 2004 Aveo was the first model year for the US market, but was quickly written off as a cheap and poorly built vehicle. Initially, the Aveo was the cheapest vehicle to buy in the US, with an MSRP of $11,245.
Fuel economy was a highlight for the Aveo, rated at 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway. Unfortunately, Americans were all too used to the wild fuel economy of the Geo Metro, which could manage 37 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway. The Aveo was a sluggish vehicle with worse fuel economy and poorer build quality compared to its predecessor. Fortunately, the Aveo’s legacy changed during its second generation.
The Chevy Sonic is born
For the second-generation Chevy Aveo, GM knew they had to revitalize the Aveo, and they did so by completely severing ties with the Aveo name. The Chevy Sonic began production in 2011, according to The News Wheel, and immediately tried to grab the attention of young drivers. In the commercial, Sonic was skydiving out of airplanes and competing in roller coaster competitions. In 2015, the Sonic came standard with OnStar and Wi-Fi compatibility along with Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto.
During this time, the Chevy Sonic was built at the Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township Michigan, making it one of the only American compact cars built in the US at the time. With a surge in imported compacts, GM might have had better luck selling the Sonic with an advertising campaign around its American-built roots like Saturn did in the 1990s. But unfortunately, the Chevy Sonic was discontinued in 2020 to make way for production of the Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV, which are still being produced at Orion Assembly to this day.
Is the Chevy Sonic still produced today?
The Chevy Sonic was discontinued after the 2020 model year, but its legacy lives on today under its old Aveo name. CarScoops reports a new Chevy Aveo in production for the Mexican market. This 2024 Chevy Aveo is produced in China at a SAIC-GM-Wuling plant, where it will be sold in China, South America, Mexico and Africa.
This subcompact Aveo will come standard with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 98 horsepower and will be sold with automatic and manual transmission options. While this Aveo isn’t sold in the U.S., it will be held to somewhat American safety standards with plenty of interior airbags and disc brakes as standard equipment. While the Aveo wasn’t a hit in the US, it lives on elsewhere in the world with a new 2024 model.
