Remember the Chevrolet Sonic? It occupied the lower end of the company’s portfolio starting in 2011, back when hatchbacks were popular enough to justify to an American audience. While it never sold in huge numbers, the Sonic managed to outlast every other domestically branded hatch in the U.S., until it finally exited showrooms in late 2020.
While I can’t in good faith say the Sonic is the best American hatch I’ve driven—that title goes to the Ford Fiesta ST—it was still a fun, lightweight, legitimately smile-inducing machine. The 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, which became standard towards the end of the car’s life, was peppy enough, and the available six-speed manual felt pretty good. It’s a car I still recommend to young enthusiasts who want something with a bit of thrill, but not too over the top.
Now, there’s a new Sonic on the way. And it sounds like it’s going to be none of those things. Teased today by Chevrolet of Brazil, the next-generation Sonic will not be a hatchback at all, but instead, a “compact SUV coupe.” Oh, and it’s probably not even coming to America. Get ready to be mad.
Chevy Brazil describes the new Sonic, which is set to go on sale in May, as about to enter the “largest and most competitive segment of automobiles, responsible for almost a quarter of vehicle sales in the country.”
Beyond that, there’s not much to go on aside from a lone image of the car’s nose, which is mostly blacked out save for the right-side headlights and an illuminated Bowtie badge.
Though the glowing bowtie looks the same as every other modern Chevy badge I’ve seen, it’s apparently a new design, according to the brand:
Another important new feature is the debut of the updated Chevrolet logo, with the bowtie slightly more horizontal and black as the predominant color in all versions.
“The change follows the trend of slimmer headlights and grilles due to the evolution of lighting, propulsion and even manufacturing resources. All of this is connected to the brand’s new global identity,” explains Alexandre Ameri, Head of Design at GM South America.
More important is how the rest of the Sonic is shaped. Gone is the standard hatchback bodystyle, replaced by a car that Chevy describes as combining “an impressive design, a package of innovative technologies, and a level of driving experience unprecedented for the category.” I’m not sure I could fit any more buzzwords into a single sentence if I tried.
Those words don’t really describe, well, anything, but Chevy does give one concrete spec: A length of 13.87 feet, putting it at a few inches longer than the Chevrolet Bolt. In other words, while it’s marketed as an SUV, it’ll still be pretty small. So at least there’s that. The car isn’t replacing anything in GM South America’s lineup; it’ll slot between the Onix Activ (a slightly tall hatchback) and the Tracker (a slightly longer crossover that sort of looks like a shrunken version of America’s Trailblazer). Chevy actually just released photos of the Onix last month, but only in drawing form:
A Chevy spokesperson confirmed to me the new Sonic isn’t coming to the U.S, which isn’t incredibly surprising considering the nature of this debut (honestly, a gas-powered car to slot under the Trax would probably sell pretty well). Either way, I don’t especially mind whether or not yet another small crossover reaches our shores.
When the Sonic went out of production in 2020, it was replaced by a new Aveo in other markets. That car was developed by the joint venture between GM and Chinese brand SAIC, and manufactured in China and the Middle East. GM South America is leading the development of this new Sonic, though, claiming it’s using “the most advanced engineering tools in a fully virtual design process, supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning resources.” The AI-designed car is approaching quicker than you think.
GM Brazil goes on to say that while this car will initially launch in South America, it’ll become a global product for Chevy, like the Aveo I just mentioned. That means it’ll have a factory somewhere in South America, but probably also somewhere else, like Asia. You’ll likely catch a glimpse of one or two of these things next time you go on vacation. It also feels like the type of car you might see in Southern California or New Mexico with Mexican plates, driven by someone who’s just visiting the States for the day.
I wanna hear from the Sonic die-hards out there: Are you saddened by this news, or excited by it? Sure, it’s a new Sonic, but it’s also just another small SUV.
Top graphic image: Chevrolet
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