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In a press release, GM has officially announced the 2013 Chevy Sonic RS suggested retail price.  The entry RS model will start as $20,995 with the manual transmission, and $22,280 for the automatic (1).  In the same press release GM announced the production is expected to begin sometime in October (1).  The new Sonic line will feature RS interior and RS body package.  The engine will come with a very small bump in power as well and added rear disk brakes.

Reference:
Chevrolet Website.  2012.  Chevrolet Sonic RS Priced From $20,995. Retrieved August 22, 2012 from: http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Aug/0822_sonic.html

Here is your latest chance to win an all new Chevy Sonic!  Hershey's, parent company of the Twizzlers brand is currently sponsoring the "Summer's Favorite Sidekick Contest" which features a grand prize of an all new 2013 Chevy Sonic and a bunch of Twizzlers (1).

For the contest page please visit this link for a complete list of rules and entry: http://www.hersheys.com/twizzlers/promotions/sidekick-summer/

Reference:  (1).  Hersheys Twizzler web page.  2012.  Summer Sidekick Contest.  Retrieved July 03, 2012 from: http://www.hersheys.com/twizzlers/promotions/sidekick-summer/

Watching the Chevy Sonic whip it up down in the Brazilian Stock Car racing series got us thinking about what an aggressive looking Sonic might look like here in an American racing circuit.  Obviously, we are seriously lacking in the funds department to build an actual race team so we went with the next best option, a photorealistic rendering.  For this project we contacted our trusted rendering artist, Mike Creighton of Rampant Renders.  Mike helped us in the past develop a wonderful street styled Sonic rendering.  For this project we asked Mike to design a Sonic geared toward the GRAND-AM series.

The Brazilian Stock Car series is using the sedan model Sonic for the body.  The Sonic sedan racer looks great, no arguments there but for this rendering we wanted to see how a Sonic hatchback would look.  The Sonic hatchback racecar features a number of styling options we are sure you will enjoy!  Be sure to look it over and discover all of the fine work.  Mike supplied us with a base rendering so one can really see all the details, and the second is a corporate car.  We hope you enjoy these Sonic racers and if any of you are interested in some renderings of your own, by all means contact Mike Creighton!


Please respect the copyright and artist integrity by citing all sources for the article and image!!!!  


2012 Chevy Sonic Racer Rendering, by Mike Creighton of Rampant Renders. www.rampantrenders.com

News is hitting the web that Chevy has a fourth quarter production in their sights for the Sonic RS line (1).  No other information has been released since the initial reports on the Sonic RS from GM last december.  To read on some of the features be sure to click on our earlier post here: 2013 Chevy Sonic RS Coming.  Another interesting Sonic related fact was that GM has sold over 35,000 Sonics thus far (1).

References: (1). Burden, M.  Chevrolet Aims for 4Q Production of 2013 Sonic RS. The Detroit News.  June 12, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2012 from: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120612/AUTO0103/206120431/1361/Chevrolet-aims-for-4Q-production-of-2013-Sonic-RS
GM Media. 2011. Turbocharged 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS Pushes Performance.  Retrieved June 13, 2012 from: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Dec/1219_sonicrs

3D Carbon is now offering a body kit option for both the hatchback and non-hatch versions of the Sonic. The style is clean and really adds a nice touch to the Sonic.  Get over to the site and check it our for yourself.

Reference: 3D Carbon Website. 2012. Chevy Sonic tab.  Retrieved June 05, 2012 from: http://3dcarbon.com/

Now that the Sonic has been on the market for a just shy of a year the R&D aftermarket production is starting to gain some momentum.  There are now a couple of companies offering exhaust options for the Sonic line.  We can be sure to see a continued uptick in manufacturers developing performance options for the Sonic.

First company, DDM Works of South Carolina currently offers exhaust options for the 1.4 and 1.8 Sonic lines.  View the website here: http://www.ddmworks.com/sonic/index.html

Second company is SLP Performance, at the time of this posting only offers an exhaust for the 1.8 Sonic. View the website here: http://www.slponline.com/view_product_site.asp?P=31195

American Brother Designs (ABD), an innovative company, has developed some really stylish billet door handles for the Chevy Sonic with GM licensing.  There is a variety of options available from ABD and they are worth checking out for those looking to add a distinctive element to the Sonic.  Everyone from daily drivers to enthusiasts can appreciate a better constructed billet handle in place of the OEM plastic one.

Reference: American Brother Designs Website. 2012. Chevy Sonic tab.  Retrieved June 05, 2012 from: http://www.americanbrotherdesigns.com/default.asp

Recently, Chevy mailed out notifications advising Sonic owners to bring the vehicle in for service as the drivers side airbag retainers may have been improperly fastened.  The notification claims the issue is not with the airbag itself, and that the airbag is functioning correctly.  The issue is with possible noises which may occur such as squeaks and rattles.  Chevy advised owners that the issue should be addressed with your local Chevy dealer and will be of no charge to the owner to correct.

Here are a couple images of the Oracle Halo lights for the Sonic which just arrived.  More images and details on installation to come.  Purchased from; Advanced Automotive Concepts eBay store: Item number: 110806291482 

Sonic drivers, are you looking for some Sonic merchandise?  Be sure to check out the officially licensed gear from the Chevy Mall store.  There are a few items available for purchase now and all but certain there will be more to come.  One nice item is the Sonic key chain, part number JG140.

View the website here: http://www.chevymall.com/

The Chevy Sonic is being featured in yet another contest.  Central NY Chevy Dealers and Syracuse University are holding a contest to pick the best SU themed wrap for a Chevy Sonic.  There are five cool school wraps to choose from which were designed by SU students.  As a reward those who vote are eligible for a chance to win SU basketball tickets.

View the contest here: http://www.orangesonic.com/

Reference
Sonic 'cuse Wrap Contest. 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012 from: http://www.orangesonic.com/

Reference:  Chevrolet YouTube Channel.  Chevy Sonic "Joy" Commercial.  Retrieved February 01, 2012 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe1cJPD_ZbA

Chevy was one of the vendors featured at the 2012 ROLEX 24 Hour race at Daytona International Speedway.  One of the vehicles they brought for display was the all new Chevy Sonic Ricky Carmichael Edition.  The satin paint really looks great on the Sonic.  Could consumers potentially start seeing satin paint options on future lines?  Enjoy this photo heavy post of the RC Sonic from the ROLEX event.

Here is an all new commercial from Chevy featuring the Sonic.
Reference:  Chevrolet YouTube Channel.  Chevy Sonic "Scenes" Commercial.  Retrieved January 23, 2012 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nStEELvlvgc

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially released the crash test data and ranking for the 2012 Chevy Sonic hatchback and sedan.  The Sonic earned a 5-star overall safety score for both models.  This is a considerable achievement because in 2011 the NHTSA changed the scoring system to call for stricter safety standards.  The 2012 Chevy Sonic earned a 5-star frontal collision for driver and passenger, and 5-star side collision for both driver and passenger.  The only segment of the NHTSA test of which the Sonic did not earn a 5-star ranking was with the rollover for which the Sonic earned 4-stars.

This latest crash test data is welcomed news for consumers of the subcompact line.  One of the concerns when considering a vehicle of this size would be the performance in a crash.  Overall the Sonic has bested the crash testing of three major agencies around the world.  One of the earliest to release crash test data was the European NCAP, or also known as the EURONCAP.  Next in line was the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or IIHS which listed the 2012 Sonic as a TOP SAFETY PICK.


To read the press release from GM and view the NHTSA crash test scores please refer to the references and links below.

References:
(1).  NHTSA Safercar.gov Website.  2012.  5-Star Safety Ratings 2011-Newer Vehicles.  2012 Chevrolet Sonic.  Retrieved January 06, 2012 from:  http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/5-Star+Safety+Ratings/2011-Newer+Vehicles/Search-Results?searchtype=model&make=CHEVROLET&model=SONIC&year=2012
(4).  Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) Website.  2011.  2012 Chevrolet Sonic TOP SAFETY PICK Award.  Retrieved January 06, 2012 from: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=1559&seriesid=737

A new year brings new Chevy Sonic contests.  The Child and Family Services of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan is holding a raffle for a 2012 Chevy Sonic at the Marquette West Rotary Seafood Festival on August 25, 2012 (1).  According to the website there are two raffle choices, one raffle ticket for $5 or five raffle tickets for $20 both of which can be purchased online (1).  The details state, "you need not be present to win", but at the time of this posting the details do not indicate if the contest is limited to residents of a particular area (1).  If indeed the raffle is open to anyone then this could be an excellent opportunity for participants to support a worthy cause while trying to win a new Sonic!

Raffle Link: http://www.cfsup.org/2012Sonic.html

Reference
(1). Child and Family Services of the Upper Peninsula, Inc Website. 2012. 2012 Chevy Sonic Raffle. Retrieved January 03, 2012 from:  http://www.cfsup.org/2012Sonic.html

There are more than a couple of reports circulating around the web about a pending recall of the all new 2012 Chevy Sonic.  The Wall Street Journal reports a Sonic owner who was having the vehicle serviced was informed of a missing brake pad (1).  This prompted a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to be filed (1).  This is the reported reason behind GM recalling Sonic's built between the dates of June 2, 2011 and November 21, 2011, and owners of these Sonic's will be notified by January 14, 2012 for a no charge inspection (1).  It is also important to highlight how Autoweek has reported GM claims the missing brake pads occurred prior to assembly and has no reported injuries from the missing pads (2).


(1). Welsh, J.  GM Recalls Chevy Sonic's for Missing Brake Pads.   The Wall Street Journal: Driver's Seat Blog.  December 31, 2011.  Retrieved December 31, 2011 from: http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2011/12/31/gm-recalls-chevy-sonics-for-missing-brake-pads/ 
(2). Rogers, C.  GM Recalls Chevrolet Sonic Models to Check for Missing Brake Pads.  Automotive News.  December 30, 2011.  Retrieved January 01, 2012 from: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111230/CARNEWS/111239995