Official: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Gets A $14,495 Pricetag

[William Maley]

Official: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Gets A $14,495 Pricetag

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

June 17, 2011

General Motors has announced pricing for the new Chevrolet Sonic subcompact. The Sonic sedan begins at $14,495 while the five-door hatchback starts at $15,395.

For that price, you get a 1.8L four-cylinder engine with 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque, a five-speed manual transmission, 10 air bags, remote keyless entry and power door locks. A automatic transmission is available for extra $1,070.

If you want a bit more power under the hood, there is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque and comes with a six speed manual. That will set you back $700, but is only available on the Sonic LT and Sonic LTZ.

“Sonic shares the spirit of Chevrolets like the Corvette by delivering athletic and agile performance. Today's customers have high expectations for small cars. Sonic comes with an unexpected level of standard equipment so that every customer will have comforts and amenities they desire,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing.

Chevrolet Announces Sonic Price Will Start at $14,495

2011-06-17

• Offers more standard safety equipment than any vehicle in its class with 10 airbags and the security and convenience of OnStar
  
• Available 1.4L Turbo expected to achieve best-in-class acceleration and 40 mpg hwy
  

DETROIT – The suggested retail price of the all-new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic begins at $14,495 including destination but excludes tax, title, license and dealer fees. Sonic comes with the most standard safety equipment in the sub-compact class, including 10 air bags. Air conditioning, power door locks, remote keyless entry and 15" alloy wheels also are standard.

The Sonic, the only sub-compact built in the United States, is expected to deliver 40 mpg highway with class-leading acceleration when paired with the 1.4L Turbo and six-speed manual transmission.

The Sonic is offered in two body styles: a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback. Each delivers outstanding rear-seat roominess and cargo space.

“Sonic shares the spirit of Chevrolets like the Corvette by delivering athletic and agile performance,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “Today's customers have high expectations for small cars. Sonic comes with an unexpected level of standard equipment so that every customer will have comforts and amenities they desire.”

The 2012 Sonic will be for retail sale this fall in three models with two body styles:

Sonic LS starting at $14,495 sedan, $15,395 hatchback, including:

• Standard 1.8L Ecotec engine and five-speed manual transmission
  
• Class-exclusive standard 15-inch alloy wheels
  
• The most standard safety features in the segment, with 10 air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control, anti-lock brakes, collapsible pedal system and power rear-door child safety locks
  
• Standard OnStar, with a six-month subscription including Turn-by-Turn navigation
  
• Standard convenience features, including air conditioning, power door locks with remote keyless entry and tilt/telescoping steering wheel
  

Sonic LT starting at $15,695 sedan, $16,495 hatchback, including:

• Six-speaker premium sound system with CD player, XM Radio with three-month trial subscription
  
• Power windows with driver's express up/down
  
• Power, heated side mirrors
  

Sonic LTZ starting at $17,295 sedan, $17,995 hatchback, including:

• Connectivity package with a USB port, Bluetooth for select phones and music, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
  
• Heated leatherette front seats
  
• Cruise control
  
• Fog lamps
  
• Standard 17-inch alloy wheels
  

Major available upgrades on Sonic include:

• Six-speed automatic transmission (with 1.8L engine) - $1,070
  
• 1.4L Turbo with six-speed manual transmission (available on LT and LTZ) - $700
  

[Robert Hall]

Sounds like it will competitive price-wise w/ the Fiesta...and leaves room for the Spark at the bottom should they decide to bring it here.

[Justin Bimmer]

Pretty cool looking whip. It is priced to move.

[loki]

Pretty cool looking whip. It is priced to move.

priced to move...? didn't the aveo start @ ~10k? these are prices we'll have to get used to, just like from 70's into the 80's(that my parents saw). hopefully they do sell well though.

[Justin Bimmer]

This car is clearly $4,000 better than the Aveo.

[Cory Wolfe]

This car is clearly $4,000 better than the Aveo.

I'm not sure if its clearly $2000 better than the Accent or Rio, though, it will seem to come with much more standard equipment in base form.

[SAmadei]

This car is clearly $4,000 better than the Aveo.

Yeah, and? What if you can't afford $15K... GM has effectively said goodbye to a bunch of potential customers... unless, of course, the Spark comes here.

IMHO, there still needs to be a cheaper option... remember the MUCH larger Jetta is reaching below this price point.

[Croc]

Uhhhh...WAY TOO CLOSE IN PRICE TO THE CRUZE!! I'd definitely spend/finance $1-1.5k for a much larger car.

Sonic should have started no higher than 13.7

[ocnblu]

I want to see one of these monkeys in the metal to compare it to what I've got.

[Camino LS6]

That little thing has one ugly mug.

[loki]

put into a %, it's 21% more expensive than the aveo. but some of the earliest aveos were under 10K, right? that'd be a ~50% increase.

did the cobalt start at ~13500? cause that's roughly the same increase to get to the cruze base (21%). (using website MSRP)

would you complain at the NG corvette (with a name change perhaps? ) starting at 65500? (oops, used convertible price, sooo, take that ~5500 off)

just some perspective. i wouldn't be surprised if more NG cars get increases of 10-20% in the next few years.

is it truly progress? for the aveo to sonic, the price is a little shocking, but yes it looks, and spec wise should be a superior car of roughly the same size.

Edited June 18, 2011 by loki

[regfootball]

new cars, ones you want, are all about 18, 19 grand to buy these days. Sonic will be on average cheaper than that.

I for one am glad to see an affordable offering out there for buyers.

[daves87rs]

new cars, ones you want, are all about 18, 19 grand to buy these days. Sonic will be on average cheaper than that.

I for one am glad to see an affordable offering out there for buyers.

This.

Get used to it boys....the next round of "entry level" cars are going to start at 20 grand.

Remember, as trucks slowly disappear, a company has to make money you know.......

[hyperv6]

new cars, ones you want, are all about 18, 19 grand to buy these days. Sonic will be on average cheaper than that.

I for one am glad to see an affordable offering out there for buyers.

This.

Get used to it boys....the next round of "entry level" cars are going to start at 20 grand.

Remember, as trucks slowly disappear, a company has to make money you know.......

Yep! With the average price of a car now over $30K that leaves $15K as entry level.

GM can also market the hell with the fact this is a made in USA car vs some third world. Fit and finish for this price range was good in this car for this kind of money. It is not a CTS interior by anymeans but much nicer than most.

I did not drive it but from what I have read so far it sound like it does well in ride and handling.

[riviera74]

Unless the demand is there, this new Sonic is overpriced by at least $2500-3000. I guess it is supposed to be a better car, but at least somebody has to demonstrate that these little cars are as worth as much as a two-year-old Civic (or this year's Fit). Call me old school, but I still remember when a car of that size went for well below $10,000 brand new. Now Starting at $14,500?! WTF?!

[hyperv6]

Unless the demand is there, this new Sonic is overpriced by at least $2500-3000. I guess it is supposed to be a better car, but at least somebody has to demonstrate that these little cars are as worth as much as a two-year-old Civic (or this year's Fit). Call me old school, but I still remember when a car of that size went for well below $10,000 brand new. Now Starting at $14,500?! WTF?!

It is only going to go higher I am sad to say.

By the time you stike your deal this will be below 14K.

[§carlet §wordfish]

There was a time when cars like this started under $2000 brand new. Wouldn't it be nice if things were back to the way there were then?

[daves87rs]

Unless the demand is there, this new Sonic is overpriced by at least $2500-3000. I guess it is supposed to be a better car, but at least somebody has to demonstrate that these little cars are as worth as much as a two-year-old Civic (or this year's Fit). Call me old school, but I still remember when a car of that size went for well below $10,000 brand new. Now Starting at $14,500?! WTF?!

Welcome to the new world of cars.

With fear of gas prices and less models to choose from, this is the way it is.

Th days of discounts are also over, my friend. They no longer have to build them to a discount.......

[Cory Wolfe]

Inflation over the last 10 years... $10k in 2000 = $12.5k in 2010.

[Croc]

Cool, but none of that explains why the Cruze is then priced so low. Or how VW is able to price their Jetta so low. Especially since the Aveo/Sonic isn't even a totally re-engineered car on a new platform like the Cruze and Jetta.

I'm still going to stick with "overpriced."

[§carlet §wordfish]

The Jettas priced that low are complete stripper models without even radio or air conditioning. We had a whole thread on that.

I don't get why the hatchback is more expensive than the sedan though.

[Croc]

The Jettas priced that low are complete stripper models without even radio or air conditioning. We had a whole thread on that.

I don't get why the hatchback is more expensive than the sedan though.

So? Much bigger car than Sonic. Sonic BASES (i.e. least amount of equipment) barely beneath Jetta.

[smk4565]

It seems pricy to me. An Accent starts at $12,400 and also has 138 hp. Plus the Accent and Fiesta look better than the Sonic, I find the Sonic to have ugly in-your-face styling. Sonic seems to close to the Cruze in price, but perhaps there will be big incentives on it.

[regfootball]

Inflation over the last 10 years... $10k in 2000 = $12.5k in 2010.

pay in the last ten years.

10k in 2000 = 6k in 2011.

medical insurance in 2000 = 200 a mo. 2011, lucky if you can get it.

all your other bills are twice as much.

bottom line. cars similarly functioned and equipped have not gone up so much in the last 10 years. As an example, a new Impala at 20 grand wasn't much less in 2000. But your earning power and affordability are out the frickin window.

My Cobalt was 13k (10k after my GM card), i know the same car one year old now with miles on it is more. I would gladly pay more for this Sonic.

[loki]

Inflation over the last 10 years... $10k in 2000 = $12.5k in 2010.

looking at what? 10k back then = 90k now, if it was in a certain commodity. inflation is much worse than 25%. even at supposedly low 3% inflation per year, it'd be more like 34%. so while commodity prices have sky rocketed, this is a low increase in terms of $. isn't technology great!

Edit, the avg(year) of the commodity was 25% higher than i thought for 2000. making 10k back then more like 70k now...

Edited June 19, 2011 by loki

[frogger]

The pricing and the weird grill (size, low to ground) would be enough for me to look at others in the class if it was one I was shopping.

[thedriver]

Sold! I will certainly drive this new Sonic if GM gives me a check for $14,495!

[smk4565]

Sold! I will certainly drive this new Sonic if GM gives me a check for $14,495!

Nice. Although, even if GM gave that car to me for free, I still wouldn't drive it.

[hyperv6]

The car in person is not a bad looking car. It has a lot of room in it for the size it is. The improvment in feel and quality is night and day from the Aveo.

Chevy will also offer things in this car standard that either are extra cost or not even offered in the others. It is not a car for me but it will find a market and the buy American thing will play well with many.

GM will do well with this car if it handled as well as Autoweek said it did. The Turbo engine should make this a sprited drive.

This is not a car for most here on this web site. But here again we need to look at this as the big picture. The whole point is to sell car to everyone not just gear heads.

Edited June 19, 2011 by hyperv6

[SAmadei]

Sold! I will certainly drive this new Sonic if GM gives me a check for $14,495!

Nice. Although, even if GM gave that car to me for free, I still wouldn't drive it.

And of course, if GM gave me a Sonic for free, I'd not be able to fit in it to drive it, unless I take a Sawzall to it.

[SAmadei]

Yep! With the average price of a car now over $30K that leaves $15K as entry level.

This is why the Chinese are primed to finish off the domestics. 80% of the copycat car for 50% of the money.

Why do I say domestics? Simple... they are the ones currently trying to elevate the brand image with higher prices. If truck sales collapse and higher priced small cars don't take off, I predict the collapse will be fast.

GM needs to be able to sell all cars at a reasonable profit... even low content ones.

[hyperv6]

The simple fact is they can't lower prices but they can increase content. That is just what they are doing. The same is happening for the present cars where they are adding more standard features if they raise the price. Labor and raw material cost are pretty much fixed or rising in the industry but adding feature adds precieved value and helps sell products with out adding much more cost to the cars. People want all the bells and whistles and they also want them to work a year after the car was built.

China could pose a challange in the future but they have many things to overcome first. They can copy at gain a share of the market but they can never dominate with a poor copy. Also they have some real economic issues of their own to deal with. Even with low cost and forced labor they have had to prop up their GDP with un needed building projects. They now have 50 Million empty apartments no one there can afford sitting empty. They will see a houing crisis greater than our own.

Hyundai learned you an low ball a car but the Americans in time will reject the low cost car quality. They have moved the quality up to a point they are not a low ball company anymore. They are now just under cutting priced a little now with much better cars. It was either that or go the way of the Yugo. In time they will continue to increase their prices with better acceptability. The low cost advantage goes away fast when people understand the money they saved up front will be needed to fit the cheap car two years later.

If building a cheap car was a good long term plan they all would be doing it outside the third world.

[riviera74]

GM tried building cheap. Try 1975-2005, especially in small cars and very cheap interiors. It did not work. No one will tolerate cheap crap anymore, even at $14K. (Of course, most of those buyers should buy an off-lease car that is 1-3 years old instead.)

As for China overbuilding and trying to cheapen their way to conquest: +1 and QFT.

[SAmadei]

The simple fact is they can't lower prices but they can increase content. That is just what they are doing. The same is happening for the present cars where they are adding more standard features if they raise the price. Labor and raw material cost are pretty much fixed or rising in the industry but adding feature adds precieved value and helps sell products with out adding much more cost to the cars. People want all the bells and whistles and they also want them to work a year after the car was built.

China could pose a challange in the future but they have many things to overcome first. They can copy at gain a share of the market but they can never dominate with a poor copy. Also they have some real economic issues of their own to deal with. Even with low cost and forced labor they have had to prop up their GDP with un needed building projects. They now have 50 Million empty apartments no one there can afford sitting empty. They will see a houing crisis greater than our own.

Hyundai learned you an low ball a car but the Americans in time will reject the low cost car quality. They have moved the quality up to a point they are not a low ball company anymore. They are now just under cutting priced a little now with much better cars. It was either that or go the way of the Yugo. In time they will continue to increase their prices with better acceptability. The low cost advantage goes away fast when people understand the money they saved up front will be needed to fit the cheap car two years later.

If building a cheap car was a good long term plan they all would be doing it outside the third world.

I'm not saying the Chinese are taking over next Thursday, but they are coming. In the meantime, you are assuming we maintain our lofty riches and continue to be able to afford cars with heated horn buttons, rose colored window washer fluid and baby seal interior fabric. Unless our country takes evasive maneuvers, we're going to crash.

When we join our 3rd world brothers as part of the race to the bottom, whos going to be affording anything?

[ocnblu]

I am not seeing mention of an RS trim package... if I'm reading dis right, the turbo injun is a stand-alone option???

[Cremazie]

Watch for American car prices to continue to rise as the American dollar falls against everyone else.

[SoCalCTS]

That little thing has one ugly mug.

+1

[Robert Hall]

2012 Versa starts at $10,990. Will GM respond? There is room for the Spark below the Sonic price point...

Edited July 12, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[SoCalCTS]

2012 Versa starts at $10,990. Will GM respond? There is room for the Spark below the Sonic price point...

I thought the Spark was coming to the USA after all.