Turbocharged 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS

by hans | December 20, 2011 9:51 am

• New variant of US market Chevrolet Sonic – turbocharged.
• Ecotec 1.4L turbo petrol engine, 138-horsepower (103 kW) and 200 Nm of torque between 1,850 rpm and 4,900 rpm.
• On sale late 2012, preview at North American International Auto Show, Jan. 14-22.

GM today announced a new addition to its Sonic small car range, the performance oriented turbocharged Sonic RS. GM claims the Sonic RS is the only turbocharged model in the US sub-compact segment. The Sonic RS is powered by a 138-horsepower (103 kW) Ecotec 1.4L turbo engine, mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. The 6-speed automatic unit however, is different from that fitted in a standard Sonic, benefiting from a ‘unique’ final drive ratio (unspecified at press time) that is said to give the RS a more sporting character.

The Sonic model range is the only sub-compact made in USA, at GM’s Orion Assembly Center in Michigan. Legacy issues stemming from United Workers Union (UAW) contracts with auto makers meant that labour cost at unionised American plants is very high and it is simply not competitive to build low margin small cars in the USA. The world is now watching closely to see if GM is able to build and sell the Sonic at a profit in USA. The new addition Sonic RS range will give GM a much needed boost to attract younger buyers, who have so far been more interested in Japanese and Korean models than GM’s own domestic offerings.

Compared to the standard Sonic, the Sonic RS gets the following additional items :

Exterior trim

• New front fascia with new fog lamp design
• New RS-specific grille
• New rear fascia
• New rear spoiler
• New rocker moldings
• Unique mirror cap finish
• Retuned sport exhaust with chrome outlet
• Unique 17-inch five-spoke wheel design
• Lowered and stiffened suspension with performance-tuned dampers
• RS badging

Interior trim

• New front sport seats
• New sport steering wheel with thicker rim and racing-inspired flat-bottom design
• New shifter knob (manual transmission)
• New aluminum sport pedals
• Specific instrument panel cluster graphics
• RS-specific interior trim color for the instrument panel and door trim inserts

Interestingly, both the turbocharged Sonic RS and standard Sonic produces the same power output of 138 hp. The standard Sonic is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter petrol engine. The difference between the 1.4-liter turbo unit and the 1.8-liter naturally aspirated unit is the torque curve.

The turbocharged Sonic RS is more peaky, producing a higher 200 Nm torque between 1,850 rpm and 4,900 rpm. Good those ‘traffic light duels’. The larger 1.8-liter naturally aspirated unit however, produces a slightly lower torque of 170 Nm (30 Nm less than RS), peaking at 3,800 rpm. However, torque curve is spread across a wider rev range, with 90% of the torque available from 2,400 rpm to 6,500 rpm.

Sonic sedan.

The Sonic is a meant to be a replacement for the Aveo model range, which was sold mainly in Asian countries. The Aveo was a slow seller in Malaysia. It had a small but decent following in Thailand and was quite popular in China, where the Chevrolet badge has a very strong appeal.

There is no news about the Sonic’s introduction in ASEAN region but with B-segment sedans forming one of largest passenger car segments in the ASEAN region, the Sonic should not be ruled out in the near future. At the moment, GM Asia Pacific’s limited resources (outside of China) are allocated to support the Colorado truck[1] and upcoming Trailblazer SUV[2], Orlando MPV (Malaysia), in that order, for the near term.

Source URL: http://www.motorindustry.org/2011/12/20/turbocharged-2013-chevrolet-sonic-rs/

---