It’s official! The new 2012 Sonic has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, seeing how this subcompact cruiser is equipped with two more air bags than its competitors and has a vehicle safety cage that is 60 percent high-strength steel.
Photo courtesy of AutoBlog.com
The Sonic also features a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Top Tethers for Children) system, six months of OnStar service including automatic crash response and panic brake assist technology. Did I forget to mention how smart this subcompact is? Should you be involved in an accident, there are sensors that will diagnose the severity of impact and control the deployment of its 10 airbags.
The IIHS only awards Top Safety Picks to the vehicles that perform with the highest level of safety in their class. The ratings are based on how well they protect passengers in front and side crash tests, in rollovers via a roof strength test, and in simulated rear impacts to evaluate seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries.
You can see how the Sonic reacts in two of these tests below. If you’re looking for a seriously safe subcompact that averages 40 mpg.
If you heard the phrase “Going Green” twenty years ago, you may have wondered if someone was talking about the Incredible Hulk. Now you hear it on a daily basis and if you have not joined the eco-friendly lifestyle, you may be a little behind the times.
GM has been working on eco-friendly vehicles for some time now. The Cruze Eco (which offers 42 mpg highway) and the Chevy Volt (a leader for electric cars) are a couple examples of their hard work.
GM just announced Chevrolet will start placing labels on the back window of all its new cars and trucks as a way to advertise the eco-friendly benefits of its vehicles. GM will start in March with the 2012 Chevy Sonic, placing the labels on the driver side rear window. The so-called “Ecologic” labels will start appearing on other 2013 Chevy vehicles later this year.
The labels will give buyers details on fuel-saving technologies, a vehicle’s recyclability at the end of its lifecycle, and green aspects to its manufacturing. The Chevrolet label differs from the Environmental Protection Agency window sticker, which is generated by the government to give buyers a way to compare fuel economy on new vehicles.
GM says it’s going the extra step to give consumers more information. The Sonic label, for instance, shows the car’s features, such as recyclability and technologies that contribute to fuel savings, along with benefits to the owner.
“Customers want companies to be honest and transparent about their environmental efforts and sustainability goals, and rightly so,” said GM North America President Mark Reuss in a statement. “Putting an Ecologic label on each Chevrolet is just one more way for us to share our environmental progress.”
The label communicates vehicle-specific features in the following areas:
DETROIT – “Chevy Happy Grad,” an ad submitted by 26-year old Long Island resident Zach Borst, will be aired during the telecast of Super Bowl XLVI, beating out submissions by independent filmmakers from around the world as part of Chevrolet’s Route 66 Super Bowl ad contest.
The ads had more than 32 million total online views between December 22 and January 14.
“We asked filmmakers to depict life’s journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. “When I saw Zach’s spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can related to – expectation and reality. ‘Happy Grad’ clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits.”
Borst’s audience on Super Bowl Sunday is expected to exceed 110 million television viewers. “Chevy Happy Grad” was filmed on location near his home on Long Island during a weather window that offered Zach, his cast and crew only four hours to complete the project.
“My Dad was a cop and worked real hard to be able to buy his kids their first cars. They were used, but mine meant the world to me,” Borst said. “Then I wondered what it would look like if I got a brand new Camaro? I mean, after all, who wouldn’t want a Camaro as a graduation gift?”
Borst, an aspiring filmmaker, has been producing films since his childhood and founded his own production company, Goat Farm Films, based in New York.
During Chevrolet’s Route 66 Super Bowl ad contest, filmmakers from 32 countries submitted 400 scripts and 198 films for consideration. “Chevy Happy Grad” and other ads from the contest can be viewed at Chevrolet’s You Tube channel.
Winter finally decided to make its presence known in the Central Ohio area. The time when our beloved Chevrolets have a thin coat of salt on them and the morning commute takes a few minutes longer. Other than the obvious safety precautions you should take in the wintertime, we wanted to share a little advice on the new potholes that are going to be popping up in your daily travels.
You drive the same roads to and from work everyday, so you know where the usual bumps, manholes and potholes are from having to swerve around them all the time. The winter can be a little tricky though! In my case, I was coming home from work and, out of nowhere, hit a massive pothole that was covered by snow. With the sound my car made when it hit the pothole, I had a hunch I would have a flat tire very quickly. Sure enough, I did. I also ended up with a bent rim! There was not much I could do to avoid this pothole encounter, but the Jack Maxton Service Department wants to give you a little advice to avoid them as much as possible.
1. Make sure you are paying attention to the vehicles in front of you. If you see them hit a pothole, try to safely swerve to miss it yourself. Like me, some will end up with a flat tire. Be cautious of the car in front of you that hit the hole, as they may end up with a blown-out tire. Also, watch the overall traffic flow. If you find that everyone in front of you is making an unexpected detour, take notice. They may be swerving to avoiding a pothole in the road.
2. Make mental notes. As you drive back on forth on roads frequently traveled, make a mental note of the potholes. Sometimes, the city does a quick patch job. At best, the patch lasts a couple weeks. As it snows and becomes icy, the asphalt patch will began to chip away.
3. Beware of puddles. As the snow starts to melt the innocent puddle ahead is a lot deeper than you may think. Slow down and try to swerve around it as safely as possible. Hitting a hole at top speed can actually damage your vehicle’s tires, chassis and possibly suspension.
4. Check with your Department of Transportation. Some state websites have a “report-a-pothole” feature. Check with the city’s website before you go on a trip using unknown roads. Although seldom, the city you live in may reimburse you for damage done to your car from a pothole.
The 427 edition of the 2013 Corvette has a 427-cubic-inch LS7 engine borrowed from the Z06, and it’s rated at 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Photo credit: CHEVROLET
DETROIT — The C6 Corvette is going out in style — and with plenty of performance.
Chevrolet confirmed Thursday the 2013 Corvette will be the final year for the sixth generation of its iconic sports car, which it will send off with a 427 convertible collector edition and a 60th anniversary package.
The cars will be shown in the flesh Jan. 21 at the Barrett-Jackson auction ahead of their launch this summer.
The first 427 convertible will be auctioned at the Las Vegas sale with the proceeds going to the Drive to End Hunger relief program.
As the name implies, the 427 edition has a 427-cubic-inch LS7 engine borrowed from the Z06, and it’s rated at 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.
Chevy says this is the most powerful production convertible in Corvette’s history.
This model will only offer a six-speed manual. Carbon fiber is used for the raised hood, Z06-style fenders and floor panels, as well as an option front splitter and rocker panels.
The 427 rolls on 19-inch wheels front with 20-inchers in rear. Black cup and chrome ZR1 wheels are options. The car checks in at a lithe 3,355 pounds and can blitz to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.
The 427 follows in the lineage of the lineage of special models offered from 1966 to 1969, before displacement expanded to 454 cubic inches.
Meanwhile, the 60th anniversary edition offers arctic white paint, special badging, a carbon fiber splitter and rocker panels and a 60th anniversary gauge cluster and sill plates.
There’s also an optional stripe package.
The 60th anniversary trim will be available on all 2013 model year Corvettes, and the convertibles have a blue top.
When was the last time you drove by a hotel and saw a larger-than-life claw arcade game? Yeah, that has not happened to us either. It did, however, take place in mid-December at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, downtown Hollywood. Chevrolet is the first to make the enormous claw game which includes 16 projectors that display a 90-foot version of the classic game. You could actually interact with it via giant joy stick. That night, people were winning prizes such as snowboards, cameras and even a New Chevy Sonic!
Nevertheless, how does Chevy Sonic marketing lead to a huge claw game in the middle of Hollywood?
Well, let’s first start with some things the Sonic has done that other cars would not dare do. Chevy doesn’t think for a second that consumers are going to be doing these stunts, but it does show the fun versatility for trained professionals. Let’s not forget, we all like to see outrageous stunts! Sometimes being the first means you need to be the first to jump out of a plane in the middle of a desert. Or perhaps, jumping off a stack of shipping containers and dipping your nose into a kiddie pool!
These events are pretty daring and insane, but there is one that takes the cake. Rob Dyrdek, the famous skateboarder and MTV star, teamed up with Chevy to pull off a radical flip. Rob is a fan of Chevy and owns a 1969 Camaro as well as a Tahoe. Chevy made modifications to his Sonic for the big jump calling it “Super Sonic Rob.”
“Chevrolet partnered with MTV’s Rob Dyrdek to reach a youthful and adventurous audience. Many of these people are experiencing some of their lives’ biggest ‘firsts,’ and the Sonic is right there with them to do things that have never been done before,” said Kevin Mayer, director of Chevrolet advertising and sales promotion.
Although Sonic is doing some shocking aerobatics, its’ safety features are award winning. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic received a 5-star overall vehicle score for safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These are the highest ratings possible! It may be a compact car but it offers an exceptionally strong body structure. The Sonic is designed to help drivers avoid crashes and also protect occupants in the event a crash does occur. How does a car do that? With StabiliTrak electronic stability control! This helps the driver maintain control by comparing the path being steered by the driver with the actual response and, when necessary, applying the brakes or adjusting the throttle or a combination of both.
The driver and passengers are also protected with driver and front passenger dual-stage frontal air bags, seat-mounted side pelvic/thorax air bags, knee air bags and head curtain side air bags with rollover protection that cover front and outboard rear seating rows. The Sonic also has side impact air bags in the outboard rear seating positions for a total of ten standard air bags.
There will be no shortage of excitement in the 2013 model either! The youthful crowd will absolutely love the improved sportier look of the new Sonic with a seven-inch color touch screen radio, heated front seats, 17-inch wheels and the same 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. The car, pricing from $13,735 – $18,430, also allows drivers to use navigation applications on their smart phones and project those directions on the screen! Jack Maxton Chevrolet is featuring the 2012 Sonic on the showroom now. The 2013 model will be coming in late summer 2012. Visit www.jackmaxton.com for more information.
Jack Maxton Chevrolet 