Published on 24/06/2013
Chevy about to make a Sonic boom Chevrolet, a unit of the US car maker General Motors (GM), expects its new Sonic compact car will help to boost overall sales to 100,000 vehicles in Thailand this year.
Laurent Berthet (left), director of Southeast Asian communications at General Motors (Thailand), and Mr Chanvit, unveil the new Sonic on Friday.
The company introduced the new E85-compatible Sonic model yesterday, upgrading the engine to 1.6 litres from 1.4 litres. The Sonic was launched in four-door notchback and five-door hatchback models late last year, powered by a 1.4-litre engine mainly to qualify for the government's first-time car buyer scheme. Vehicles had to be made in Thailand, powered by a 1.5-litre engine or lower and priced below 1 million baht to qualify. Some 8,256 Sonics were sold last year.
Chanvit Khieonavavongsa, the marketing director at Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), said the company plans to offer the 1.6-litre engine by the end of next month. Mr Chanvit said the new Sonic also has the infotainment technology MyLink. MyLink offers seamless connectivity with both iOS and Android smartphones for streaming audio, voice recognition and voice calls by connecting to a USB port. In Thailand, MyLink allows users to tune in more than 135 Thai radio stations and 7,000 stations worldwide. Chevrolet has not disclosed prices for the new model, but Mr Chanvit said it will be similar to existing Sonics sold locally, which are priced from 548,000 to 687,000 baht. All Sonic models are produced at GM's factory in Rayong province, which has a maximum annual capacity of 180,000 vehicles. Chevrolet expects sales of the Sonic models will make up at least 30% of the company's total, which are estimated at 100,000 vehicles this year, up from 75,461 last year. During the first five months of this year, Chevrolet sold 26,823 vehicles, up by 0.53% year-on-year, including 6,602 Sonics.