Is GM now officially dissing the Aveo? Seems like it.

[MetroMPG]

I've read two reviews of the Sonic now where a GM official says something like:

to quote Chevrolet product manager Harry Ng, his company “would prefer not to have any connection made between the Sonic and the Aveo."

source: Chevy's super Sonic steps up - The Globe and Mail

At least the journalist is clever enough to note that the redesigned car is only called "Sonic" in a couple of markets (Canada, US, and South America, IIRC).

The redesigned model retains the "Aveo" nameplate in most of the world.

And it's getting decent reviews, from what I've seen.

Sheesh.

[MetroMPG]

Ha:

One of the comments from a reader of the above linked article (NOT ME ) :

"the Sonic is also not an Aveo, a fact General Motors would like to impress on anyone who will listen"

so why is it sold in europe as "aveo", recently introduced with 1.3l DIESEL (95hp)

[petrified.rabbit]

1.3 diesel with 95 hp?! jealous.

they don't want anyone to compare the two because it will be a direct look into the american workmanship versus the koreans.
especially with all the pissed off pay cut union labor that was already complaining before production started.

[MetroMPG]

Ha - good point.

Oh, and that 95 hp diesel probably has a bazillion more torques - at least more than the base 1.8L gasser we get. ("Jealous" ... I can never tell when you're being sarcastic.)

We drive torque, but they sell HP.

[petrified.rabbit]

i would love a 95hp diesel in my aveo, the loss of only 10 hp would definitely be worth the improvement of torque and mileage.

[MetroMPG]

Well, they've promised a diesel in the Cruze for North America, which would make it a direct bolt-in to the Aveo... I mean Sonic.

But a diesel powered Sonic is probably not in the marketing plans.

[rodo]

For good or bad, the Aveo has shown up several times in the press as the least expensive car sold in the U.S. where business schools and American car companies don't seem to know how to position this (lowest price) as an advantage outside of commodities. In fact, having a product as complex as an automobile perceived as low cost/"commodity" is generally feared. It's about margin. They seem to have decided it will be easier to launch a new brand than reposition the Aveo name in the US. Notice the lack of any other US-badged models on C&D's 2008 Ten Least Expensive Cars Sold in the U.S. where Aveo held the feared top spot.

This "cheapest car" perception does seem to undeservedly bleed into other areas. I've been disappointed on more than one occasion with sloppy service at places that have done neat work on our other vehicles; it's almost like the attitude was: "Oh, it's just an Aveo."

[MetroMPG]

As for repositioning the AveoSonic further "up scale", this is probably also due to the possibility of the Chevy Beat slotting beneath the Aveo as GM's entry level car in North America. (We'll see how those plans hold if the economy continues to tank.)

[petrified.rabbit]

worse economy = bringing smaller and cheaper cars as a wise decision.

[rodo]

As for repositioning the AveoSonic further "up scale", this is probably also due to the possibility of the Chevy Beat slotting beneath the Aveo as GM's entry level car in North America.

Great example of the problem Chevy seems to be struggling to unwind. The Spark/Beat would be classed with the Scion IQ and Fiat 500, both of which have starting MSRPs that are above $15K USD. Yet the Sonic, which is a class up, has starting MSRP below $14K (sedan). So... where will Spark/Beat pricing have to begin? Chevy may continue to sell the least expensive car in America, but suspect that is not their long term strategy.