SONIC NOWTHE LATEST ON CHEVROLET'S ALL–NEW SMALL CAR.

W E E K O F A U G U S T 1 5 , 2 0 1 1

DARE TO COMPAREUSE COMPETITIVE TEST DRIVES TO DEMONSTRATE IT’S MORE FUN BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A SONIC. Sure, you can tell customers that Sonic is the most fun-to-drive small car — but why not just let them find out for themselves? You can do that by hosting a Sonic “Dare to Compare” test-drive event at your dealership this November.

The event encourages customers to come out and drive Sonic, then drive the competition — Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Hyundai Accent — to see firsthand why the all-new Chevrolet small-car entry is the clear choice.

Drives can be done on public roads, on a closed course on your dealership property or in a large parking lot somewhere in your community. You can even do a comparison activity with static Chevrolet and competitive displays in your dealership.

Watch gmprograminfo.com for more details on the Sonic “Dare to Compare” program, including how to secure competitive vehicles and the best ways to promote your test-drive opportunities.

May the best car win — and we’re sure Sonic will.

PRESS REVIEWS UNDERSCORE DEMO DRIVE IMPORTANCEThe automotive press recently had their first spins in the 2012 Hyundai Accent and 2012 Nissan Versa. Below is a sampling of what they had to say. It’s further proof that hosting a “Dare to Compare” event is a smart way to highlight Sonic’s ride and handling benefits and create sales opportunities for your dealership.

2012 Hyundai Accent

“ In the manual transmission model I was driving, I hit a momentary dead spot in acceleration just after an upshift from, say, second to third gear.”

— Jerry Edgerton, CBS MoneyWatch.com, July 22, 2011

“ Around town, we found the ride quality to be on the harder side, though what felt like under-damped shocks exposed themselves over some big dips — the suspension took its time composing itself after it began to cycle up and down.” — Benson Kong, Motor Trend,

July 13, 2011

2012 Nissan Versa

“ The most notable characteristic of the driving experience was that it had little character at all …” — Julie Alvin, Autoweek, July 14, 2011

“ It’s noisy under hard acceleration …” — Annette McLeod, Postmedia News,

July 21, 2011

“ Any push of the right foot is met with coarse and vocal protestations, and this is never a fast car.” — Bengt Halvorson,

TheCarConnection.com, July 15, 2011

“ If you like your economy cars with a pinch of driving excitement, you’ll have to go to another dealership.” — Jason Allan, KBB.com, July 27, 2011

IS THERE REALLY ANY COMPARISON?Production of the all-new Chevrolet Sonic is underway, and Hyundai had better be on notice. The high-volume 2012 Sonic 2LT with the Connectivity Plus Cruise Package comes standard with features like OnStar® Directions & Connections® with Turn-by-Turn Navigation, outside heated mirrors and hill-hold technology — none of which are available on the 2012 Accent SE. Plus, it’s priced several hundred dollars less. Here’s a closer look at how the two compare:

Base Models

2012 Chevrolet Sonic 2LT with the Connectivity Plus Cruise Package

2012 Hyundai Accent SE

Engine 1.8L ECOTEC® 1.6L I-4Horsepower (hp) 138 138Torque (lb.-ft.) 125 123

Passenger volume (cu. ft.) 90.4 89.7Rear legroom (in.) 34.6 33.3Cargo volume (cu. ft.) 14 13.7Standard air bags 10 6Front and rear floor mats Standard Optional OnStar Directions & Connections with Turn-by-Turn Navigation (six-month subscription)

Standard Not Available

Daytime Running Lamps Standard Not AvailableHill-hold technology Standard Not AvailableHeated outside mirrors Standard Not AvailableDriver seat armrest Standard Not AvailableTemperature sensor Standard Not AvailableMSRP including destination $17,290 $17,555

SONIC VS. ACCENT:

2012 SONIC LAUNCH BANNERS NOW AVAILABLEPromote the arrival of the 2012 Sonic at your dealership with attention-grabbing banners.

Order the banners online from GM Brand Focused Merchandising, or download the order form from the Marketing link in the Sonic section on GMLaunch.com and then fax the completed form to GM Brand Focused Merchandising Program Headquarters at 800-443-7489.

But hurry, orders are due Sept. 6, 2011. Banners will be delivered in October.

NEW SONIC FACEBOOK PAGE COMING SOONSonic is giving you good reason to surf the Web at work: its new Facebook page will launch later this month — and it’ll be loaded with resources that will help you and your customers become acquainted with the all-new small car.

Look for vehicle feature highlights, real-time responses to questions, in-depth videos — including a series featuring Chevy engineers taking Sonic out for an extreme real-world road test — and more.

Give it a look, and check back often for updates.

02 SecondsClutch

ENGAGED

03 SecondsAcceleratorENGAGED

00 SecondsClutch & Brake

ENGAGED

HILL-HOLD TECHNOLOGYWHILE ON A HILL, THE 2012 CHEVROLET SONIC HOLDS

THE BRAKE FOR YOU SO YOU DONʼT ROLL DOWN.

HOLD THAT HILLNEW SONIC TECHNOLOGY FREES DRIVERS TO LET GO OF THE BRAKE.We’ve all needed an extra hand at one time or another, but what about an extra foot? The 2012 Chevy Sonic offers just that, with standard hill-hold technology on all manual transmission models that lets drivers get started without rolling backward or forward.

While automakers typically debut this type of cutting-edge technology on luxury models and gradually filter it down to mainstream vehicles, Chevrolet is taking the opposite approach, instead introducing hill-hold technology on Sonic.

In a Sonic equipped with hill-hold, a pitch sensor detects the tilt of the body when the car is stopped on a slope and sends a signal to the stability control system. This triggers the electronically controlled brake hardware to keep the wheels clamped for up to two seconds after the driver releases the brake pedal.

“It will retain the braking force that the driver applied with the chassis control system and hold the vehicle in place,” says John Buttermore, lead development engineer for the Sonic. “That’s long enough for the driver to safely apply the accelerator and let out the clutch for a smooth start, always heading in the right direction.”

July–October

Sonic Prize Program on Chevrolet ProductSource

August Full Sonic training live on Chevrolet ProductSource

Sept. 6 Web visualizer live on Chevrolet.com

Sept. 6 Sonic in-market training enrollment begins

Sept. 19–23 National media drive (embargo lifts Sept. 19)

Sept. 27 New Sonic site and build-your-own tool live on Chevrolet.com

Late September

12-page advertorial in the October issue of AUTOMOBILE Magazine

October First cars arrive in dealerships

October Catalogs and POS materials arrive in dealerships

October In-market training meetings begin

October Webcast: Selling Sonic Competitive Comparison

October Web course: Sonic Selling Skills

October–November

38-city live retail training tour

Mid-October

National advertising begins (digital launch)

Nov. 1–4 SEMA

November Dare to Compare events

November In-dealership training begins

Q1 2012 National advertising begins (TV launch)

SONIC LAUNCH CALENDAR

4-DoorAccentFiestaSonic

$19,000

$17,000 $17,290

$14,495

$17,220

$13,995

$17,225

$14,955$15,000

$13,000

5-DoorAccentFiestaSonic

$19,000

$17,000$18,090

$15,395

Comparably Equipped MSRPBase MSRP with DFC

$17,880$16,295

$17,755

$15,355$15,000

$13,000

A REAL MARKET VALUESONIC IS COMPETITIVELY PRICED IN THE SMALL-CAR SEGMENT. Here’s how the high-volume 2012 Sonic LT with automatic transmission and the Connectivity Plus Cruise Package compares pricewise to a 2012 Ford Fiesta SE automatic with Rapid Spec 230A and a 2012 Hyundai Accent automatic with the Premium Equipment Package. According to JD Power PIN data for July 2011 CYTD, the average vehicle price of a small car is more than $17,000, making the 2LT with the Connectivity Plus Cruise Package just what the customer will be looking for.

CRUZE POWER AT THE SONIC PRICEThe same two efficient, power-dense, small-displacement engines used in the Chevrolet Cruze — the ECOTEC 1.8L and ECOTEC 1.4L turbo — power Sonic. But with Sonic, they’re in a smaller, lighter package for a more fun-to-drive feel, a rarity in the small-car segment.

The available 1.4L turbo engine , the more fuel efficient of the two engines, gets an estimated 138 horsepower — 18 horsepower more than Ford Fiesta— and 148 lb.-ft. of torque from 1850 rpm to 4900 rpm. The wide rpm range for the maximum torque — a specific trait of turbocharged engines — helps the engine deliver a better driving experience and performance.

Plus, premium design elements, such as an electronically controlled thermostat and dual overhead cams with variable valve timing, give the engine world-class smoothness and durability.

The standard 1.8L engine — estimated at 135 horsepower, along with 123 lb.-ft. of torque at 3800 rpm — has many of the same features of the 1.4L turbo. It’s a low-maintenance, compact and durable four-cylinder engine designed for low emissions and fuel efficiency.

So no matter which engine is under the hood of their Sonic, your customers are guaranteed to have a great time behind the wheel.