GM PRESS RELEASE: Chevrolet’s Small Car Momentum Drives SEMA Concepts

Preview highlights performance-inspired Sonics, Sparks and Cruze

Chevrolet’s small cars are racking up big sales in 2012 and the bowtie brand will explore their wilder sides at the SEMA Show this year with a stable of stylized Spark, Sonic and Cruze concepts. The cars demonstrate the possibilities for customers who want a more personalized driving experience.

Chevrolet previewed the concept vehicles ahead of the Oct. 30 opening of the SEMA Show, the annual automotive aftermarket extravaganza of styling and performance, along with the multihued “The Color Run” Spark and “Pink Out” Spark – a car for a cause.

“With Chevy’s new small cars attracting young buyers with a taste for customization, Spark, Sonic and Cruze are the perfect canvasses to express their personalities,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The content, colors and performance of each concept is being evaluated for possible production as Chevrolet continues to seek new ways to give customers more choices.”

Chevy small car sales were up 97 percent in September. Sonic recorded 7,525 sales for the month, with sales of nearly 65,000 year to date through September. Spark went on sale earlier this year in 18 U.S. markets and recorded 2,223 sales in September. The Cruze compact sedan is one of the country’s best-selling cars, with more than 180,000 sales year to date through nine months. That includes 25,787 sales in September, which was 42.5 percent higher than August sales.

“The momentum with these small cars continues to build, as more customers discover their fun-to-drive spirits and high-value content, including great infotainment options – such as Sonic and Spark’s MyLink features,” said Perry.

The small-car concept vehicles demonstrate a range of performance-based styling expressions, including the first application of Chevrolet’s Z-Spec treatment for Spark with family traits, such as the mesh grille inserts and graphic accents. The Z-Spec concept demonstrates a cohesive design with a family of factory-engineered accessories and the best of the aftermarket under a single theme.

Z-Spec parts could be purchased individually, to suit customer tastes and budgets. They’re designed for purchase and installation through Chevrolet dealerships with the option of installation at purchase and cost being rolled into the customer’s monthly payments. Z-Spec concepts could spawn limited-edition production models from Chevrolet.

This year’s Chevy small car SEMA vehicles include:

Cruze Upscale concept

The Cruze Upscale concept moves the compact sedan up a few rungs on the luxury ladder with a Burnished Brandy Metallic exterior and unique exterior appointments. Inside is a brown leather-trimmed interior. Features include:

·       Unique ground effects package with rocker and fascia extensions

·       Black Ice bright-accented exterior trim

·       Tinted headlamp and fog lamp lenses

·       Dark-tinted windows

·       Custom 19x8.5-inch aluminum wheels finished in Black Ice

·       225/40ZR19 Bridgestone Potenza S-04 tires

·       Seats trimmed in Loft Brown leather

·       Loft Brown and DK Atmosphere leather-wrapped steering wheel

·       Yellow accent stitching on the seats and steering wheel

·       Dark Liquid Palladium high-gloss interior trim plates

·       Door panels and instrument panel with Loft Brown and DK Atmosphere leather wraps and DK Atmosphere paint

·       Adjustable coil-over suspension kit

·       Four-piston front brake calipers with two-piece vented and drilled rotors

·       Two-piston rear brake calipers with vented and drilled rotors.

Sonic Z-Spec 1 concept

This performance-oriented vision of the Sonic sedan blends the Z-Spec aesthetic with a more capable driving experience, including a power-enhancing exhaust system and upgraded brakes. The capability is matched with a custom Synergy Green exterior. Details include:

·       Chevrolet licensed accessories Borla exhaust system

·       Lowered ride height, with Chevrolet Performance concept suspension kit, including lowering sprints and performance dampers

·       Chevrolet Performance concept brake kit, featuring four-piston front disc brake calipers with 16-inch rotors

·       Eighteen-inch split-spoke wheel design with Synergy Green insert

·       Sonic RS rear spoiler in Ashen Grey

·       Ashen Grey Metallic Z-Spec stripe and logos

·       Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit

·       Mesh-style upper and lower grilles in Piano Black with Ashen Grey surrounds

·       Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedals

·       Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel sill plates

·       Jet Black and Titanium interior with Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates

·       Chevrolet MyLink color touch screen

·       Chevrolet licensed accessories Sub and Amp Kit, with KICKER 200-watt DSP amp and 200-watt powered subwoofer.

Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 concept

A tuner-inspired concept with the performance to back up its aggressive stance, the Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 sedan shows what’s attainable with Chevrolet Performance and GM Accessories parts, along with select aftermarket components and a dash of color. Highlights include:

·       Abalone White Tricoat exterior color with Z-Spec graphics

·       Unique ground effects package and lower fascia extensions

·       Chevrolet Accessories rear spoiler

·       Galvano Silver accents on the grille surround, fog lamp bezels door trim and wheels

·       Tinted headlamps and fog lamps

·       Concept 18x7.5-inch wheels in Galvano Silver with Signal Red edges

·       Jet Black leather-trimmed interior with Orange Crust leather inserts and orange accent stitching

·       Orange anodized and Piano Black interior trim plates

·       Jet Black Leather-, Jet Black Suede- and Orange Suede-wrapped door panels and instrument panel with Orange accent stitching

·       Jet Black perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel

·       Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers

·       Chevrolet MyLInk color touch screen

·       Chevrolet licensed accessories Sub and Amp Kit, with KICKER 200-watt DSP amp and 200-watt powered subwoofer

·       Lowered ride height, with Chevrolet Performance concept suspension kit, including lowering sprints and performance dampers

·       Chevrolet Performance concept brake kit, featuring four-piston front disc brake calipers with 16-inch rotors

·       Chevrolet Performance concept single-piston rear brake calipers with Sonic RS rotors

·       Chevrolet Performance concept cold-air intake kit

·       Chevrolet licensed accessories Borla exhaust system.

Spark Z-Spec concept

The Spark Z-Spec demonstrates a cohesive and branded package of enhancements drawn from accessories already available through Chevrolet dealers – giving the cheeky Spark a definite attitude. The Salsa Red concept is distinguished from production models with:

·       Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit (body color)

·       Chevrolet Accessories Z-spec grille with Carbon Flash-painted surround

·       Grille surrounds, headlamp housings, fog lamp bezels, belt moldings and rear diffuser painted Dark Argent

·       Z-Spec body graphics in matte black

·       Chevrolet Performance licensed front lowering coil-over springs and rear adjustable springs

·       Concept 15x6-inch split-spoke wheels in Dark Argent with Salsa Red inserts and tire stripes

·       Lowered ride height

·       Seats trimmed with Salsa Red inserts

·       Front door and instrument panel inserts in Salsa Red

·       Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates

·       Chevrolet MyLInk color touch screen.

Spark Sinister concept

The aggressive-looking Spark Sinister concept blends rally-inspired exterior cues with a black appearance for a night-racing aesthetic that looks at home in the shadows of a city’s industrial district. Its content includes:

·       Dramatic body work with bold rocker fairings, a rear diffuser with dual exhaust outlets, rear wing spoiler and a front fascia with large air intakes

·       Prominent fender flares to cover large, 18x6-inch split-spoke wheels – in Bahia Red –  and low-profile performance tires: 205/40ZR18 (front) and 225/40ZR18 (rear)

·       Lowered ride height

·       Carbon Flash Metallic exterior with Bahia Red accents and matte-black graphics.

‘The Color Run’ Spark

Chevrolet Spark is the official pace car of The Color Run – a popular, nationwide series of urban 5K races in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colors for each kilometer – and it leads the pack in a colorful display of its own. A custom, multihued graphics package gives the Spark a post-race appearance while a Chevrolet Accessories ground effects kit and Z-Spec grille give it a sportier profile. The production 15-inch split spoke wheels are painted white, but don’t stay that way once color-dousing participants shower this one-of-a-kind pace car with colored corn starch along the route. Inside, custom seat with The Color Run graphics are featured, along with Chevrolet Accessories stainless steel pedal covers and sill plates.