GM to Replace Aveo With the Sonic
DETROIT (
) --
General Motors
(GM) - Get Report
is expected to replace its subcompact Chevrolet Aveo with the newly named Chevrolet Sonic.
The new name was first reported in the
GM Inside News
blog.
The Detroit Free Press
said the new car will be built at GM's Orion Township plant starting Aug. 1. Like
the Cruze
, Sonic will be a global name.
|
GM trademarked the name "Chevrolet Sonic" on Oct. 5, according to trademark records. Both
The Free Press
and
GM Inside News
said various GM executives have been unhappy with the Aveo name, partially because of confusion over how to pronounce it.
The Sonic will represent one more step in the U.S. automakers' effort to regain a footing in
the small car market, which had been largely ceded to foreign automakers. In November,
Ford
(F) - Get Report
reached its highest share level in the small car market in at least six years, as both the Fiesta and the Focus attracted buyers.
The U.S. version of the Sonic is expected to be unveiled in the next few months, possibly at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.
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Ted Reed