GM to Replace Aveo With the Sonic

GM will replace its subcompact Aveo with a new version called the Sonic, according to press reports.
By Ted Reed ,

DETROIT (

TheStreet

) --

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.

>To contact the writer of this article, click here:

Ted Reed

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