Chevrolet has unveiled the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS turbo ahead of its official unveiling set for the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in just a few weeks.
Bringing a bit of zing to the compact hatch, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS turbo features a 1.4-litre Ecotec turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 103kW of power and 200Nm of torque. It’s matched to a new six-speed manual transmission (with revised ratios over the normal Sonic), or a six-speed automatic.
It also features various sporty highlights such as a bodykit with new front and rear bumper bars, a rear spoiler, performance lowered suspension, new foglight designs, and a sports exhaust with chrome outlets.
Inside is similarly themed, with a sports flat-bottomed steering wheel, sports seats, aluminium details on the pedals and shift knob, and RS badging with sports-oriented instrument panel. John Mack, design director for Sonic, recently said,
“From every angle and every touch point, it is a car that is unabashed in its performance statement – and one that drives Chevrolet’s performance legacy into its second century.”
Even though the Chevrolet Sonic is an American car, it was actually partly developed right here in Australia. It’s available here as the Holden Barina (a step up from the Barina Spark).
In the US, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS turbo is set to go on sale towards the end of 2012. We’ll keep you updated in regards to a possible Australian market launch.
We are looking at purchasing the Holden barina later this year, we test drove it and did not like it’s performance felt sluggish, was wondering when the SRI version is coming to Australia if at all.
Cheers
Rob
Hi Rob,
Unfortunately, Holden has not confirmed anything at this stage.
If it does introduce an ‘SRi/SRI-V’ version, it isn’t likely to arrive until 2013, after this Chevrolet version is released in the US later this year.
Cheers,
PD