Chevy to drop Sonic, further scaling back passenger cars

DETROIT -- General Motors said Chevrolet will end production of the Sonic this year, paring the brand's passenger car lineup to only the Malibu and Spark, in addition to the Corvette and Camaro sports cars.

Automotive News reported the 2020 demise of the subcompact sedan last year.

Chevy notified dealers last month of its plans to end Sonic production "due to declining demand," said spokesman Kevin Kelly.

Chevy began building the Sonic at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Michigan in 2011. GM introduced the Sonic in response to political calls for a fuel-efficient small car built domestically after GM's federal bailout and bankruptcy.

Orion also builds the Bolt EV. Ending Sonic production will allow Orion to prepare for the freshened Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, a larger utility version of the Bolt, Kelly said. The Bolt EUV will go into production next year.

The elimination of the Sonic will not affect Orion's work force of about 1,125, Kelly added.

At its peak in 2014, Chevy sold 93,518 Sonics, according to the Automotive News Data Center.

But last year, Chevy sold less than 14,000 Sonics, down about a third from 2018, according to the Data Center. In the second quarter of this year, Sonic sales plunged 48 percent.

Despite the sales slump, the Sonic was the highest-rated model in J.D. Power's 2020 Initial Quality Study, which ranks the quality of new vehicles.

Industry forecasters have said Malibu production could end in 2024 and Spark production as soon as 2021, leaving GM with no passenger cars in its lineup. GM has not said that it will retire either vehicle.