Volt Drawing New Faces to Chevrolet Dealerships

For many, decade-long avoidance ends as more stores offer Volt demonstrations

DETROIT - For Chevrolet dealers in the Pacific Northwest and Mid-Atlantic states, the arrival of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range means new faces coming through the doors of their stores. 

"We've been here a long time and the Volt is bringing in people we have never seen before," said Alan Starling, a dealer in Starling Chevrolet in St. Cloud, Fla. 

Starling Chevrolet is not alone. According to initial buyer surveys conducted by General Motors, more than half of the Volt owners had not been in a Chevrolet dealership in the past 10 years and nearly one-third of  Volt buyers never have been to a Chevrolet dealership.

"The Volt is an intriguing proposition that's drawing new faces to Chevrolet dealerships to learn more about the car and re-discover the brand," said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet Volt marketing director. "To date, the Volt has been available for sale at dealerships in only seven states. In the next four months the number of Chevrolet dealers with Volt's available for test drives and for sale will increase from 550 to more than 2,600."

The Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant recently resumed production of the Volt following a four-week planned shutdown for model year changeover followed by a slow ramp up to the current rate of 150 units per day four days a week.    

More than 700 Volts are being shipped to participating Chevrolet Volt dealerships in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington for use as demonstration units.

The impact of the Volt can be seen in other areas of Chevrolet's business. Customers searching  for fuel-efficient transportation often begin their search with the Volt and end up cross-shopping the Chevrolet Cruze. According to web traffic data on both Chevy.com and Edmumds.com, the Cruze is the No. 1 cross-shopped Chevrolet vehicle with the Volt. Since April, nearly 200,000 visitors searching for information on the Chevrolet Volt also searched for information on the Cruze.

"As far as image goes the Volt is huge because it's also helping sell the Cruze," said Inder Dosanjh, a Chevrolet dealer in Dublin, Calif.

The Cruze has been the No. 1-selling compact car in the nation the past two months. 

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Chevrolet Sonic Safety: Ultra-Strength Steel and 10 Air Bags

Front, side and rollover crashes considered during engineering for improvements

DETROIT - The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic comes with an array of safety features and sophisticated electronic control systems engineered to make it one of the safest vehicles in the small-car segment.

The backbone of Sonic's safety design is its exceptionally strong body structure consisting of a single welded unit of full-length, high-strength frame rails and a safety cage. Welded tubular-section members are used to frame door openings and to support the roof while steel members reinforce the doors.

Nearly 60 percent of the body structure, as well as the four-mount hydro-formed engine cradle, uses high-strength steel. Ultra-high-strength steel is strategically integrated in the forward portion of the rockers and the center cross bar. The Sonic's engine cradle distributes energy in frontal and side impacts. Together with the front bumper system and the engine compartment rails, the engine cradle bars absorb the brunt of a frontal crash.

Reinforced front hinge and A- and B-pillar zones help maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment. Should the vehicle roll over in a crash, its roof structure is designed  to withstand forces more than four times the car's weight. A releasable pedal assembly can reduce the risk of injuries to the lower extremities.

Sensors that control the deployment of 10 standard airbags is mounted into Sonic's structure. The sensing and diagnostic module receives data from the car's sensors and establishes the severity of the impact and whether to deploy the airbags. The Sonic features:

·         Dual-stage airbags for the driver and the front passenger

·         Roof-rail mounted head curtain airbags with rollover protection. The bags stay inflated longer than air bags developed only for side impacts, since rollover incidents can last longer. They also help keep occupants from being ejected.

·         Seat mounted side-impact airbags for front and outboard rear seat passengers are activated by sensors in the B-pillar and front door impact beams 

·         A driver knee air bag and a segment-exclusive front passenger knee air bag can help reduce injury to lower extremities.

If the Sonic's onboard sensors register that the vehicle "tips up" on a flat road surface, the brakes are activated to reduce lateral force.

All five seating positions have three-point safety belts. Front safety belts include pretensioners and load limiters. The outboard rear seating positions are equipped with a LATCH system to help make attaching child seats easier.