Chevrolet Philippines: New cars, News and the Club

I already forgot the company who managed GM Philippines before the current one but so far, they have done some impressive tactics to produce such results,

Only on its 2nd year of operation, The Covenant Car Company Inc. (TCCCI), otherwise known as Chevrolet Philippines has already recorded an impressive 36.4% year-on-year sales growth by selling 2,763 units in 2011. With sales largely driven by their lovable Spark and the 2010 - 2011 Car of the Year Philippines (COTY-P), the Cruze, Chevrolet is looking forward to yet another great year as they launch the all-new Colorado and Sonic in 2012.

As featured in Top Gear Philippines

I was a member of Chevrolet Club Philippines before they changed management (Shoutout to Rav, Stephen, Doc, Gerry Chua, Chuaed, Mommy Dee, Chester, Bryan, Ryan, Herry and more!). I don't have any news where they are now but I know they're doing well. Other than being in a car club, we became friends. I was part of the original founding team of Chevy Club Ph and it's sad that "our" group was dissolved for various reasons under the new management. There's a new Chevrolet club Ph now though and like us, they also incorporated it in SEC. I don't know anyone from the current group but in case you want to join, here's the new Chevrolet Club Facebook fan page to let you know I am not bitter. hehehe. http://www.facebook.com/ChevyClubPh

This year 2012, they will launch the new Chevrolet Sonic. This is the replacement for the Chevrolet Aveo. When I first saw it, the Optra immediately came to my mind,

The rear light looks similar to the Optra, sporting the same angled style with circles. Not exactly the same but definitely looks somewhat similar.

The shape of the body as seen in the photo looks like a mix breed of Chevrolet Aveo sedan and Chevrolet Cruze. It looks as compact as an Aveo and the side profile, specifically the curves in the quarter panel and the door looks like a Cruze.

Cropping the front end, it looks like a chubbier Volvo S60. Definitely an improvement compared to the Optra and the Aveo sedan.

The Chevrolet Sonic looks like the descendant of the Chevrolet Optra, with a lot of similar features if compared to the Aveo sedan and the Cruze. I just find the headlamps too big (Wide open). The interior has a touch of both modern and classic styles. The circular air conditioning ducts adds a classic touch. Also, the circular speedometer is a classic design but since they made it digital, that makes it modern. Front seat looks cramped though from this view.

I just hope that they have solved the number 1 general problem with Chevrolet cars. Fuel consumption.

In terms of safety, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the Chevrolet Sonic "Good". Based on IIHS, this car's rating in details are as follows (Watch crash test video below):

FRONTAL OFFSET TEST

OVERALL EVALUATION:

Structure/safety cage	Injury measures				Restraints/dummy kinematics
	Head/neck	Chest	Leg/foot, left	Leg/foot, right

Good Acceptable Marginal Poor

Chevrolet Sonic 2012 - Frontal Crash Test:
Chevrolet Sonic 2012 - Side Impact Crash Test:

Not bad in terms of safety rating, compared to the Chevrolet Optra which was only rated as "Acceptable" in the frontal test and "Poor" in the side impact test. Similarly, the Chevrolet Aveo only got "Acceptable" in the frontal test and "Marginal" in the side impact test. (Click here for the video)

Overall, this is definitely an improvement over the Chevrolet Aveo in terms of safety and 10x better looking compared to the current Chevrolet Aveo sedan. In terms of fuel efficiency, I cannot comment on that since this car is not yet available on the market and I haven't personally tested it but basing it from the older models like the Optra and the Aveo, they are gas guzzlers in general. I hope they have made some significant improvements already in that area. It's one of the deciding factors in vehicle purchase other than the price point and looks.

In terms of after-sales service, I can only give "biased" comments on the old management because I receive special treatment from them without anything in exchange, (Well, thank you) so I haven't encountered any difficulties. Not sure though if that's how they treat all customers but it is possible that they do. Anyway, the old is gone and the new is here (TCCCI). I hope they continue and improve on the after sales service as their sales continue to grow.

So far, the Chevrolet Orlando and this Sonic got my attention but in case I ever have the money to buy and choose 1, I'll definitely get the bigger one-- Orlando. Not sure though about the fuel consumption. I have yet to review it if given the chance.

Here's the price list of Chevrolet vehicles as of the first week of February,

What car are you eyeing? Any comments on the new cars? Any comment on the Chevrolet you own? Let us know. Chevy people are reading this blog I'm sure.

Cheftonio
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